What Are The Best Practices for Data Loss Prevention (DLP)

Contemporary enterprises typically amass substantial amounts of data within their IT infrastructures. However, the sheer volume of data stored can expose organizations to the serious risk of data loss, jeopardizing the confidentiality and integrity of critical information. As such, the implementation of a robust data loss prevention (DLP) strategy is imperative to mitigate such risks. This article aims to provide an overview of Data Loss Prevention and outline specific practices that can be adopted to enhance the security of your IT structures.

What Is Data Loss Prevention?

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) refers to a set of technologies and practices that help organizations prevent sensitive or confidential data from being lost, stolen, or leaked outside the organization’s boundaries. DLP solutions are designed to identify, monitor, and protect sensitive data from unauthorized access, disclosure, or alteration. They typically work by scanning and analyzing data at rest, in use, and in motion across various channels, such as email, cloud storage, network file shares, and endpoints, to detect and prevent data breaches.

DLP solutions can help organizations comply with various data privacy regulations, such as GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, or PCI DSS, by providing visibility into where sensitive data resides and how it’s being used, and by enforcing policies and controls to prevent data loss.

In other words, DLP is a set of practices and countermeasures that your IT specialists can take to protect your data against any potential data leak. These practices include:

• Securing data in motion
• Securing endpoints
• Securing data both at rest and in use
• Data identification and leak detection

These techniques are commonly employed in various business sectors. They are significant if a company or an organization deals with sensitive data, such as banking information or health records. If this is the case, the organization is probably susceptible to additional data retention laws. If such sensitive data is lost or gets leaked, the organization can face severe financial and legal troubles. The only surefire way to prevent this is to develop a comprehensive Data Loss Prevention strategy for IT structures.

Why Do You Need Data Loss Prevention?

Data represents a vital asset for many enterprises, and it’s likely that your organization heavily relies on the data residing in its IT infrastructure. Hence, implementing a robust data loss prevention (DLP) strategy can prove to be immensely advantageous for larger corporations and institutions. The internet is rife with potential hazards that can cause significant harm to your business, including the loss of critical data. Therefore, adopting a proactive stance against such threats is imperative. Some of the potential threats that organizations may encounter include:

· Ransomware

Ransomware has emerged as one of the most prevalent forms of cyberattacks perpetrated by criminal organizations worldwide. It exploits the vulnerability of human error, either by you or your employees, and can inflict severe damage. Recent statistics indicate that the cost of ransomware attacks has skyrocketed in recent years, with the average ransom demand increasing by more than 300% since 2019. Ransomware typically spreads through disguised messages that appear to be legitimate business inquiries containing links or attachments. Once the file is opened, the malware spreads throughout the database, encrypting critical information as it goes. The primary reason why ransomware is such a severe threat to your organization is that there are few remedial options available once the data has been encrypted, apart from restoring from a backup.

· Insider Threats

Although security measures against hacker attacks are now more developed than ever, insider attacks are still widespread for criminals to easily access your data. Because data is so valuable, many people might be interested in potentially purchasing it through illicit means. Because of this, there are, in fact, many different threats that your organization might face from insider attacks. These can be particularly nefarious when they come from previous company or organization members, as they most often know any potential security vulnerabilities your organization might be struggling with. Any suitable data loss protection plan will include a possible insider attack and methods to possibly deal with this type of threat.

· Software Corruption or Hardware Issues

In addition to security threats, IT infrastructures are susceptible to a range of risks, including software corruption and hardware issues that can lead to significant data loss. The absence of comprehensive data loss prevention measures can exacerbate the consequences of such incidents. Hardware failures and software corruption can occur abruptly, and the damage can be substantial. However, a well-structured data loss protection plan can mitigate the risk of such events, minimizing their impact on critical business operations.

How To Improve Your Data Protection?

As you can see, DLP is something that your organization most likely can’t overlook. Here are some steps that you can take to improve your organization’s data protection:

1. Identify and Classify Your Data According to its Importance

Data classification involves identifying the different types of data your organization handles and categorizing them based on their sensitivity, value, and potential impact on the organization. This helps you prioritize your efforts and resources to secure the most critical data.

Once you have identified the most important data, you can implement various security measures, such as encryption and access controls, to protect it from unauthorized access and theft. Encryption is the process of converting data into an unreadable format so that only authorized personnel can access it with the appropriate decryption key. Access controls limit who can access data by requiring authentication, such as a password or biometric verification.

By identifying and classifying your data and applying appropriate security measures, you can reduce the risk of data loss or theft, maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information, and comply with regulatory requirements.

