RISK-042
Data breach - Customer database
Risk Description
Unauthorized access to customer database containing personally identifiable information (PII)
due to weak authentication controls and insufficient monitoring. This could lead to significant
data breach affecting 500,000+ customers, resulting in severe financial penalties, reputational
damage, and loss of customer trust.
Risk Assessment Details
Impact Analysis
Financial: €10M+ in GDPR fines, legal costs, and customer compensation
Reputational: Severe brand damage, loss of market position
Operational: Business disruption, mandatory breach notification processes
Legal: Multiple regulatory investigations, potential criminal liability
Reputational: Severe brand damage, loss of market position
Operational: Business disruption, mandatory breach notification processes
Legal: Multiple regulatory investigations, potential criminal liability
Likelihood Reasoning
Current authentication system uses basic username/password without MFA.
Recent security audit identified multiple vulnerabilities. Industry statistics show
similar breaches occurring weekly. Attack surface is expanding with remote work.
Risk Appetite
Target Score: 6 (Medium)
Current Exposure: 19 points above appetite
Action Required: Immediate mitigation mandatory
Current Exposure: 19 points above appetite
Action Required: Immediate mitigation mandatory
Mitigation Plan
Phase 1 (Immediate - 2 weeks):
- Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for all database access
- Enable real-time security monitoring and alerting
- Conduct emergency security audit of all access points
- Deploy advanced intrusion detection system
- Implement data encryption at rest and in transit
- Establish 24/7 security operations center (SOC)
- Complete security architecture review and redesign
- Implement zero-trust network architecture
- Conduct penetration testing and remediation
Associated Controls
CTRL-089: Multi-Factor Authentication
Status: In Implementation
Owner: Sarah Lee (CISO)
Target Date: 2026-02-28
Effectiveness: Expected risk reduction: 12 points
Owner: Sarah Lee (CISO)
Target Date: 2026-02-28
Effectiveness: Expected risk reduction: 12 points
CTRL-092: Security Monitoring
Status: Planned
Owner: Mark Johnson (IT Manager)
Target Date: 2026-03-15
Effectiveness: Expected risk reduction: 5 points
Owner: Mark Johnson (IT Manager)
Target Date: 2026-03-15
Effectiveness: Expected risk reduction: 5 points
Key Dates
Created
2026-01-15
Last Updated
2026-02-09 (Today)
Last Reviewed
2026-02-01
Next Review Due
2026-02-15 (6 days)
Activity Log
Today at 14:23
John Doe updated impact from 4 to 5
Today at 09:15
Sarah Lee added control CTRL-089
Yesterday
John Doe updated mitigation plan
2026-02-01
System marked review as completed
2026-01-15
John Doe created this risk