Insider Threats and DLP: How to Protect Your Organization from Within
Most people think of cyber threats as hackers or attackers trying to break into a system from the outside. Nevertheless, the majority of security breaches come from internal sources – so-called insider threats. External attacks can be just as catastrophic, or even more so, as insider threats, whether caused maliciously or accidentally. In order to combat these risks, many organizations are relying on Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions to complement security as an important layer of security.
A mix of tools and processes, dlp is a set designed to prevent unauthorized access to and sharing of sensitive information. DLP solutions watch for data traffic within and out of an organization, making sure only sanctioned personnel can access confidential information and catch any data leakage—either on purpose or by accident. DLP is a tool that helps organizations secure sensitive information, to track user behavior so that insider threat risks are curbed.
Understanding Insider Threats: A Growing Concern
Insider threats are any situation where an internal user (employee, contractor, or business partner) who has access to an organization has compromised that organization’s security. Intentional or accidental, these threats come from malicious insiders, who may be motivated by financial gain or disgruntlement, or happen by accident as a result of accidental insiders’ carelessness. Common examples of insider threats include:
Data Theft: Sensitive data may be stolen from companies by employees who do not have permission to be in possession of that information, or employees with permission to access that information may exfiltrate it deliberately in order to gain some personal advantage or to help a competitor.
Accidental Sharing: A missing knowledge of how to keep confidential information from the wrong hands can cause employees to unknowingly share such information with unauthorized individuals or external entities.
Policy Violations: Others might skip security policies to go through the hassle to get data, while exposure all the same and breech of the company security standards.
Because of these risks, organizations require a proactive solution to monitor and control data access. The second layer of protection –DLP solutions enables security teams to detect, prevent and respond to insider threats.
Leaving aside the question of possible consent – we are well aware that DLP does not protect us from the insider threat.
Insider threat is something DLP solutions are uniquely able to solve with real time data monitoring, behavioral analysis and enforcement of security policy. Here’s how DLP can protect your organization from within:
1. Real Time Data Monitoring and Access Control
Organizations can monitor data activity in real time with DLP solutions. DLP helps by tracking who is accessing sensitive data, where it’s being accessed and how it’s being used to detect any suspicious activity. For instance, they may have a way to recognize when an employee starts downloading vast amounts of confidential information or starts emailing sensitive files to a personal email.
Moreover, DLP supports fine grained access control. This guarantees that only approved users can connect to particular data, also minimizing the risk of misapplication of the data. For example, the employees working in the marketing department might not require any access to financial records which could be restricted by DLP by defining predefined rules and policies.
2. Early Detection Behavioral Analysis
The DLP solutions use behavioral analysis to detect inappropriate changes in user behavior. DLP systems can then flag unusual actions by giving themselves a baseline of normal activities (file accesses, for example, or usual document handling). DLP solution can recognize when a user suddenly becomes interested in files they wouldn’t normally interface with or tries to download an excessive quantity of data, in such cases, the security team is notified.
It is a proactive approach by the security teams to intervene before a threat becomes familiar, so as to prevent the risks ahead of it and halt the potential data leaks. Insider threats are also differentiated using behavioral analysis between mishandling data accidentally and well intentioned acts.
3. Prevent Unauthorized Data Sharing with Policy Enforcement
Organizations can define and enforce data security policies that meet their unique requirements and regulatory needs with DLP. Data can be transferred and shared, and store policies can be implemented in the organization to put measures in place that prevent accidental or malicious data exposure. For instance, DLP policies can prohibit employees from sending sensitive data across unencrypted channels or uploading files on uncertified cloud services.
DLP enforces requirements to strictly share data in order to minimize the risk of data breaches from accidental or unauthorized actions. It also prompts employees to follow best practices to craft a security minded culture.
4. Mitigating Incident Response
In the worst case, DLP can accelerate incident responses. In a DLP system, logs are generated whenever data access or movement occurs, making it possible for security teams to trace the source of data breach, see affected data and take corrective measures immediately. Regardless of whether the insider threat was by mistake or on purpose, DLP solutions offer the know how to stop the damage and prevent future repetition.
While the Insider threats are left insulated, the benefits of Implementing a DLP are likely to outweigh the cost. Deploying DLP as part of an organization’s security strategy provides several key benefits:
Reduced Risk of Data Exposure: DLP cuts back on data monitoring, and enforcing access controls minimizes the risk of Sensitive data getting into the wrong hands.
Improved Compliance: There are many industries that have regulations that are followed when handling data for protection. DLP endeavors help organizations fulfill regulatory requirements and ensure data is handled, provided, and stored the right way.
Enhanced Security Culture: DLP motivates employees to follow security policies and promotes data protection awareness so as to diminish the risk of accidental leaks.
Early Detection of Threats: DLP, with behavioral analysis and real time monitoring, can spot the insider threats at an early stage thereby giving organizations the time to act before any significant damage can occur.
Final Thoughts
As organizations move towards more data as a critical and valuable asset, insider threats become a very substantial risk. With the help of a DLP solution, companies can protect sensitive information in advance, monitor user activity and minimize the damage caused by accidental and malicious insider threats. For instance, DLP shields organizations from these threats and provides sturdy, multi-layered protection to secure data from within, external as well as internal.
For organizations seeking to enhance their data security framework, DLP acts as a holistic and forward-leaning approach to covering insider threats alongside other data protection and compliance objectives.
