Violations or breaks in rules, agreements, or security systems; gaps or openings in walls or defenses.
From Old French 'breche', from Frankish 'breka' meaning break. Originally referred to military gaps in fortifications, later extended to legal and metaphorical violations.
In cybersecurity, 'breach' has become the preferred term over 'hack' because it emphasizes the violation of trust and security perimeter rather than technical prowess. The military origins of the word perfectly capture the invasion aspect of data breaches.
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