Data Loss Prevention
Nowadays, enterprises tend to hire employees from all over the world, without having to rent large office space. However, this way of working carries with it a lot of data breaches risks due to the exchange of data through public networks and makes Data Loss Prevention an important part of any cyber security strategy.
CONTENTS
- What is Data Loss Prevention
- Data Loss Prevention Types
- Data Loss Scenarios
- New Risks for Data Loss Prevention
- Data Loss Prevention Solutions
1. What is Data Loss Prevention
What is Data Loss Prevention Remote work and mobility today is a global trend. Technology allows employees to work from home, providing a higher level of flexibility, as well as greater employee efficiency. Today, the so-called “Generation Z” peremptory refuses to work in the office, and over the next five years they will make up three-quarters of the global workforce.
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On the other hand, the growth in the number of employees working outside the office poses complex IT challenges for companies against cyber security threats and rises a question of Data Loss Prevention to a new level.
Data loss is usually described as potential data breaches or data ex-filtration transmissions. Data Loss Prevention aims at protecting from such data breaches by monitoring, detecting and blocking sensitive data while "data in use" (endpoint actions), "data in motion" (network traffic), and "data at rest" (data storage).
2. Data Loss Prevention Types
Data Loss Prevention Types Data in use
"Data in use" means that user is interacting with the data right now. Data Loss Prevention software of this type monitors and alerts about unauthorized activities such as capture of screenshots, copy and paste data, print or fax operations, and attempts to transmit sensitive data via communication channels.
Data in motion
"Data in motion" refers to data being transmitted to the endpoint user via internal or external networks. Data Loss Prevention systems of this type protect data which is traveling through the network.
Data at rest
"Data at rest" usually refers to old outdated and archived information. This type of data is the most dangerous for enterprises as it is usually where the main vector of hacker attacks is targeted at.
ImmuniWeb Discovery can easily find outdated web or mobile applications, SSL certificates, mail servers, domains, APIs, even on external sources like public cloud storage and code repositories as well as in Dark Web.
3. Data Loss Scenarios
Data Loss Scenarios Vulnerabilities are becoming more spread every year, while inexperienced, inattentive, or even dishonest employees can commit common web security errors that cost millions. This was one of the reasons why the total cyber security expenses are growing year by year.
The cyber security market today is one of the fastest growing, but still immature. The existing risks are diverse and widespread, and the future seems even more frightening. Data loss can occur in a variety of ways, but in most cases, almost all data leaks and other troubles occur in the following common scenarios:
- hacker attacks using special software to steal data;
- attacks on company web or mobile applications;
- various errors related to the human factor, i.e. sending the confidential data to the wrong people (phishing, fake social accounts etc.).
ImmuniWeb® Community Edition is a set of free security tests provided as our ongoing commitment to support global cyber security industry and aimed to facilitate web and application security testing efforts of developers, SMEs and non-governmental organizations.
Another problem is the lack of cyber security professionals. According to the report by Wesley Simpson, COO of (ISC)2, for Brink News companies fail to find qualified experts, or these experts are so overloaded with work that they cannot perform their official duties at the proper level.
4. New Risks for Data Loss Prevention
New Risks for Data Loss Prevention Access of attackers to corporate confidential information, as well as to personal data, will be significantly facilitated in future due to the developing of new technologies and blurring the boundaries between personal and working devices. Most of the smartphones, tablets and laptops that people use already have a permanent connection to the Internet.
Meantime, while existing problems are being resolved, attackers are expanding their toolkit with new threats. They are already actively exploring areas such as robotics and artificial intelligence. On the Internet of Things (IoT) situation, threats become even more dangerous than in the case of theft of confidential financial information or intellectual property.
Our AI-enabled ImmuniWeb Discovery detects IoT and other connected objects in minutes, making all the devices visible to you at one glance.
The potential consequences of exploiting system vulnerabilities by a hacker in autonomous cars, medical devices or electrical networks with remote monitoring functions can be deadly. Various smart devices collect a wide variety of information about their owners. Dangers are all that connect to the Internet. All this increases the number of digital attack vectors.
Threats to information security are taking on a whole new look. This applies to all types of tasks that protective equipment should solve. Here are some examples of new challenges for Data Loss Prevention:
- Jailbreaking, operating on modified smartphones;
- Headless worms, which are malicious code aimed at affecting smartphones, smart watches, medical equipment and other devices without an interface;
- Two-faced malware, which starts malicious activity after a successful check;
- Blastware worm, which at best deactivates the system if it is detected, and at worst destroys it completely;
- Ghostware, which does not leave traces of its presence in the system after data theft.
More often than not, hackers need a few minutes to crack systems, while it took companies weeks to just discover the leak. In cases of employee abuse, it took months to detect about two-thirds of leaks, and in some cases it took years.
5. Data Loss Prevention Solutions
Data Loss Prevention Solutions Properly designed security procedures, methods, and solutions can almost completely stop attackers. To prevent a data loss, joint efforts of specialists, employees, partners and clients are required in order to minimize all types of attacks and to control the situation with the company's cyber security.
Ensuring Data Loss Prevention is not a one-time action, but an ongoing system process. Constant monitoring of malicious activity helps to timely identify potential risks on systematic basis and use available measures to reduce them.
ImmuniWeb Discovery is an all-in-one Data Loss Prevention solution: Asset Inventory, Continuous Security Monitoring, Security Ratings, and brand-new Dark Web Monitoring.
However, it is always worth remembering that no security strategy is absolutely perfect and the safety of devices and computer systems to the greatest extent always depends on the users themselves. It is the user who makes the decision to install any software, clicks on the link or downloads the file, selects passwords for the accounts.
Follow simple information security rules and use ImmuniWeb Data Loss Prevention solutions to avoid becoming a victim of cyber criminals
Additional Resources
- Learn more about AI-enabled Attack Surface Management with ImmuniWeb® Discovery
- Learn more about AI-enabled Application Penetration Testing with ImmuniWeb
- Learn more about ImmuniWeb Partner Program opportunities
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