A data breach is when there has been a security incident, typically involving a company, where sensitive information has been breached. In other words, you’ll see that there’s been a vulnerability in a computer network for a company, and somebody takes advantage of that—typically a cybercriminal or hacker—and they’re doing it for financial gain. They want to break into the computer system to get sensitive information, whether it’s from employees, patients (if it’s a hospital), or others.
It can be anything from financial information to more sensitive information like Social Security numbers, which, you know, could lead to further issues.