Data Loss Prevention Best Practices

Data Loss Prevention Best Practices. Data loss prevention is critical to any business that captures or stores data. With the collection of increasingly confidential data, the consequences of a breach are increasing.

In this article, learn what is data loss prevention, best practices, and how to get started creating a DLP policy.

What is Data Loss Prevention (DLP)?

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is an approach to protecting sensitive business information and data from data breaches or unwanted compromise of sensitive data. DLP identifies, classifies, and tracks sensitive data across the enterprise preventing unauthorized data disclosure with disclosure policies.

Data loss occurs when a user gains unauthorized access to confidential information. Data Loss Prevention is a set of tools and procedures to prevent data loss.

There are three main components to DLP:

·         Identify and classify confidential data.

·         Trace the route of data transmission

·         Prevent unauthorized access to data.

·         Data Loss Prevention Best Practices

·         Set a Goal

The goal is the engine that drives the project. You must decide what is most important. Areas to consider include:

·         Protect customer data.

·         Comply with regulations

·         Keep intellectual property safe

·         Avoid lawsuits and fines for a data breach

·         Get all departments on board

Some companies have strict and limited budgets. Others may have reluctant leaders who don't see the value in DLP. If you're having trouble demonstrating the importance of a DLP plan, consider these selling points:

Show how DLP reduces risk

1.    Show how DLP plans can include policies and technology that improve business processes

2.    Show how DLP can automate some tasks and reduce costs

3.    Meet your vendors

Ask relevant security questions of your vendors. You will want to know if the software applications are compatible with your business environment. Find out the costs and characteristics of each provider and make sure they are a good fit. Vendors must be able to speak to compliance, partners, and the technologies they use. They should also be able to tell you who control the DLP program, whether it's internal or vendor managed. Find out your staffing requirements and how they will be affected.

To establish objectives

Define an easy-to-reach goal, then unfold the plan to solve it. Success breeds success. A data loss prevention program can be complex and frustrating for staff. Early earnings help boost morale as well as help sell project continuity to decision makers.

Causes of data loss

Data loss and leakage can be divided into three main categories. These categories help you develop tools and procedures to protect your data.

Negligence

Many data breaches occur because a critical asset was not protected. In many cases this is simply a bug, such as a misconfigured firewall or a MySQL database using default settings.

Other times, the infractions are related to the budget. Without enough dollars in IT security, professionals may lack the resources to protect data effectively.

A popular attitude among hackers is that "if it's not locked, it's fair game." It is a good idea to remember this when evaluating a data protection plan. Anything you ignore or overlook could be used against you.

Infiltration

This is the most common conception of a rape. A criminal attacks your network and gains access. Techniques used to hack systems include:

Phishing: In this type of attack, an email attempts to request confidential information or login credentials. Spoofing is a type of spoofing, in which a specific person is identified and attacked.

Malware - Attackers try to upload malware onto the corporate network. Malware can include computer viruses, Trojans, rootkits, key loggers, and other malicious software. Malware can hide on a network, record data, and transmit to its owner.

Social engineering: an attacker manipulates an employee into granting him access. This could be used in combination with malware. Or, it could just be an attacker wearing a costume and asking an employee to open the door.

Internal threats:

This is the hit of data breaches. An insider threat or attack is when someone within a company steals data.

How to build a data loss prevention policy

Assess current data usage

Before making radical changes, assess the ecosystem of your data environment. It is essential to find out what data is being used and who is using it. For example, securing payment card details may seem like a great idea, until sales reps can't process payments.

Classify data types

A custom solution may be required. Consider using "Employee Information", "Intellectual Property", "Financial Information" and "Customer Information" as a starting point. These categories allow you to create different rules to handle different types of data.

Monitor data usage and transmission

Once the categories are established, examine how the data was used. Identify storage locations and transmission channels to provide context for data protection strategies.

Start gently

It can be tempting to implement a DLP system out of the box. The reality is that enterprise data systems can be too complicated for a single radical change. A better policy is to address easier and more obvious goals first to manage the most significant risks while building a culture of data protection.

What type of DATA LOSS PREVENTION is right for your organization?

