How Does Data Leakage Occur? Several Major Incidents in Recent Days

How Data Leakage Occurs: Several major data leak incidents have occurred in the last few days. These incidents involve the exposure of sensitive data, which could lead to significant damage.

But how exactly does this happen?

How Data Leakage Occurs: Several data leak incidents have come to light recently. In a recent case, a report by the Alibi Global Threat Intelligence Group revealed that data linked to the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Army is being sold on the dark web for $8,000. This dataset, comprising approximately 31GB of information, has been available on the dark web for the past two weeks. DRDO has stated that it will verify the authenticity of this report. Before this, there was a data leak involving Bank of Baroda, where sensitive information related to Aadhaar cards and bank accounts was reportedly exposed. Last month, news also emerged regarding a data leak at Tata Electronics, a supplier for Apple. Today, we will explore how data leaks occur and the underlying reasons behind them.

What Does a Data Leak Mean?

A data leak occurs when sensitive information inadvertently falls into the wrong hands. For instance, a glitch in a cloud storage server could allow unauthorized individuals to access sensitive information. Human error is generally the primary cause of data leaks—such as an employee leaking sensitive information via email or message, or leaving a device unlocked or unprotected. Hackers can exploit such situations.

How Is a Data Breach Different from a Data Leak?

While data leaks and data breaches are often considered synonymous, there is a significant difference between the two. A data leak usually results from an error or poor data security, whereas a data breach occurs when data is stolen through a cyberattack. A data leak can lead to a data breach, potentially causing financial loss and severely damaging a company's reputation.

What causes data leaks?

Human Error – As mentioned earlier, data leaks due to human error are common. Negligence in managing sensitive data, selecting the wrong recipient when sending emails or messages, or sharing confidential information with unauthorized individuals can all lead to data leaks. In 2021, an employee's mistake in the US city of Dallas resulted in a leak of 23TB of data.

Phishing – Hackers obtain personal data by manipulating individuals. They can steal personal information by sending malicious links via email. Login credentials can also be stolen using this method, which can subsequently be used to launch major attacks.

Insider Threat – Individuals working within a company, network, or organization can also leak sensitive information. A case came to light in 2021 where four lawyers at a law firm stole the company's files to assist a competing firm in opening a new office.

Technical Flaws – Outdated software, weak authentication protocols, and obsolete systems can cause data leaks. These vulnerabilities make it easier for hackers to access sensitive data. Additionally, misconfigured APIs pose an increasing risk of data leaks; this vulnerability can cause significant damage, particularly in cloud and microservices architectures.

Data in Transit – Data transmitted via email or messages can be intercepted. Sensitive information is at risk of leaking if protection methods like encryption are not used. Similarly, data stored in databases, the cloud, or on servers is also vulnerable to leaks if robust security measures are not in place.

Data currently in use could also be leaked.

In certain situations, the data you are currently using can also be leaked. If you are using an unencrypted system, it becomes easier for someone to breach your device.