From Uber in 2016 to Okta in 2023 to Sisense in 2024, it’s evident that there’s a pattern behind the tech industry’s most devastating breaches: Data sprawl. Let’s dive into how data sprawl played a part in last week’s Sisense breach, as well as how security teams can be proactive in defending against similar attacks.

As digital infrastructure becomes increasingly integrated into every day operations across various industries, ensuring the security of sensitive information becomes crucial for safeguarding both individuals and organizations from cyber threats. In the vast landscape of cybersecurity risks, two terms stand out: information disclosure and data exposure. Understanding these concepts is vital, as they can significantly impact trust and lead to potential repercussions.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0, has integrated digital technologies such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), operational technology, and information technology into the heart of manufacturing.

The following is adapted from a conversation between Torq and Robbie Jakob-Whitworth, Cybersecurity Solutions Architect at Next DLP. Next DLP is a leading provider of insider risk and data protection solutions. Read on to learn how Robbie has used Torq Hyperautomation to automate alerts and reduce alert fatigue within his organization.

Organizations are increasingly concerned about high-profile employees’ information being exposed on the deep and dark web. The CrowdStrike Counter Adversary Operations team is often asked to find fake social media accounts and personally identifiable information (PII) that might be exposed. Impersonations and leaked PII can unravel lives and ruin the reputations of individuals and their organizations.

As your business evolves to serve more users, your applications and infrastructure will generate an increasing volume of logs, which may contain sensitive data such as credit card numbers, IP addresses, and tokens. When you collect sensitive data, you may be subject to laws such as GDPR—which restricts the transfer of personal data across borders, and you may face legal consequences if this data is exposed outside your infrastructure.

With the growing dependence of businesses on digital platforms for storing and processing sensitive information, the threat of data exfiltration has become a pressing issue. The evolution of exfiltration techniques has given rise to threat actors who exploit insecure devices and engage in suspicious activities to steal valuable data. These activities often involve unauthorized physical access or social engineering attacks to obtain login credentials with malicious intent.