Data Leak

The terms data leak and data breach are often used as synonyms, but they have a notable difference. While both involve the unauthorized exposure of data, the cause of the exposure determines whether it is a leak or a breach.

A data leak is an event, where unauthorized people get access to information due to internal errors. The reasons are often poor data security, outdated systems, or a lack of employer training.

A data breach happens when an external person breaches a system with a cyberattack to gain unauthorized access.

Also, a data leak can cause a data breach. If there is a data leak where login credentials of employees are spread, these can be used for a data breach, as attacker can use them to fulfill a cyberattack, for example by installing ransomware after logging into employee accounts.