What does the term "data breach" refer to?

The term "data breach" specifically refers to an incident where unauthorized individuals gain access to sensitive, protected, or confidential data. This definition emphasizes the unauthorized access aspect, which is critical to understanding the nature of a data breach. In a data breach, sensitive information such as personal identifiable information (PII), financial records, or proprietary data is exposed to individuals who do not have the legal right to access it.

This is distinct from systematic attacks aimed at stealing data or the deletion of data, as those scenarios do not necessarily involve unauthorized access to information. Similarly, communication of company data to competitors implies sharing information rather than the unlawful acquisition or exposure of data, which is not the primary focus of the definition of a data breach. Hence, the answer captures the essence of what constitutes a data breach in the cybersecurity context.