CompTIA ITF+ Practice Test

The term "data breach" specifically refers to unauthorized access to confidential data. This means that someone gains access to sensitive information, which can include personal identification details, financial records, or any other private data that should be protected. A data breach can occur due to various reasons such as hacking, insider threats, or accidental exposure. The significance of this definition highlights the importance of strong security measures to prevent unauthorized access and maintain data confidentiality.

In contrast, the other options relate to different aspects of data management or security. The loss of physical data storage pertains to issues such as hardware failures or theft, which are not categorized as data breaches because the access to the data itself has not necessarily occurred. A complete system failure might indicate problems like server crashes or outages, again not involving unauthorized access to data. Finally, backing up data to an external drive is a best practice for data security and recovery rather than a breach of privacy or unauthorized access. Therefore, the definition centered on unauthorized access accurately captures the essence of what constitutes a data breach.