The Dark Side of Covering Up Data Breaches: Why Transparency is Crucial

MRunal
4 min readMay 7, 2023

In today’s digital age, data breaches are happening more frequently. Cyberattacks that can compromise sensitive data like personal information, financial data, and intellectual property are a threat to businesses of all sizes and sectors. While some businesses decide to acknowledge these security lapses and take responsibility, others would rather keep it a secret from the public. This article will discuss the importance of transparency and the dangers of hiding data breaches.

Another crucial thing to keep in mind is that concealing data breaches can harm affected customers in addition to harming a company’s reputation. If a business decides not to disclose a data breach, customers are unable to take protective measures on their own, such as changing their passwords or keeping an eye on their accounts for unusual activity. Customers may suffer serious repercussions from this lack of transparency, including identity theft and financial fraud, as well as long-term harm to their credit scores.

Hiding a data breach can also be detrimental to employee morale. A company’s culture of fear and mistrust may develop if employees are told to keep quiet about security breaches. Employees may lose trust in their employers and senior management if they believe they are being asked to do something immoral or…

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MRunal

Blogger | Security Researcher | Digital forensic analyst | Twitter — @mrunal110