What does the term 'breach of confidentiality' refer to?

The term 'breach of confidentiality' specifically refers to unauthorized access to or disclosure of sensitive information. This concept is rooted in the principle that certain information, due to its nature, should remain private and is intended to be protected from access by unauthorized individuals. When there is a breach of confidentiality, it typically means that an individual or entity has either accessed this sensitive data without permission or has disclosed it to others who are not authorized to view it.

In this context, confidentiality is often associated with the protection of personal data, proprietary business information, or any sensitive details that, if made public or accessible to unauthorized parties, could lead to various forms of damage, including financial loss, harm to personal reputation, or regulatory penalties.

The other options, while related to security and data integrity, do not accurately capture the essence of confidentiality. Unauthorized modification of sensitive data pertains more to integrity breaches, failing to follow compliance regulations relates to compliance risk, and deliberate misinformation dissemination deals with the spread of incorrect information rather than the unauthorized access or disclosure of confidential information.