An Introduction to Data Security & Data Recovery

What Is Data Security? Top Threats and Best Practices.

The term "data security" refers to the practice to protect sensitive information from being accessed by an unauthorized person. It encompasses all the various cybersecurity methods you can employ to safeguard your data from misuse such as encryption, access restrictions (both digital and physical) and much other things.

Security of data is always a top priority. However, as more and more people are working remotely because of the health crisis currently in the news (and cloud usage has been increasing to keep pace) this means there are more chances for unauthorised access to your personal data more than before.

Hackers are profiting from it. Interpol and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, for instance, have both reported an increase in the frequency of cyberattacks since the outbreak began.

No matter the work your company is doing, if it handles personally identifiable information (PII) it is essential to improve the security of your data is a must in 2020 (and after that). This article will help you be aware of regarding data security for your business, including the security threats that are top of the line as well as legal compliance requirements and the best methods for securing your data.

Why Is Data Security Important?

Data security is crucial since a breach could have grave consequences for your business. Most importantly, that typically means financial loss -as high as $3.86M for the average breach of data in 2020 as per IBM as well as The Ponemon Institute:

Courtesy of IBM/Ponemon Institute

The majority of direct cost of data breaches is losing business revenue that results from it. But, 71% of CMOs are of the opinion that the biggest effect of a data breach is the impact on the brand's equity and value.

As per Interbrand the brand valuation company the majority of a brand's worth is due to "the role the brand plays in purchase decisions." That is to say, a strong brand equity can increase the willingness of your customers to purchase your goods or services.

It also means that poor brand equity can cause negative effects. In addition, studies have revealed that up to 65 Data Recovery percent to around 80% of customers will lose faith in a business who leaks their data (a significant hit in the equity of your brand) the impact an incident could have can impact your brand's image for many years to be.

The impact that the loss of trust will have on the image of your brand is heavily dependent on the specifics that led to the incident, the impact it has on the consumer, and much more. However, the bottom line is that a loss in trust could have an enduring impact on your company for a long time to comeeven if you have an established brand before the incident was discovered ( like Target did).

Data Security Vs. Privacy vs. Data Protection vs. Privacy and Data Privacy

Data security is frequently misunderstood with terms such as "data protection" and "data privacy" since they all pertain to ways to protect your personal data. However, the distinction between the two terms is in the motives for protecting that data initially, and the techniques to do so:

The term "data security" is the term used to protect your data from unauthorized accessibility or usage that may cause exposure to deletion, loss, or corruption of the data. A good example of data security is using encryption to block hackers from stealing your information if they are breached.

Protection of data refers to the making of backups or duplicates of data to guard against loss or accidental deletion. A good example of protection for data could be to make backups of your data, in order that in the event of a data corruption (or in the event that a natural catastrophe caused destruction to your servers) you won't lose the data permanently.

Privacy of data is a concern with the way your personal data is handled such as regulatory concerns in the form of notification, consent to use, for instance. A good instance of data privacy would be getting consent to collect information from site visitors through the use of cookies.

Data Security Compliance and Regulations

Many countries have strict rules for data security which companies are required to follow. The consequences for not following these regulations could result in massive penalties.

However, compliance with regulations is sometimes a bit difficult to navigate because the requirements vary from country to country (or region-to region in certain countries such as that of the United States) and depending on the type of data you're handling. Therefore, one of the most effective ways to go about it is to make sure you have a knowledgeable advisor who can assist you in navigating the legal requirements.

But, here are a few of the most significant and extensive data governance rules that may affect your company.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

The GDPR is the EU's privacy and protection of data law. It was enacted in 2016 (and was implemented in 2018) to safeguard consumers and to unify the rules in the handling of information for both international and domestic firms.

The GDPR requires every organization who processes personal data to adopt the "appropriate technical and organizational measures" to safeguard the information (including getting consent from an individual to use and store it). This includes obtaining the consent of users to collect their data, removing the personal data to ensure that users are protected in the event that it is compromised and following the guidelines to notify users in the event of there is a breach.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

HIPAA can be described as HIPAA is the United States' data security and protection law that regulates electronic private health records (ePHI). It was enacted in 1996 to regulate and improve individual health information management, which includes the protection against theft and fraud and how insurance companies are able to or cannot charge people to provide their services and much more.

HIPAA is a law that requires special technological physical, as well as administrative security measures for all companies processing ePHI. The penalties for violating the law can range from $100 to $250K and could lead to 10 years of jail time.

Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX)

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act was passed in 2002 to help safeguard investors of corporations from fraud in financial transactions. It was enacted as a response to a variety of major accounting scandals involving corporations ( Enron, for example) and is designed to raise the penalties for insufficient or inaccurate financial reporting (including altering financial information to present it in a particular manner). Additionally, it contains rules for the management of access to financial data.

SOX is mostly applicable to public companies and their disclosure of financial data. However, there are a lot of aspects that are applicable to private firms also like the omission of financial records or taking retaliatory action against employees who disclose financial criminals.

Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)

FISMA was adopted in 2002 in order to standardize the manner in which United States federal agencies handle their information. It requires that any federal agency (and any business from the private sector that works as a subcontractor/service provider) to follow strict information security policies (FIPS 200) and auditing procedures to ensure that they are followed.

The Top Threats to Data Security

When we think of threats to security of data the first thing that comes to mind is hackers breaking into your servers. However that the most significant security risks to data security tend to be internal and are due to the risky actions by your workers.

For instance, IBM and The Ponemon Institute looked into the root factors behind breach of data in 2020. They found that the most common reasons included compromised passwords (often because of inadequate passwords) and cloud configuration issues (leaving sensitive information accessible to the general public):

Courtesy of IBM/Ponemon Institute

One of the most common reasons for security breaches (phishing frauds) is something that correct employee training program can stop. IBM's research suggests that teaching employees to identify phishing emails and other attacks using social engineering would assist in reducing the number of data breaches by 17%..

To sum up although firewalls are essential to protect your data from cyber-attacks, the team' vigilance could be more crucial.

Types of Data Security Technologies

There are many different types of technology you can utilize to protect your information. It is recommended to utilize all of them to ensure that all possible access points are secure.

Authentication

Authentication is the procedure of confirming the login credentials (passwords biometrics, passwords, etc.) to confirm that they are they. This is among the most crucial elements of your strategy for protecting your data as it's your first line of defense against any unauthorized access to sensitive data.

Authentication can be conceptually simple, however it is extremely difficult to implement in a global scale, from a technological viewpoint. However, modern technologies such as single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA) as well as security measures that detect breaches in passwords have made it simpler than ever to protect the authentication process while not compromising users' experience.

Encryption

Data encryption is a method of securing sensitive information by using an algorithm that ensures it cannot be read by those who don't have the data (the encryption keys) required to decode it. It's an extremely important security tool for data as it makes sure that even if someone gained unauthorized access to your data it won't be able to utilize it. Always make sure the encryption keys you have are saved safely and they are restricted to the smallest number of people feasible.

Tokenization

Tokenization is akin to encryption. Instead of scrambling your data using the use of an algorithm, it replaces the information with random numbers. The connection with the details (the "token") is later stored in a separate secured table in the database.

Data Masking

Data masking doesn't change your data's appearance into an intermediate format, however it does happen through "masking" your data's characters using proxy characters. Software reverses this process after it has reached its final destination.

Physical Access Controls

Controlling access to data is an essential part of your security plan for data and. Although access control for digital data is typically managed via authentication processes (and restricting the number of authorized users that are granted access to your data) physical access control controls access to the physical places that your data are stored (a central data centre or server rooms on your premises).

Access control for the physical environment comprise security measures such as keys, biometric authentication measures such as thumbprint recognition, retinal scans as well as security personnel.

Best Practices for Ensuring Data Security

A complete data security strategy is comprised of many moving parts that work together in real-time to make sure that your data is protected. In the end, the exact execution that you plan to implement will be contingent on the structure and size of your company's computer systems.

This isn't intended to be a step-by step breakdown of what you must do to achieve the perfect data security. It's providing a brief overview of important ideas that build a solid base for security of your data.

Secure Your Information

A crucial aspect in data protection is protecting the data you store there. Here are three good methods to https://en.search.wordpress.com/?src=organic&q=Unistal Systems increase security of the locations that you keep your data both electronically as well as physically:

Control access to sensitive data. Controlling who can access your data based upon the user's ID is a great method to limit sensitive information to those who are required to have access. This reduces the amount of damage caused when a person's login or username details are stolen.

Secure everything. The encryption tool is among the most effective tools will keep your the security of your data. It will make sure that hackers don't have access to any information they be able to access. It is also recommended that you use encryption to add an extra layer of protection to all information you share.

Guard user information from the beginning. When employees and customers log into their first time (or multiple times) it is possible to verify and protect their personal information using security-based authentication techniques such as Social login. This is not just a simpler process and lowers the risk of churning, but it also helps to keep all their sensitive data in one place instead of storing it in various spreadsheets and databases that could easily get lost.

