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Your personal data is precious. It represents your identity, financial and health information, and other highly personal stuff. Data tells a story about who you are and how you live. This sensitive information deserves vigilant protection.
But what is meant by data security, and why does it require so much care and attention? This guide will explore the critical importance of data security, the need to implement robust and reliable types of data security practices, and best practices for your data security tools list.
Data security refers to protecting information and systems from unauthorized access, disclosure, destruction, or disruption. Both digital data like files and databases, as well as physical records, need safeguarding.
At its core, data security is about preserving privacy—limiting data access only to those requiring it. Mishandling data means mishandling people's lives. Like a precious gem, data deserves to be locked away in an impenetrable vault.
Data security also ensures information maintains its expected confidentiality, integrity, and availability, known as the CIA Triad:
Robust data security balances accessibility with stringent controls. The right people can access data easily, while the wrong hands never touch the vault lock.
These are core principles at ZenData. In a world that runs on data, ZenData champions a deeper narrative—that every byte carries a story and a promise. We are not just about safeguarding data, we’re about preserving the human connection it represents.
Without data security, privacy evaporates. Valuable information falls into the eager hands of those seeking to exploit, manipulate, or harm. A virtual treasure trove of data awaits cybercriminals for financial gain. Here are some of the key ways hackers use the information they steal:
Various digital marketplaces host collections comprising millions of records, creating a thriving ecosystem where hackers profit by providing other criminals with the resources needed for various illicit activities.
Cybercriminals are also increasingly holding data for ransom, threatening to expose it or destroy it if organizations do not pay up. Ransomware attacks encrypt data and offer to sell encryption keys to victims, while often not delivering the keys after payments.
The compromise of login credentials opens the gateway to account takeover, where cybercriminals gain unauthorized access to accounts containing valuable payment details. The potential impact escalates if criminals decide to change passwords, resulting in the victim losing access to their own account. Hackers are adept at privilege escalation, allowing them to gain administrative rights for further damage.
Stolen personal information becomes a potent tool for criminals engaging in phishing attacks and extortion. Armed with the victim's details, cybercriminals craft convincing schemes to deceive individuals into willingly providing sensitive information, such as credit card details.
Stolen data becomes a weapon, enabling criminals to infiltrate company networks, spy on operations, and introduce malware, posing a dual threat to both individual privacy and corporate security.
The image of the lone hacker sitting in their basement is no longer a reality. Today’s cybercriminals are more likely organized crime enterprises and state actors. They have powerful weapons at their disposal, armed and ready to attack. You need to be constantly on guard to monitor your data security.
What exactly do data threats look like in the real world? Here are some examples of how weak data security can cause serious damage.
Personal and financial information is stolen, resulting in accounts being drained, loans being taken out in the victim’s name, and catastrophic credit damage. Victims spend endless hours contesting fraudulent activity and restoring their reputations.
Hacked credit cards, bank accounts, and investment accounts lead to stolen funds. Retirement savings could evaporate overnight from breaches at fintech companies, severely undermining trust and reputation as well.
Healthcare records contain massive amounts of exploitable details: social security, insurance data, diagnoses, and even DNA. Fraudsters can obtain drugs and treatment using victims' credentials or alter records to compromise care.
Private communications, browsing histories, intimate photos, or location data in the wrong hands enable blackmail, stalking, and reputational destruction through leaks. All of this data should stay private, but cybercriminals exploit it for their gain.
As more cloud services are deployed, hackers are acting against critical infrastructure, such as power grids, hospitals, and transportation, putting public safety at risk. Threats and documented attacks on public infrastructure were a big part of the impetus behind the White House Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity.
Cybercriminals can also steal sensitive documents like designs, formulas, or processes to erase years of research and compromise advantage.
Cybercriminals have powerful motivations to stay one step ahead of security teams. Because hacking tools are easily accessed on the dark web, new tactics get shared rapidly. Criminal organizations are also deploying some of the same strategies that successful Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions offer. Hackers can leverage Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) subscription models to power up attacks even without the hardware or software infrastructure.