2. Use Encryption To Protect Your Files

Encryption is a security measure that involves the conversion of data into a code that can only be deciphered with a decryption key. It is one of the most effective tools for protecting sensitive data from cybercriminals and other unauthorized individuals.

Encryption works by applying complex mathematical algorithms to data, transforming it into a seemingly random string of characters that is indecipherable without the appropriate decryption key. When the data needs to be accessed, the decryption key is used to translate the encrypted data back into its original, readable form.

Encrypting data provides an additional layer of protection to sensitive information such as financial records, customer data, and other confidential company information. This can include data at rest, such as stored files, and data in motion, such as data being transmitted over a network.

Encryption is a critical component of many data security standards and regulations, including the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Failure to encrypt sensitive data can result in regulatory non-compliance and can lead to costly data breaches and legal penalties.

In summary, encryption is an effective tool for protecting sensitive data from theft and unauthorized access. By encrypting sensitive information, organizations can reduce the risk of data loss or theft, maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information, and comply with regulatory requirements.

3. Enable Access Controls

Access controls are security measures that restrict unwanted access to sensitive data and ensure that it is available only to authorized individuals who need it to perform their job functions. Access controls can take many forms, including password-protected accounts, multi-factor authentication, and role-based access controls.

Password-protected accounts are a basic form of access control that requires a username and password to access sensitive data. Multi-factor authentication adds an additional layer of security by requiring users to provide a second form of authentication, such as a fingerprint scan or a security token. Role-based access controls restrict access to sensitive data based on an individual’s job function and level of authority.

By implementing access controls, organizations can minimize the risk of data loss due to human error or malicious attacks. Access controls can help prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing sensitive data, reduce the risk of insider threats, and limit the damage caused by a data breach.

Access controls are also a critical component of many data security standards and regulations, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Failure to implement access controls can result in regulatory non-compliance and can lead to costly data breaches and legal penalties.

In summary, access controls are a critical component of any comprehensive DLP strategy. By restricting access to sensitive data, organizations can minimize the risk of data loss or theft, maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information, and comply with regulatory requirements.

4. Monitor Data Access

Monitoring data access involves tracking who accesses sensitive data, when they access it, and what they do with it. By monitoring data access, organizations can quickly identify potential data breaches and take action to prevent further unauthorized access.

There are several ways to monitor data access, including logging access attempts and analyzing system logs, reviewing user activity logs, and implementing real-time monitoring tools that can detect suspicious activity.

Logging access attempts and analyzing system logs can help identify unauthorized access attempts and provide a record of who accessed sensitive data and when. Reviewing user activity logs can provide insight into how users interact with sensitive data and identify potential security weaknesses or policy violations. Real-time monitoring tools can detect suspicious activity and alert security personnel to potential data breaches as they occur.

By monitoring data access, organizations can quickly detect and respond to potential data breaches, minimize the damage caused by a breach, and prevent further unauthorized access. Monitoring data access is also a critical component of many data security standards and regulations, including the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

In summary, monitoring data access is an essential component of a comprehensive DLP strategy. By tracking who accesses sensitive data and when, organizations can quickly identify potential data breaches, take action to prevent further unauthorized access, and comply with regulatory requirements.

5. Conduct Regular Security Audits

A security audit is a comprehensive review of an organization’s information security policies, procedures, and controls. The purpose of a security audit is to identify any potential vulnerabilities in an organization’s security posture and recommend remediation actions to address them.

Regular security audits are an essential component of any comprehensive DLP strategy. By conducting regular security audits, organizations can identify any potential vulnerabilities in their systems that could lead to data loss or theft. This can include vulnerabilities in software, hardware, network infrastructure, or security policies and procedures.

Once vulnerabilities have been identified, organizations can take steps to address them before attackers can exploit them to access sensitive data. This can include patching software, updating hardware, implementing new security controls, or revising security policies and procedures.

Regular security audits can also help organizations comply with regulatory requirements and industry standards. Many data security regulations, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), require organizations to conduct regular security audits to ensure compliance.

In summary, conducting regular security audits is an essential component of any comprehensive DLP strategy. By identifying potential vulnerabilities and taking steps to address them, organizations can minimize the risk of data loss or theft, maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information, and comply with regulatory requirements.

6. Educate Your Employees

Educating employees is a critical component of any effective DLP strategy. Many of the worst threats to an organization’s IT infrastructure require human error to cause real damage. For example, ransomware attacks often require an employee to click on an infected link or download an infected attachment. Insider attacks may involve an employee intentionally or unintentionally leaking sensitive data.

