What is a data breach?

A data breach is fundamentally characterized by an event where unauthorized access to personal data occurs, which reflects a violation of the security or privacy of that data. This definition emphasizes the aspect of unauthorized access, indicating that data privacy rights are compromised when individuals or entities gain access to sensitive information without permission.

The implications of a data breach can be severe, as it often leads to the exposure of personal information, which can then be used for identity theft or fraud. This understanding is crucial in privacy compliance, as organizations must implement stringent security measures to prevent such incidents and protect personal data.

While options that mention data being deleted unintentionally or incorrectly managed do refer to issues related to data governance, they do not accurately encapsulate the critical nature of a breach, which revolves specifically around unauthorized access. Similarly, sharing data with unauthorized parties could be a consequence of a data breach but does not define it as clearly as unauthorized access does.