Data loss prevention techniques can be divided into three categories:

Endpoint - Protects the data in use and the devices used to access the data. It could be as simple as a terminal or as complex as the IT shadow of smartphones and tablets.

Network - This protects data during transit. Behavioral analysis and traffic monitoring are common tools.

Storage - This protects data at rest. This governs access to data in storage, either on NAS drives or in the cloud.

Data Loss Prevention Steps

Compliance
If your business is regulated, compliance is a critical piece of a DLP plan. Starting with mandatory regulation helps ensure that personalized data policies do not contradict compliance. For example, healthcare companies must comply with HIPAA compliance. To process credit cards, you need a PCI-DSS compliance plan.

Organize data by risk and vulnerability

To get started, identify and organize data by type. The next step is to analyze each type of data. Look at the level of risk each category presents, then its vulnerability to establish a list of goals. Start with the riskiest and most vulnerable types of data. Then implement a set of policies and technology to protect them.

Define user roles

Users must have clearly defined roles to ensure that they can only access the data necessary for their work. Examples may include a "Sales Agent" job that allows access to payment card data. Another example might be "Senior Technical Support," which has access to bug reports and engineering fixes. The data can also be restricted to specific user roles. A Senior Technical Support agent generally does not need access to payment card details.

Engaging key stakeholders

Nobody knows the business like the people who do the work. Take the time to involve leaders from different parts of the company. They often see vulnerabilities that top management can overlook and also anticipate problems or conflicts with new policies. Employees are more likely to buy a new plan if they are involved in its development.

Create policies, implement technology

It goes without saying that DLP plans need to be enacted. If the DLP plan requires a review of all firewall settings, make sure employees are tasked with doing that job. Create a timeline to buy, test, and install new DLP software.

Automate

Humans make mistakes, and our ability to see problems can be limited.

Automating data loss policies and tools helps reduce the risk of human error. Some tasks cannot be automated. Whenever possible, try to create systems that protect data automatically. For example, spam filtering software can prevent phishing attacks. Users are protected because they never have the opportunity to see (or be manipulated by) a phishing email.

Educate

Education takes leader involvement to the next step. Leaders who help develop DLP plans already understand the policy. The next step is to train individual team members. A good data loss prevention strategy is to teach what and then why. Explain new systems and software and how to use it. Then have a conversation about why this change is essential. Help them understand how protecting data is a win for the business and its customers.

Document

Write a master plan for the DLP solution. Proper documentation is essential for a couple of reasons. First, it helps keep the project on task. Everyone can consult the agreements and the plan that was made. Second, it helps keep track of what has been implemented. Documentation is especially helpful if there are instructions. At the very least, leave a short “how” and “why” note for each part of the DLP plan.

Measure

Once the DLP plan is in place, check back regularly and review progress. Most of the data loss prevention tools have reporting metrics. Check how many intrusion attempts have been blocked. Review the server logs to verify that the data is being used properly.

Delete unnecessary data

It can be tempting to keep your data forever. We never know when we might need it! Unused old data may be a liability. If the server logs are no longer needed after seven years, delete them. If you can't bear to delete them, please archive them to long-term secure storage. That data may seem valuable. But the value can easily be outweighed by its vulnerability. When compared to the cost of a data breach, old data may not seem that important.

DLP statistics

Cybercrime is big business. Here are some sobering facts about data loss and the consequences:

·         Data loss is estimated to have generated more than $ 500 million in profits for cybercriminals in 2018.

·         Security breaches increased 11% in 2018.

·         43% of cyberattacks target small businesses.

·         Ransomware statistics show that this costs businesses more than $ 75 billion per year.

·         83% of IT security professionals have experienced phishing attacks. Source: (Wombat Security)

·         It takes an average of 50 days between discovery and a report of a violation.

Data Loss Prevention is a culture, not a silver bullet.
Creating a data loss prevention strategy is a critical component for today's digital businesses.

The digital crime landscape is continually evolving. A single, quick fix may be effective today, but obsolete tomorrow. Instead, develop policies as living documents. If vulnerability is discovered, a flexible and growth-oriented security policy can better adapt to new threats. Ultimately, data protection will grow to become a central feature of company culture.