By educating employees about cybersecurity best practices, organizations can reduce the risk of data loss or theft caused by human error. This can include training on how to identify phishing emails, how to avoid clicking on suspicious links or attachments, how to use secure passwords, and how to use multi-factor authentication.

In addition to training employees on best practices, organizations should also establish policies and procedures for data handling and access control. This can include guidelines for handling sensitive data, such as requiring employees to use encrypted storage devices or prohibiting the use of personal email accounts for work-related activities.

Regular training and reinforcement of these policies and procedures are critical to ensuring that employees understand the importance of data security and their role in protecting sensitive information. By keeping employees informed about the latest developments in cybersecurity and providing them with the tools and knowledge they need to prevent data loss or theft, organizations can reduce the risk of a data breach and maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information.

In summary, educating employees is a critical component of any comprehensive DLP strategy. By providing employees with the training, policies, and procedures they need to protect sensitive information, organizations can reduce the risk of data loss or theft caused by human error and maintain the confidentiality of sensitive data.

7. Implement Incident Response Procedures

Despite all the measures taken to prevent data breaches, they can still occur due to factors beyond an organization’s control, such as a new or unknown vulnerability in the system or an advanced and persistent attacker. Therefore, it is crucial to have a robust incident response plan in place that outlines the steps to take in the event of a data breach.

An incident response plan typically includes the following steps:

• Identification: Identify the nature and scope of the data breach, including which data has been compromised, the number of affected individuals, and how the breach occurred.
• Containment: Contain the breach and limit the spread of the compromised data. This may involve isolating affected systems, shutting down affected services, or other actions to prevent further data loss.
• Notification: Notify affected individuals, regulatory authorities, and other stakeholders as required by law and company policy. Notification should be timely, accurate, and provide clear information about the nature of the breach and steps being taken to address it.
• Investigation: Conduct a thorough investigation to determine the root cause of the breach, the extent of the damage, and any other relevant details. This may involve forensic analysis of affected systems, interviews with employees, and other investigative techniques.
• Remediation: Implement corrective actions to prevent similar breaches from occurring in the future. This may include patching vulnerabilities, upgrading security controls, or revising policies and procedures.

By having a clear incident response plan in place, organizations can minimize the damage caused by a data breach, reduce the risk of legal and reputational consequences, and quickly return to business as usual.

In summary, incident response procedures are a critical component of any comprehensive DLP strategy. By having a clear plan in place, organizations can quickly respond to a data breach, minimize its impact, and prevent similar breaches from occurring in the future.

How can Storware help companies looking to implement Data Loss Prevention (DLP)?

Storware Backup and Recovery can support companies in implementing Data Loss Prevention (DLP) by providing a robust and reliable backup solution that can help prevent data loss. Here are a few ways in which Storware Backup and Recovery can help:

• Automated backups: Storware Backup and Recovery provides automated backups that can be scheduled to run at regular intervals. This ensures that critical data is backed up on a regular basis, reducing the risk of data loss.
• Disaster recovery: Storware Backup and Recovery provides disaster recovery capabilities that can help companies quickly recover from data loss incidents. The solution allows for the creation of backup images that can be quickly restored in the event of a disaster.
• Encryption: Storware Backup and Recovery supports encryption of data both in transit and at rest. This ensures that data is protected from unauthorized access, reducing the risk of data loss due to security breaches.
• Data retention policies: Storware Backup and Recovery provides the ability to set data retention policies, which can help ensure that critical data is retained for a specified period of time. This can be particularly useful in industries where data retention policies are mandated by law.
• Reporting and auditing: Storware Backup and Recovery provides reporting and auditing capabilities that can help companies track backup and recovery activities. This can be particularly useful in demonstrating compliance with data protection regulations.

In summary, Storware Backup and Recovery can support companies in implementing DLP by providing a robust and reliable backup solution that can help prevent data loss. The solution offers automated backups, disaster recovery, encryption, data retention policies, and reporting and auditing capabilities. If you are interested in testing it in your company – get the free Trial or contact us if you need a one-on-one demo.

To Sum Up

The Best Practices for Data Loss Prevention (DLP) include identifying and classifying sensitive data, using encryption and access controls, regularly monitoring data access, conducting security audits, educating employees on cybersecurity, and implementing incident response procedures. These practices aim to prevent data breaches, minimize the impact of breaches, and quickly return to business as usual in case of a data loss incident. By implementing these best practices, organizations can effectively protect sensitive data and reduce the risk of legal and reputational consequences.