Prepare For Threats

Security threats to your cyberspace are always evolving and changing as hackers are always searching for weaknesses that your security system may not have. Therefore, data security isn't an "set it and forget it" task, but an everyday thing.

Here are the top methods to prepare yourself for possible attacks (and the aftereffects in the event of a breach does occur):

Try it on Your system(s). The most effective defense is an defense, and the most effective strategy for the field of data security is to ensure that you do not lose your data at all. While automation can assist in monitoring and manage your computer systems, they isn't as creative as an individual trying to get into. Therefore, it is recommended to establish an internal team to test your systems or get an outside source to conduct the test.

Educate your employees. Common security threats to data like spear-phishing email and USB traps can target people who are not aware of the threats and lost their guard. The practice of sharing everyday tips such as the ones from Proofpoint or using Inspired E-Learning's executive education could help in reducing the risk.

Create an incident management strategy. Implementing a complete response plan for situations where your data has been compromised could greatly reduce the negative impact on your business. It's true that IT should be aware of how they should take, however you must establish guidelines for management, and inform employees know about the breach, as well as the what next steps to take for recovery. ( See how Reddit responded to their recent security breach.)

Make a secure program for data retrieval. In the event of data corruption, or the unfortunate scenario in which something you require has been deleted or damaged It is crucial to be prepared with it. Many teams includes keeping a backup copy of crucial information that is regularly kept up to date. The backup will need to be secure and be kept separate from your other data.

Delete Unused Data

There will be a point that your data gets outdated or no longer being used. It's crucial to dispose of the data once this occurs, as it can be harmful to users should it be compromised.

Use your old passwords, for instancebecause the majority of users are able to reuse passwords across multiple websites An old password can still be used to hack their personal information at a different organization in the event that they've not changed their passwords across all their accounts online.

Here are two excellent ways to erase data you don't need:

Be aware of when and how to give up. When it's time to rid yourself of data stored in digital format and data, it's important get rid of the data correctly. When you must dispose of sensitive information on paper, you tear it up. You tear the credit cards in pieces and then write "VOID" on checks before throwing them away. Digital data is no different. When you're cleaning data, it's gone, and not left somewhere which could come back to harm you.

Do not forget to keep physical copies. If your backups are made on paper, or are saved on thumb drives, microfilm, X-rays, negatives -- or any other item that is physical and completely independent of your digital ones Don't ignore these. If you're going to delete any information that's not needed be sure that the process includes making sure you check if the information is physically backed by a equivalent and, if not destruction in the form of.

Run Compliance Audits

There are standards in place that could reduce your chance of being a victim of a data breach. There are some laws you'll need to comply with by law. These can assist you in doing exactly the same.

The rules that govern your company will vary based on the industry and location Therefore, you'll need to research and determine what the regulations be. However, if you're processing personal identifiable data it's important to conduct an audit and make sure your company is compliant.

This will not only keep you from legal troubles however, it will also significantly enhance the security of your data.

Don't Forget Mobile Data Security

In the first quarter of 2018 mobile-related attacks impacted 150 million -- and increased by further by 30% in 2019 According to McAfee's 2020 Q1 mobile Risk Report. As mobile cyberattacks grow security for mobile devices becomes an increasingly crucial component of your strategy for protecting your data.

There are many ways you can increase the security of your mobile data:

Always update all applications to guard against threats from spyware.

Delete inactive apps. (Providers might have banned or denied access to these apps due to security breaches.)

Before downloading any new applications be sure to look over the permissions required. If they appear to be too intrusive then users should not download, as it could be contaminated with mobile malware.

Create unique passwords for every new mobile account. Never use default logins for your mobile account.

Utilize communication applications that secure data transfer to limit access.

Multi-factor authentication is required to access internal tools.

It is important for employees to know how to log into your devices via remote. If your device is damaged or taken, having the ability to delete or transfer data is essential.

Keep in mind the fact that data protection for mobile devices doesn't just apply for tablets and smartphones. It's now encompassing other mobile devices, like smartwatches, other wearable tech as well as video conferencing tools and various other tools for workplace productivity also.

Data Security Depends on Humans

Your employees are at the forefront to protect your personal data, and more so than ever. Therefore, encouraging the right behavior is vital to ensure that there isn't a security breach to your company.

One of the most effective method to accomplish this is to provide a better overall user experience to your employees. An easier users experience can make it simpler for them to adhere to the best practices in cybersecurity, such as having unique passwords for every application, or using longer and more complicated passwords