A data leak is a worrying event for any organization, large or small. It can happen through a myriad of ways, such as a breach of a computer network, social engineering tactics, or simple employee negligence. A data leak can result in the theft of sensitive information, such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, and confidential business data. According to statistics published by DataProt, 68 records are lost or stolen every second, with each lost or stolen record costing roughly $150. Additionally, it’s worth noting that 21% of folders in a standard organization are accessible to anyone. In the current era where data is considered the “new gold”, understanding what a data leak is and how to prevent it is crucial for businesses.
Data Leak Meaning and Definition
A data leak refers to the accidental exposure of sensitive information, whether physically or on the Internet. This might include situations where a device is lost or stolen, or when a company uses insecure data storage. Unlike a data breach, which involves a successful cyber-attack to obtain sensitive data, data leaks generally occur due to poor data security practices or unintentional actions. Detecting and responding to data leaks is crucial as cybercriminals can exploit them to plan cyberattacks.
While cloud services offer advantages, they also introduce new risks. For example, misconfigured Amazon S3 buckets have lead to a number of data breaches. Once data is leaked, it is hard to determine if it was accessed, potentially risking the exposure of personal information and trade secrets. Data leaks can have severe consequences for a company’s reputation and finances.
Types of Data Leakage
There are various categories of data leakage, and it is crucial to address both external and internal sources to effectively prevent common data leakage threats.
Accidental Breach
Data leakage can occur unintentionally without malicious intent. Many data leakage incidents are accidental, such as sending confidential information to the wrong recipient via email. Although unintentional, these incidents can still result in penalties and reputational damage, as legal responsibilities are not mitigated.
Malicious Or Disgruntled Employees
Data loss is not limited to electronic mediums like stolen or misplaced laptops or leaked data over email. It can also happen through physical means like printers, cameras, photocopiers, removable USB drives, or even by rummaging through discarded documents. If employees become disgruntled or are enticed by cybercriminals, they may leak confidential information outside the organization. This type of data leakage is often referred to as data exfiltration.
Unauthorized Electronic Communications
Employees often have access to the internet, email, and instant messaging as part of their job. However, these communication channels can be hijacked by cybercriminals who can spoof legitimate business email accounts and trick users into sending sensitive information.
Top 10 Causes of Data Leaks
Data leaks can occur due to various reasons, but here are ten common causes:
- Insider Threats: Employees or individuals with authorized access intentionally or unintentionally leak sensitive data.
- Human Error: Accidental actions such as sending data to the wrong recipient, misconfiguring security settings, or losing devices containing sensitive information.
- Phishing Attacks: Cybercriminals deceive individuals into sharing confidential data through fraudulent emails, websites, or messages.
- Malware Infections: Viruses, ransomware, or other malicious software can compromise systems and steal sensitive data.
- Weak Passwords: The use of easily guessable or shared passwords increases the risk of unauthorized access and data breaches.
- Lack of Encryption: Failing to encrypt data, both in transit and at rest, can expose it to unauthorized access.
- Third-Party Vulnerabilities: Data breaches can occur through security weaknesses in third-party vendors, partners, or service providers.
- Physical Theft or Loss: Stolen or lost devices like laptops, smartphones, or external drives can lead to data leaks if not properly protected.
- Unpatched Software: Neglecting to apply security updates and patches leaves systems vulnerable to known exploits and attacks.
- Insider Collaboration: When authorized individuals collude with external parties or cybercriminals to leak sensitive information.
It’s important to note that these causes can vary depending on the context and industry, and organizations should implement comprehensive security measures to mitigate the risks associated with data leaks.
Data Leak Prevention Best Practices
By adopting the following best practices, you can significantly reduce the risk of data leaks and improve your cybersecurity posture.
Conduct Security Awareness Training
Security awareness training plays a crucial role in preventing data leaks. Training can include identifying and avoiding phishing attacks, using strong passwords, and handling confidential data securely. Employees must understand the importance of encrypting files and devices in transit and at rest, as well as properly disposing of confidential information.
Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
With MFA, users are required to provide more than just a password to access a system or application. They must also provide one or more additional factors, such as a fingerprint scan, a security token, or a one-time code sent to their mobile device. This additional layer of security can prevent data leaks by preventing unauthorized access to systems and applications, preventing internal data breaches caused by employees who inadvertently or intentionally share passwords or access credentials. MFA also provides greater visibility into who is accessing what data, making it easier to detect and prevent unauthorized access and other suspicious activity.
Monitor and Assess Third-Party Risks
Third-party vendors that have access to sensitive information can pose a significant risk organizations. Organizations must have a robust system in place to regularly assess and monitor these vendors’ security policies and practices. By monitoring and assessing third-party risks, organizations can identify vulnerabilities and take measures to mitigate them, preventing potential data leaks.
Discover and Classify Sensitive Data
Data classification allows an organization to identify what data is confidential, sensitive, or public, and then apply security controls accordingly. This helps to ensure that confidential data is protected from theft, data leakage, or unauthorized access.
Adhere to the Principal of Least Privilege (PoLP)
The Principal of Least Privilege is a security principle that states that individuals or processes should only be given the minimum level of access required to perform their tasks. By limiting access privileges, it becomes much more difficult for employees or hackers to access sensitive information that they do not need, reducing the risk of data leaks.
Keep Software Up-To-Date
Regularly updating/patching software is an essential step in preventing data leaks. By staying up to date with the latest software versions, organizations can ensure that their systems are protected against the latest threats and that any security holes are quickly fixed. Additionally, updates can improve the overall performance and stability of software, reducing the risk of crashes and system failures that could lead to data loss.
Develop An Incident Response Plan (IRP)
An Incident Response Plan outlines the steps to be taken in response to a potential data breach or leak. It includes information about how to identify a breach, who to notify, and what actions are required to contain the situation. It also outlines the procedures for conducting a forensic analysis to understand what happened, how it occurred, the parties involved, and what information has been compromised.
How Lepide Helps Prevent Data Leaks
The Lepide Data Security Platform aggregates event data from various platforms including Active Directory, Office 365, Dropbox, Amazon S3, and G Suite, among others. Via a user-friendly dashboard, you can monitor any changes made to your valuable information and receive instant notifications should any unusual activities be detected. Additionally, our platform comes with a data classification tool that will scan your data repositories for sensitive information and categorize it accordingly. Knowing exactly what data you store and where it is located makes it significantly easier to assign the appropriate access controls. Our platform also empowers you to quickly generate reports summarizing any incidents linked to your data, which can be shared with regulatory bodies to demonstrate compliance. Leveraging machine learning models, our software establishes a baseline of user activity against which it tests for anomalies. Not only that, but it can also detect and responds to events that meet specific threshold conditions, which can help to prevent the spread of ransomware and other malicious activities.
If you’d like to see how the Lepide Data Security Platform can help to prevent data leaks, schedule a demo with one of our engineers.