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Eva Simpson
Jul 26, 2022
Oliver Noble
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Nov 14, 2019
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2 min read
Another day, another data breach. First it was Yahoo, then it was Marriott International, and then finally, it was Facebook’s turn to pay the piper. With everyone talking about corporate fines, you might be thinking that only big businesses need to worry about protecting sensitive data. But to prevent your own private details from falling into the wrong hands, you need to be proactive. So let's start by understanding what sensitive information actually is.
Sensitive data is any information that you wouldn’t want to be shared without your consent. For organizations, this includes critical, protected, and confidential files. For private individuals, this mostly concerns sensitive personal information — especially data that can identify you,such as your name, address, or social security number.
To give you a better picture, here are some examples of sensitive data:
As you can see, despite the popular myth, sensitive data is not always classified. For instance, your medical records and email address may cause embarrassment or harm if leaked, but they can still be made available to others without your consent for lawful purposes.
How does sensitive data get exposed?
While many situations can result in sensitive data exposure, what really incites media frenzy are mass data breaches. By exploiting vulnerabilities, hackers can infiltrate databases and steal personal information like user account details.
Of course, cybersecurity continues to advance and brute-force hacking is becoming untenable. That’s why criminals rely more and more on human error to break in. Bad habits like weak passwords, limited understanding of social engineering techniques, and poor security practices can give crooks the opening that they need.
But sensitive data exposure isn’t limited to big headlines. Personal details get exposed through scams and incompetence every day — we just don’t hear about it on the news. For example, information on your LinkedIn and Facebook pages can help hackers guess your email’s security question. From there, they can work their way up to your financial details.
Finally, don’t forget that sensitive data includes your personal files and photos. If your computer becomes compromised (for example, by a virus), your private documents may be used to harm you, shame you, or even blackmail you.
What happens when sensitive data is leaked?
Some say that there is no such thing as bad publicity. But nobody wants the kind of attention that data leaks bring.
According to the Ponemon Institute, the average corporate cost of data breaches now clocks in at $3.86 million. That includes investigation expenses, redress to victims, security updates, and the hit to reputation. Companies pass these costs down to customers like you through higher prices and confusing security measures.
For individuals, the results can be more severe — and deeply personal. Data leaks can expose private details, such as medical history or sexual orientation. If criminals get their hands on sensitive personal information, they may use it to commit identity fraud, cleaning out bank accounts before victims are even aware of the breach.
How can I protect my sensitive data?
When people hear of big data breaches, they often feel powerless. Once we share our sensitive information with a big corporation, it’s like it’s out of our hands — we’re at the mercy of its security measures and the criminals’ ingenuity.
Don’t despair. These common-sense tricks will help limit the fallout of any potential exposure of sensitive data:
Oliver Noble
Verified author
A nerd with a laser focus on all things cybersec. His own words. Oliver’s hobbies away from the computer include reading, Netflix, and testing the limits of yet another Raspberry Pi. To our surprise, this 130-pound ‘nerd’ also bakes a killer pumpkin pie.
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