Not All Data Breaches Are Equal: Understanding Sensitivity and Consequences
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December 16, 2025
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Our colleagues at FTI Consulting investigate cybersecurity incidents on a daily basis, including determining the post-incident impact, discerning whether reasonable measures were taken by the organization, and assisting with client's regulatory obligations that are triggered by the incident. In this article, we unpack the different types of data, the risks and threat landscape associated, the regulatory environment, and the real-world threats and regulatory actions that we have seen arise from incidents, and we take a forward-looking view at how organizations can best prioritize their risk management strategies for protecting data. For the purposes of this discussion, a cybersecurity incident is any event that threatens systems or data, while a data breach is the subset of incidents where sensitive information is actually accessed or exposed without prior authorization.
In our digital, interconnected economy, cybersecurity incidents are a matter of fact. The most mature cybersecurity programs can reduce the risk of an incident, but nothing short of closing up shop altogether can completely eliminate the risk. Due to this fact, the exposure of personal and sensitive information has also become the norm. Not all data breaches are the same, however, the type of data, volume, and nature of the exposure all contribute to the risk posed to the individuals affected. An exposed email address, government identifier, credit card number, or crypto wallet address all contribute to different levels of risk and provide malicious actors different vectors for conducting nefarious activities.
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December 16, 2025
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