Data Breach Claims – What they are and What’s at Risk

“Data breach” refers to an incident whereby an individual, application, or service accesses, views, or retrieves data, illegally or without authorization. Data breaches are security breaches that are specifically designed to steal data and publish that information in an unsecured location or utilize that information in an unauthorized manner. Affected information can include personal identifiable information (known as PII; includes information such as an individual’s name, date of birth, social security number, credit/debit card numbers, account login credentials, driver’s license numbers; responsible for 57.2% of data breach claims), personal health information (PHI; responsible for 27.2% of data breach claims), trade secrets (responsible for 1.4% of data breach claims), or other information.