What defines a security breach?

A security breach is defined as unauthorized access to sensitive data. This definition underscores the gravitas of breaches in the context of cybersecurity, as they often involve individuals or entities gaining access to data that they should not be able to reach or manipulate. Such breaches can have severe implications for organizations, including exposure of personal information, financial loss, and damage to reputation.

In this context, only unauthorized access falls squarely within the definition of a breach because it implies that the access violates established security protocols or policies meant to protect that data. The focus here is on the breach of trust and confidentiality that occurs when sensitive information is accessed without permission.

The other choices, while they pertain to security and technology, do not signify a breach. A successful software update represents an operational improvement rather than a breach of security, a login attempt with incorrect credentials typically reflects a user attempting to access their account rather than succeeding in breaching security, and an increase in network traffic might simply indicate a rise in legitimate activity without any implication of unauthorized access. Therefore, the correct characterization of a breach remains focused on the unauthorized access aspect.