There are different types of data security. If you are looking for “What are some examples of data security?”, these five methods of protecting data are a good start:
Here are some of the more common data security risks along with recommended solutions for keeping data private and secure.
Risk: Weak Passwords
Studies show that 81% of data breaches can be traced to weak or stolen passwords—posing a significant security risk. Even complex passwords are susceptible to hacking.
Solution: Multifactor Authentication (MFA)
Implementing MFA adds a layer of security by requiring something you have, such as security keys. For example, sending a passcode to a smartphone defeats hackers unless they have access to your credentials and your phone.
Risk: Unpatched Software
Unfixed vulnerabilities in software provide easy targets for hackers. Neglecting updates leaves systems vulnerable to known exploits.
Solution: Proactive Patch Management
Install critical patches to frustrate adversaries seeking easy exploits. Automation is crucial for large networks, ensuring timely updates that eliminate known weaknesses and enhance overall software security.
Risk: Overly Permissive Access
Granting broad data access increases the risk of breaches by allowing unnecessary privileges to linger. Outdated project permissions may contribute to unauthorized access.
Solution: Least Privilege Access
Limit access to what is strictly necessary for a specific role. Regularly scrutinize and update permissions, removing obsolete ones. This approach reduces the potential damage in case of compromised credentials.
Risk: Lack of Encryption
Unencrypted data is vulnerable to theft and viewing. Incomplete or inconsistent encryption policies, especially for data at rest, leave critical information exposed.
Solution: Pervasive Encryption
Implement encryption extensively across networks and data. Establish and enforce organization- and application-wide encryption policies. By rendering breached data useless, encryption becomes a powerful defense mechanism.
Risk: Weak Network Segmentation
Poorly segmented networks allow threats to spread unchecked, lacking barriers to contain breaches within specific areas.
Solution: Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)
Adopt a ZTNA strategy, requiring reauthentication between network segments. This strategy limits lateral movement, effectively containing breach damage. ZTNA can hide areas on servers, rendering them invisible to hackers who may already be inside your security perimeter.
Risk: Poor Visibility
IT sprawl leads to blind spots, with numerous unmonitored and unmanaged endpoints, creating major security gaps.
Solution: Comprehensive Asset Inventory
Maintain a catalog of hardware, software, and devices accessing systems. Regularly update these lists to achieve total visibility, ensuring effective security measures for all endpoints.
Risk: Weak Vendor Security
Third-party vendors without proper controls pose significant risks, potentially leading to backdoor breaches. Such breaches have become more common in recent years.
Solution: Vendor Risk Management
Prioritize vetting and auditing a vendor’s security posture before onboarding. Enforce limited vendor permissions and continuously monitor access to prevent supplier-related breaches.
Risk: Slow Incident Response
Organizations often struggle to contain breaches promptly, providing hackers with extended opportunities for maximum damage.
Solution: Incident Response Planning
Develop and regularly drill incident response plans for coordinated containment, minimizing disruption. A nimble response reduces breach impact and overall losses.
Risk: Outdated Policies
Static policies fail to address emerging threats and evolving regulations, leading to preventable incidents.
Solution: Regular Policy Reviews
Schedule regular data security and data privacy reviews to update access controls, encryption rules, and procedures. Revise policies following major incidents to ensure alignment with current security standards.
Risk: Lack of Training
Employees remain a top cause of breaches, even with robust security in place. Phishing schemes, clicking on malicious links, insecure passwords, or mishandling sensitive data can cause disastrous data security breaches.
Solution: Regular Training
Mandate security training for new hires and provide annual updates for all employees. Educate staff on risks and responsibilities so they play their part in protecting digital privacy.
In 2024 and beyond, organizations need to be aware of emerging threats and update data security measures to stop evolving attacks, including:
Over the past year, 40% of businesses have experienced data breaches in their cloud environments.
Strategy: Upgrade cloud security measures by leveraging advanced platforms like Zendata’s data mapping tools to understand where sensitive data is located across your entire tech stack. This provides greater visibility into data flows to promptly identify and address misuse or policy violations.
