The kinds of data that require special attention, care and protection can vary widely from one company to the next. The sensitive data category can range from highly personal information to intellectual property that’s the crown jewel of an enterprise. It could also be controlled data, or dark data, which is stored software per data room virtuale in shadow servers, silos or other data streams. They are usually at higher risk of a leak or breach.
The process of protecting sensitive data is to apply the principles of lifecycle analysis to supervise data, from its initial creation to its disposal. It begins by conducting a thorough inventory of all data assets and classifying them according to their sensitivities. Then, it moves on to examine the entire data environment for any unusual behavior that could indicate the possibility of a security risk such as vulnerability in the supply chain or insider threats.
What information is considered sensitive depends on the legal framework, regulations and privacy guidelines. Cybercriminals are attracted by PII because it can be used to steal an individual’s identity, opening credit accounts, and even making fraudulent purchases. Losing this type of data could have severe consequences for individuals. It could also affect the reputation and credibility of businesses that have mishandled PII in the event of a security breach or data breach.
In addition to PII, other categories of sensitive data include financial information (such as bank account numbers or credit card details), health information that is proprietary and confidential, technical data which is subject to patents and copyrights, and data that is specific to business that is secured by internal policies and procedures. Regulated data that’s subject to compliance requirements may also be considered sensitive, as is unstructured or dark data such as documents and emails.
Safeguarding sensitive information typically requires the implementation of a multi-faceted data protection strategy that entails the protection of physical, virtual and cloud-based data assets. It may also require encryption, redaction of data and other techniques to decrease the risk of sensitive information being compromised.
To ensure that only authorized employees are allowed to access the kinds of information that require extra protection set up an extremely strict set of guidelines and policies that must be followed by all employees. For example, ensure that new hires sign an agreement to adhere to your company’s security and confidentiality standards prior to when they are granted access to sensitive information. Also, be sure to have a process in place which ensures that anyone who departs from your company or is transferred to another department does not take sensitive information with the transfer. This could include terminating passwords, collecting keys and identification cards, or taking other measures to prevent them from having access to sensitive data after leaving the premises. Regularly remind all employees about your organization’s data privacy plan and the importance of safeguarding sensitive information.
