https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/data-breach
A data breach is any security incident in which unauthorized parties access sensitive or confidential information, including personal data (Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, healthcare data) and corporate data (customer records, intellectual property, financial information).
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/security-101/what-is-a-data-breach
May 29, 2026 · A data breach is a security incident in which protected, confidential, or sensitive data is accessed, acquired, or disclosed without authorization, or is misused by authorized users beyond their intended permissions.
https://www.security.org/identity-theft/breach/
Jun 11, 2026 · Data breaches expose millions; Equifax's 2017 breach leaked info of 147.9M Americans. Protect with strong passwords, software updates, and credit monitoring. Data breach – we hear and read about it in the news and data experts warn us about it – but what really is a data breach? And more importantly, how does it affect us, personally?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_breach
Data breach A data breach, also known as data leakage, is "the unauthorized exposure, disclosure, or loss of personal information ". [1] Attackers have a variety of motives, from financial gain to political activism, political repression, and espionage.
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/what-is-data-breach/
Apr 10, 2026 · A data breach is a security incident in which bad actors gain access to one or more computer systems and expose data—or demand payment to return the data (a ransomware attack).
https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/i-m-worried-about-how-an-organisation-has-handled-my-information/what-is-a-data-breach/
What is a data breach? Due to changes made by the Data (Use and Access) Act, this guidance is under review and may be subject to change. The Plans for new and updated guidance page will tell you about which guidance will be updated and when this will happen.
https://www.cyberhaven.com/infosec-essentials/what-is-data-breach
Feb 9, 2026 · A data breach is a security incident in which sensitive, confidential, or protected information is accessed, disclosed, stolen, or used without authorization. Data breaches can involve personal data, financial records, intellectual property, customer information, or regulated data such as healthcare or payment card information. In plain terms, a data breach occurs when data ends up in the ...
https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/what-is-a-data-breach/
Apr 3, 2026 · Quick Answer A data breach is the theft of personal information, such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers or passwords, from an organization’s digital records. Criminals may use stolen data to impersonate you and seek credit in your name.
https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/learn/topics/security/what-is-a-data-breach.html
A data breach is a security violation or incident that leads to the theft of sensitive or critical data or its exposure to an unauthorized party. These incidents can be intentional, such as a database hack, or accidental, such as an employee emailing confidential files to the wrong recipient.
https://www.sans.org/security-resources/glossary-of-terms/data-breach
What is a data breach? Learn the definition, common causes, and real-world examples of data breaches, plus how to protect your business, here.