The prevalence of application programming interfaces (APIs) has led to a surge in breaches, with 94% of security data professionals reporting security issues in production APIs.
Strategy: Prioritize API security by implementing robust measures to safeguard against potential breaches, acknowledging the critical role APIs play in contemporary business operations.
AI's ability to analyze massive datasets at machine speed enhances threat prevention and response.
Strategy: Incorporate AI-powered privacy monitoring tools, exemplified by solutions like ZenData, to augment security capabilities and efficiently detect anomalies in real time.
The increasing use of AI in writing code introduces additional risks, necessitating accountability measures and cybersecurity vetting.
Strategy: Apply stringent measures and cybersecurity vetting when deploying AI-generated code or open-source solutions, recognizing their potential vulnerabilities. Deploy Zendata’s website and application scanner test code for potential data privacy concerns as part of your cloud-based data protection and privacy compliance program.
Evolving Zero Trust Architecture
While Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) is widely adopted, its effectiveness must evolve with changing threats.
Refer to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's (CISA) Zero Trust Maturity Model 2.0 to update your organization's zero-trust architecture in response to evolving cybersecurity challenges.
Government agencies recommend preparing for post-quantum cryptography to resist quantum computing attacks on existing encryption.
Strategy: Conduct an inventory of your most sensitive assets and systems, prioritizing them for upgrades to adopt cryptographic methods resilient against quantum threats.
Data is humanity in digital form, and it deserves vigilant security centered on protecting people, not just information.
Organizations need to approach data privacy as a human right, not just a regulatory data privacy check box. Secure data responsibly and you secure connections, reputations, safety, and trust. Commit to continuous improvement, and you uphold your integrity as an ethical data steward.
Zendata can help.
Zendata can manage data privacy, compliance, and risk across your entire tech stack to provide you with an easy-to-understand assessment, proven recommendations, and consulting for mitigating issues.
Get a no-cost evaluation from Zendata today. With diligence and care, we can collaborate securely while preserving privacy protections that benefit all of society.
Your personal data is precious. It represents your identity, financial and health information, and other highly personal stuff. Data tells a story about who you are and how you live. This sensitive information deserves vigilant protection.
But what is meant by data security, and why does it require so much care and attention? This guide will explore the critical importance of data security, the need to implement robust and reliable types of data security practices, and best practices for your data security tools list.
Data security refers to protecting information and systems from unauthorized access, disclosure, destruction, or disruption. Both digital data like files and databases, as well as physical records, need safeguarding.
At its core, data security is about preserving privacy—limiting data access only to those requiring it. Mishandling data means mishandling people's lives. Like a precious gem, data deserves to be locked away in an impenetrable vault.
Data security also ensures information maintains its expected confidentiality, integrity, and availability, known as the CIA Triad:
Robust data security balances accessibility with stringent controls. The right people can access data easily, while the wrong hands never touch the vault lock.
These are core principles at ZenData. In a world that runs on data, ZenData champions a deeper narrative—that every byte carries a story and a promise. We are not just about safeguarding data, we’re about preserving the human connection it represents.
Without data security, privacy evaporates. Valuable information falls into the eager hands of those seeking to exploit, manipulate, or harm. A virtual treasure trove of data awaits cybercriminals for financial gain. Here are some of the key ways hackers use the information they steal:
Various digital marketplaces host collections comprising millions of records, creating a thriving ecosystem where hackers profit by providing other criminals with the resources needed for various illicit activities.
Cybercriminals are also increasingly holding data for ransom, threatening to expose it or destroy it if organizations do not pay up. Ransomware attacks encrypt data and offer to sell encryption keys to victims, while often not delivering the keys after payments.
The compromise of login credentials opens the gateway to account takeover, where cybercriminals gain unauthorized access to accounts containing valuable payment details. The potential impact escalates if criminals decide to change passwords, resulting in the victim losing access to their own account. Hackers are adept at privilege escalation, allowing them to gain administrative rights for further damage.
