5 Most Common Causes of Data Leaks

While digitization efforts are taking over industries, there is an ever-present hurdle in fighting data breaches. This is because any leak can harm a business by causing enormous losses and reputational damages.

The causes of these breaches vary widely from simple human error to more sophisticated cyberattacks. Understanding the most common causes of data leaks is the first step toward safeguarding your data and avoiding disaster. Here are five top ones everyone should know.

1. Weak Passwords#

People still use easily guessed passwords, such as "123456" or "password," through which unauthorized access to accounts is easily gained. Most cyber attackers use password attack techniques to guess such weak passwords quickly and thus get unauthorized access to important data with much less effort.

This can be worsened by a lack of multi-factor authentication, allowing the attackers an easy entry point to exploit.

In addition, weak password policies and their lax enforcement contribute to the problem. There is a tendency among employees to use the same passwords in various service environments, which increases the danger of penetration if one service is compromised.

Strict password policies, such as changing them within a certain period, making them complex, and having multi-factor authentication should be applied.

2. Phishing Attacks#

This involves hackers tricking people into giving them information, usually usernames, passwords, or credit card numbers. Examples of such attacks include emails or even text messages at times, which may seem to come from sources that people usually trust and make users give out their personal or company data.

However, with this growing awareness, phishing attacks have increasingly become sophisticated. Spear phishing is an example of a phishing threat tailored toward individuals or companies.

Successful attacks can lead to data leakage, financial loss, or unauthorized access to confidential systems. Any organization has to invest in employee training, use advanced email filtering software, and develop straightforward procedures for reporting suspicious activity towards phishing.

3. Insider Threats#

Insider threats can be the intentional or unintentional causes of data breaches. Employees with sensitive information can inadvertently leak data because of mismanagement of files, being made victims of social engineering, or failing to follow proper security protocols. Disgruntled employees may also intentionally leak data to harm the organization.

A company should restrict sensitive information to minimize insider threats by allowing access only to people with the required authority. Monitoring the activities of employees and periodic auditing may help recognize any unusual behavior before the situation gets out of control and leads to a data breach.

4. Outdated Software#

Hackers are always on the lookout for bugs in older software versions, using them to exploit the system and steal data. Even widely used software may become one of the weakest links within an organization's cybersecurity policies if the software is not regularly updated.

Organizations should get regular updates for the software and manage patching. Enable automatic updates whenever possible to ensure systems are patched as soon as updates are available to reduce data leaks due to unpatched vulnerabilities.

5. Misconfigured Cloud Storage#

Systems like Amazon S3 or Google Drive can be secure when set up with best practices. However, bad configurations, such as database configurations open to the public, may show sensitive data to everyone connected to the internet.

A company should consider an effective cloud security that includes periodic reviews of cloud settings. Ensure strong encryption of data and access restriction to critical data stored on the cloud to only authorized users.

Endnote#

Data leakage is potentially disastrous for an organization due to the loss of sensitive information and damage to reputation. Leakages may occur due to various reasons; hence, it is important to take care of the situation in advance by considering all the potential sources of threat. Consider embracing tech in your efforts to establish safety mechanisms.