IT Security Incidences vs. Security Breaches: How Do They Differ?

cyber security companies in Los Angeles

Are you looking to improve your business’ cyber security?

You may have come across managed IT security services issues and security breaches. Not knowing what these two are and how to prevent them can cost you damages, loss, and data theft. If you want to know how these two things differ, then keep on reading.

Did you know that 3,813 security breaches got reported only during the first half of 2019? These breaches affected and compromised over 4.1 billion data records.

With the number of breaches increasing, you need to be more proactive in protecting your data. In this article, we’ll show you the differences between security incidences and breaches. This will help you understand how these two work and how to move forward.

IT Security Los Angeles Area Incidents

While a security breach and incident have a close relationship, they’re distinct terms. An IT security incident is a violation of a company’s policy on security. This happens when systems by a company to protect data have failed or gotten compromised.

It is important to note that when this happens, an authorized person is accessing data. This is the key difference between a security incident and a breach. Most security incidents and breaches are often connected and happen together.

When a security incident happens, a network breach follows. This is because data has gotten compromised, making it easier to breach. What you do after a security incident happens is crucial to preventing a breach.

Preventing the transition from an incident to a breach is critical in making a security plan. This is why it’s recommended to have layers of defense systems including a protected firewall. Having these precautions helps slow down any attackers from getting to your data.

Portable storage devices getting mishandled can also be a security incident. Distributed denial of service is also classified as an incident. Every IT security incident should get recorded using a security incident report.

Security Incidence Examples

An example of a security incident is having malware in your network. Having malware does not equate to a breach, as they have not done anything to your data. In this case, having malware is still a security incident.

There is a wide variety of security incidences that can happen to your company. A security incident can also be a spam message in your company email or a phishing email. Any mishandling of IT equipment and infrastructure can also be a security incident.

What Is a Security Incident Report?

Whenever an incident or breach happens, it is vital to have a security incident report. A security incident report is an account of what happened during a security breach. This helps you keep a record and also patch up security vulnerabilities.

When writing a report, make sure to explain in detail what had happened. This should include the what, when, where, why, when, who, and how of the incident. Make sure to state others who saw it and make them file a report if they experienced it as well.

Security Breach

A security breach happens when an unauthorized party gains access to your data. This is any incident where any data gets damaged, stolen, or taken from your system. A key difference is that this occurs without consent from the system’s owner.

There are many kinds of security breaches. This can include the loss or theft of a physical or hard copy of notes. Security breaches also occur with USB drives, work computers, and even personal computers.

It’s not only work computers you should look after, but also phones. Some sensitive company data may also get stored or shared through workers’ phones. An instance of this is the Apple security breach, which was able to infiltrate phones.

This security breach used spyware surveillance that gives people access to your data. This access to data can leave you vulnerable to data breaches and misuse of your data. Having a data breach can cost damage to you and your company’s image.

A common effect data breaches have besides data leaks are the loss of trust from your customers. This is because sensitive or personal and private information gets accessed. Data breaches may result in you losing customers and incurring financial losses.

Security Breach Example

Going back to our malware example, let’s say that malware is now used to gain access to your data. It then becomes a security breach. A security breach happens the moment any unauthorized party interacts with your data.

This unauthorized party may have malicious intent, like damaging and stealing your data. While they have no consent, the reasons for data breaches are not always malicious. Data breaches occur even without malicious intent as long as data gets accessed.

Most data breaches happen due to malware attacks or targeted hacking. Data breaches also occur due to insider leaks or trusted individuals leaking access. Loss or theft of devices with sensitive information stored also causes a data breach.

What Can You Do To Prevent A Security Breach?

The best way to prevent a security breach is to have a security plan in place. Many small businesses struggle with having a security plan for their data. For local business in Southern California, hiring a Los Angeles managed service provider can help protect and create a security plan is a great first step.

Hire Be Structured Technology Group

If your IT team consists of one guy or none at all, it might be best to hire an outsourced IT support company. Outsourcing your IT support helps takes stress off of you by having vetted local IT support experts. Technology is fast-paced, and you might not be able to keep up with your company’s IT needs.

Be Structured Technology Group Inc. is a Los Angeles IT services company based in downtown LA.

Be Structured offers industry-standard IT tools that help to protect you. We can also provide expert strategies and plans to avoid breaches. We also offer services such as data backup and data recovery after disasters.

Get Protection From Security Breaches Today

These are only a few key differences between security incidences and security breaches. Why stop here when there’s a lot more to learn when it comes to protecting your data?

Are you looking for a way to prevent a security breach and protect your data? Then contact us for IT Support in Los Angeles today.

With Be Structured, you are sure to see results on time and within your budget.

About Chad Lauterbach

CEO at Be Structured Technology Group, Inc. a Los Angeles based provider of Managed IT Services for small business. I desire to help small businesses better utilize technology by assisting in high level planning to make sure that new systems will benefit them both operationally and financially. I am careful to implement and support systems using industry best practices.