data leak

1 4.6

An incident where private information is given to people who should not see it

noun
/ˈdeɪtə liːk/

: filtración de datos

I honestly think NASA would be better able to conceal data leaks about liquid water just under the planet's surface.

But I suspect, and again, this is going to take either years of research or more revelations or more data leaks.

Examples

Investigators are still trying to determine the source of the data leak that compromised sensitive files.
After the data leak, the company implemented stronger security measures to protect customer data.
And we're in this territory now where like with cameras and the voice activated systems, data leaks are much more personal than they used to be.
And I don't think they lose in the court of public opinion unless information is leaked, unless there is some type of data leak, which there hasn't been so far.
The recent data leak exposed millions of users' private information to hackers.

Synonyms

disclosure

vsdata leak

176 4.1

Making secret or new information known to others

is specifically about sensitive information being revealed to unauthorized parties

leak

vsdata leak

172 4.8

An act of making secret information public without permission

involves disclosure to unauthorized parties and not necessarily public release

breach

vsdata leak

Specialized

96 5.8

An incident when private information is accessed or shared without permission

is focused on disclosure often from accidents rather than attacks

compromise

vsdata leak

Specialized

11 6.5

An incident where a computer system or account is accessed without permission

refers specifically to information being disclosed rather than system alteration

leakage

vsdata leak

Specialized

2 4.6

Private information becoming known to people who should not have it

is the general term for such incidents not only in digital settings

spillage

vsdata leak

Specialized

6.8

The accidental release of secret information to people who should not see it

can also be caused intentionally or by nonaccidental failures

How Serious

zero-day vulnerability

Specialized

1 9.6

data leak

1 4.6

disclosure

176 4.1

Surface Forms

data leak singular

data leaks plural

Morphology

data + leak

The meaning 'an incident where confidential information is disclosed' is directly derivable from combining 'data' (information) with 'leak' (something escaping or being revealed). The extension of a physical 'leak' to information is a straightforward and cross-linguistically common metaphor in technical contexts, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will likely infer this meaning.

Etymology

Data leak comes from the simple image of water leaking from a pipe: imagine a small hole where liquid quietly escapes. The words data and leak together picture information 'escaping' from a system, so the phrase means 'sensitive information' getting out to people who should not see it.