What does using data without proper authorization often involve?

Using data without proper authorization often involves unauthorized downloads. This refers to the act of accessing and retrieving data from a system without the necessary permissions or approvals. It's crucial to recognize that unauthorized downloads can lead to sensitive or classified information being compromised, exposing organizations to data breaches and security risks.

In many cases, individuals may bypass security measures to download large quantities of information or specific data sets that they are not authorized to access, which can have serious implications for both the individual and the organization. This emphasizes the importance of adhering to data access protocols and maintaining strict authentication processes to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access.

The other options, while related to security issues, describe different scenarios. Privilege escalation refers to gaining higher access levels than permitted, account masquerading involves impersonating another user, and data tampering is the intentional alteration of data. Each of these poses its own risk but does not specifically encapsulate the act of using data without proper authorization as directly as unauthorized downloads do.