Surely allowing access to this personal data via a public API is a data breach? Its just taking it from something that shouldnt have exposed it rather than hacking into a system
Yeh.
Same as if it was a CSV mailing list on an unprotected URL or whatever.
The term “data breach” suggests there was security there to be breeched. Maybe it needs a better term?Data leak? In the security field, they categorize it as “information disclosure”… But it doesn’t have the same level of gravitas to it
It does if you consider it from the point of view of a. Someone went out of their way to design this API so as to allow this or b. A team of individuals deployed it without realizing how it would be exploited
You can generally learn things from a breach, but finding and remediating systemic issues like those mentioned above is a big ask
Edit: I either responded to the wrong comment or misunderstood what you said. It’s late in the day…
I think you replied to the right post (mine) but I didn’t downvote you.
Information disclosure doesn’t necessarily imply it’s intentional or unintentional, just that information was disclosed. But in a sense I do agree somewhat with that you said, only that WHO the person who developed the API receives that message from makes a huge difference. The IT security team coming to you and says “information disclosure” is scarier than a team mate
Oh I wish that were true but unless GRC or Legal get involved nothing much comes of it lol
