What Are Data Breaches?

Abstract

We live in a technical society that is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. Never before have we had instant access to information and services at the touch of a button—from the devices we carry in our pockets, the computers on our desks, or the TVs in our houses. While this unprecedented level of access to online services is exciting, it also brings a lot of personal risks. To access these services, we have to give up our information to companies that we must entrust with it. Unfortunately, although we trust these companies with our data, we are continually hearing in the news about data accounts being stolen. In this chapter we will explore what data breaches are, their impacts, and then set the expectation for the rest of the book.