Stolen personal information becomes a potent tool for criminals engaging in phishing attacks and extortion. Armed with the victim's details, cybercriminals craft convincing schemes to deceive individuals into willingly providing sensitive information, such as credit card details.
Stolen data becomes a weapon, enabling criminals to infiltrate company networks, spy on operations, and introduce malware, posing a dual threat to both individual privacy and corporate security.
The image of the lone hacker sitting in their basement is no longer a reality. Today’s cybercriminals are more likely organized crime enterprises and state actors. They have powerful weapons at their disposal, armed and ready to attack. You need to be constantly on guard to monitor your data security.
What exactly do data threats look like in the real world? Here are some examples of how weak data security can cause serious damage.
Personal and financial information is stolen, resulting in accounts being drained, loans being taken out in the victim’s name, and catastrophic credit damage. Victims spend endless hours contesting fraudulent activity and restoring their reputations.
Hacked credit cards, bank accounts, and investment accounts lead to stolen funds. Retirement savings could evaporate overnight from breaches at fintech companies, severely undermining trust and reputation as well.
Healthcare records contain massive amounts of exploitable details: social security, insurance data, diagnoses, and even DNA. Fraudsters can obtain drugs and treatment using victims' credentials or alter records to compromise care.
Private communications, browsing histories, intimate photos, or location data in the wrong hands enable blackmail, stalking, and reputational destruction through leaks. All of this data should stay private, but cybercriminals exploit it for their gain.
As more cloud services are deployed, hackers are acting against critical infrastructure, such as power grids, hospitals, and transportation, putting public safety at risk. Threats and documented attacks on public infrastructure were a big part of the impetus behind the White House Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity.
Cybercriminals can also steal sensitive documents like designs, formulas, or processes to erase years of research and compromise advantage.
Cybercriminals have powerful motivations to stay one step ahead of security teams. Because hacking tools are easily accessed on the dark web, new tactics get shared rapidly. Criminal organizations are also deploying some of the same strategies that successful Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions offer. Hackers can leverage Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) subscription models to power up attacks even without the hardware or software infrastructure.
There are different types of data security. If you are looking for “What are some examples of data security?”, these five methods of protecting data are a good start:
Here are some of the more common data security risks along with recommended solutions for keeping data private and secure.
Risk: Weak Passwords
Studies show that 81% of data breaches can be traced to weak or stolen passwords—posing a significant security risk. Even complex passwords are susceptible to hacking.
Solution: Multifactor Authentication (MFA)
Implementing MFA adds a layer of security by requiring something you have, such as security keys. For example, sending a passcode to a smartphone defeats hackers unless they have access to your credentials and your phone.
Risk: Unpatched Software
Unfixed vulnerabilities in software provide easy targets for hackers. Neglecting updates leaves systems vulnerable to known exploits.
Solution: Proactive Patch Management
Install critical patches to frustrate adversaries seeking easy exploits. Automation is crucial for large networks, ensuring timely updates that eliminate known weaknesses and enhance overall software security.
Risk: Overly Permissive Access
Granting broad data access increases the risk of breaches by allowing unnecessary privileges to linger. Outdated project permissions may contribute to unauthorized access.
Solution: Least Privilege Access
Limit access to what is strictly necessary for a specific role. Regularly scrutinize and update permissions, removing obsolete ones. This approach reduces the potential damage in case of compromised credentials.
Risk: Lack of Encryption
Unencrypted data is vulnerable to theft and viewing. Incomplete or inconsistent encryption policies, especially for data at rest, leave critical information exposed.
Solution: Pervasive Encryption
Implement encryption extensively across networks and data. Establish and enforce organization- and application-wide encryption policies. By rendering breached data useless, encryption becomes a powerful defense mechanism.
Risk: Weak Network Segmentation
Poorly segmented networks allow threats to spread unchecked, lacking barriers to contain breaches within specific areas.
Solution: Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)
Adopt a ZTNA strategy, requiring reauthentication between network segments. This strategy limits lateral movement, effectively containing breach damage. ZTNA can hide areas on servers, rendering them invisible to hackers who may already be inside your security perimeter.
