Data leakage refers to the accidental or intentional exposure of sensitive or confidential information to unauthorized individuals or systems. This can occur through various means, such as insecure applications, misconfigured cloud storage, lost devices, or human error like sending emails to the wrong recipients. Data leakage can lead to privacy breaches, financial losses, and damage to an organization's reputation. Preventing data leakage involves implementing robust security policies, employee training, and using technology to monitor and protect data flows.