“From lost laptops to misplaced backup tapes to accidental
e-mails filled with sensitive information, we seem to be in the
midst of a data loss epidemic, with tens of millions of individuals
receiving ‘data loss’ notification letters this year,” said Rich
Mogull, research vice president for Gartner.
“Data loss and information leaks are not random acts of nature
too costly to prevent,” Mr. Mogull said. “By following these five
steps, enterprises can dramatically reduce the risk of their
valuable structured or unstructured information ending up in the
wrong hands and forcing an embarrassing public disclosure.”
Gartner analysts identified the top five steps to prevent
data loss and information leaks:
1. Deploy Content Monitoring and Filtering (CMF)
A CMF solution monitors all outbound network traffic and
generates alerts regarding (or sometimes blocks) activity based on
inspecting the data in network sessions. CMF tools monitor common
channels, including email, IM, FTP, HTTP and web mail (interpreting
the HTTP for specific Web mail services) and look for policy
violations based on a variety of techniques.
“CMF tools are best at detecting and reducing information loss
from accidents, such as e-mailing the wrong file to the wrong
person, or bad business process, such as exchanging HR data over an
unencrypted FTP connection,” Mr. Mogull said. “CMF won't stop all
malicious activity and can be circumvented by a knowledgeable
attacker. Still, most information leaks are the result of these
accidents or bad processes, and CMF is evolving rapidly to address
more malicious attacks.”
2. Encrypt backup tapes and (possibly) mass storage
Gartner analysts doubt that many of the reported lost backup
tapes containing consumer records eventually result in fraud.
However, because there is no way to know for sure, companies have
to assume exposure anyway. Encryption can ensure that the data will
still be safe.
“During the past few years, tools have emerged that
significantly improve the performance, manageability and simplicity
of encryption,” Mr. Mogull said. “For large tape installations, we
recommend in-line encryption appliances. For tape drives connected
to local systems or servers, companies may want to consider
software encryption. Older mainframes may need an in-line appliance
with an adapter for mainframe protocols, while new software
solutions can take advantage of extra processors or cryptographic
coprocessors in more current models.”
3. Secure workstations, restrict home computers and lock
portable storage
Workstations and laptops can be a major source of loss,
especially when a poorly configured or out-of-date enterprise or
home computer is compromised by a virus or worm, and by losing
portable storage media, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive
or CD-ROM.
“There’s really no excuse for not keeping an enterprise system
up-to-date with the latest patches, a personal firewall, antivirus
and anti-spyware software,” Mr. Mogull said. “These precautions
alone will prevent the vast majority of commonly encountered
Internet attacks.”
4. Encrypt laptops
If organisations give employees portable computers, employees
will store sensitive data on it. Gartner says policies don’t
matter: users will always use the tools they acquire, and sensitive
data will always end up in unexpected places.
“There is only one tool to protect sensitive information on a
lost laptop: encryption, preferably whole-drive encryption from a
third-party vendor,” Mr. Mogull said. “Whole-driven encryption, as
opposed to file and folder encryption, involves very little user
action, protects all data on the computer, and is not vulnerable to
the same kinds of recovery techniques that skirt the protections of
passwords or other controls.”
5. Deploy database activity monitoring
Most organisations struggle to secure existing databases that
are rarely designed with effective security controls. While
companies eventually need to encrypt some of the data in their
databases, database activity monitoring is a powerful security
control that’s easier to implement and more viable than encryption
for many types of data.
“Database activity monitoring tools observe all activity within
a database, record this activity in a secure repository and
generate instant alerts for unusual activity,” Mr. Mogull said.
“Through detection of unusual behaviour, database activity
monitoring can limit insider misuse of database systems, enforce
separation of duties for database administrators and limit certain
external attacks, all without affecting database performance.”