Risk: Poor Visibility
IT sprawl leads to blind spots, with numerous unmonitored and unmanaged endpoints, creating major security gaps.
Solution: Comprehensive Asset Inventory
Maintain a catalog of hardware, software, and devices accessing systems. Regularly update these lists to achieve total visibility, ensuring effective security measures for all endpoints.
Risk: Weak Vendor Security
Third-party vendors without proper controls pose significant risks, potentially leading to backdoor breaches. Such breaches have become more common in recent years.
Solution: Vendor Risk Management
Prioritize vetting and auditing a vendor’s security posture before onboarding. Enforce limited vendor permissions and continuously monitor access to prevent supplier-related breaches.
Risk: Slow Incident Response
Organizations often struggle to contain breaches promptly, providing hackers with extended opportunities for maximum damage.
Solution: Incident Response Planning
Develop and regularly drill incident response plans for coordinated containment, minimizing disruption. A nimble response reduces breach impact and overall losses.
Risk: Outdated Policies
Static policies fail to address emerging threats and evolving regulations, leading to preventable incidents.
Solution: Regular Policy Reviews
Schedule regular data security and data privacy reviews to update access controls, encryption rules, and procedures. Revise policies following major incidents to ensure alignment with current security standards.
Risk: Lack of Training
Employees remain a top cause of breaches, even with robust security in place. Phishing schemes, clicking on malicious links, insecure passwords, or mishandling sensitive data can cause disastrous data security breaches.
Solution: Regular Training
Mandate security training for new hires and provide annual updates for all employees. Educate staff on risks and responsibilities so they play their part in protecting digital privacy.
In 2024 and beyond, organizations need to be aware of emerging threats and update data security measures to stop evolving attacks, including:
Over the past year, 40% of businesses have experienced data breaches in their cloud environments.
Strategy: Upgrade cloud security measures by leveraging advanced platforms like Zendata’s data mapping tools to understand where sensitive data is located across your entire tech stack. This provides greater visibility into data flows to promptly identify and address misuse or policy violations.
The prevalence of application programming interfaces (APIs) has led to a surge in breaches, with 94% of security data professionals reporting security issues in production APIs.
Strategy: Prioritize API security by implementing robust measures to safeguard against potential breaches, acknowledging the critical role APIs play in contemporary business operations.
AI's ability to analyze massive datasets at machine speed enhances threat prevention and response.
Strategy: Incorporate AI-powered privacy monitoring tools, exemplified by solutions like ZenData, to augment security capabilities and efficiently detect anomalies in real time.
The increasing use of AI in writing code introduces additional risks, necessitating accountability measures and cybersecurity vetting.
Strategy: Apply stringent measures and cybersecurity vetting when deploying AI-generated code or open-source solutions, recognizing their potential vulnerabilities. Deploy Zendata’s website and application scanner test code for potential data privacy concerns as part of your cloud-based data protection and privacy compliance program.
Evolving Zero Trust Architecture
While Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) is widely adopted, its effectiveness must evolve with changing threats.
Refer to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's (CISA) Zero Trust Maturity Model 2.0 to update your organization's zero-trust architecture in response to evolving cybersecurity challenges.
Government agencies recommend preparing for post-quantum cryptography to resist quantum computing attacks on existing encryption.
Strategy: Conduct an inventory of your most sensitive assets and systems, prioritizing them for upgrades to adopt cryptographic methods resilient against quantum threats.
Data is humanity in digital form, and it deserves vigilant security centered on protecting people, not just information.
Organizations need to approach data privacy as a human right, not just a regulatory data privacy check box. Secure data responsibly and you secure connections, reputations, safety, and trust. Commit to continuous improvement, and you uphold your integrity as an ethical data steward.
Zendata can help.
Zendata can manage data privacy, compliance, and risk across your entire tech stack to provide you with an easy-to-understand assessment, proven recommendations, and consulting for mitigating issues.
Get a no-cost evaluation from Zendata today. With diligence and care, we can collaborate securely while preserving privacy protections that benefit all of society.
