Guarding Privacy Before It’s Gone: Using the Right Data Security Tools

Massive breaches have recently been making headlines, with many well-known companies like AT&T, Ticketmaster, and Prudential as the victims. No matter the size of the company, its industry, or its location, all became targets for cybercriminals.

It should come as no surprise that threat actors target valuable, sensitive data such as personally identifiable information (PII), healthcare records, financial details, and proprietary business information, all of which carry value. Once obtained, they may directly sell this information on the Darknet, hold it for ransom, or use it themselves to commit fraud against the company’s customers. Just think of the damage that could be done if a cybercriminal were to gather protected health information (PHI) or payment card details. 

In fact, to get a better sense of the types of data that’s targeted by cybercriminals and the compliance regulations meant to protect consumers and keep organizations accountable, you can explore our Guide to Ensuring Private Data Protection and Compliance. 

The fallout from data breaches can be catastrophic. Companies pay millions to manage breaches and are left with legal and regulatory penalties that cost on many levels. Worst of all, these breaches damage customer trust, causing many to take their business elsewhere and ultimately making future customers think twice before using a company. That’s why we believe privacy isn’t a matter of hoping for the best, but rather a zero-day play for enterprises. 

Why Organizations Need Data Privacy Tools

Organizations, from the IT department to the Board of Directors, understand their data is under siege and need ways to mitigate the risk to prevent dealing with a massive security breach in the future. Many solutions, such as DSPM, DLP, and similar data security platforms, have emerged in the market to address the cyber threats facing sensitive data. These tools come with several benefits, focused on limiting the potential for data to be lost or stolen. They also help ensure regulatory compliance so organizations avoid severe penalties by aligning with global and regional regulations.

However, each tool employs a different approach to deliver these advantages, and none are without their challenges when implemented alone. Each system has its own complexities and limitations that can impact its effectiveness in safeguarding sensitive data.

What are Data Security Platforms?

Data Security Platforms encompass a wide range of other solutions that take a holistic approach to safeguarding sensitive information across various environments, ensuring comprehensive protection without disrupting ongoing operations. These platforms leverage advanced threat protection technologies to identify and neutralize sophisticated cyber threats, enhancing the security of sensitive data. They may incorporate User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA), which is crucial in detecting abnormal behavior or anomalies potentially indicative of security threats.

While Powerful, Traditional Data Security Platforms Have Limitations

• Their complexity can require significant resources and expertise for deployment and ongoing management, presenting challenges, particularly for smaller organizations. 
• Technical and compatibility issues during integration with existing systems can cause operational disruptions.
• The comprehensive coverage these platforms offer often comes with high initial setup and maintenance costs.
• The extensive monitoring capabilities can lead to alert fatigue, where the sheer volume of alerts may cause critical warnings to be overlooked, potentially undermining security efforts.

What is DSPM?

One common tool for protecting data security is Data Security Posture Management (DSPM), which focuses on analyzing how data is handled to identify potential vulnerabilities. DSPM tools:

• Support ongoing risk assessments
• Enable organizations to prioritize and address identified vulnerabilities
• Enhance the overall security posture of the data environment
• (Some) feature capabilities for automated remediation, which allows for swift responses to security threats

However, while DSPM can provide a less reactive approach to data security, it is only valuable when organizations act upon recommendations and mitigate identified vulnerabilities.

The Downside of Using DSPM Alone

DSPMs require complex configurations and a deep understanding of data environments, making them resource-intensive to manage. DSPM may struggle with complete coverage across all data types and storage locations, leading to potential security gaps. Additionally, their effectiveness heavily relies on accurate data classification, which can be difficult to achieve consistently. The adaptability of DSPM systems to rapidly changing IT environments and evolving threats can further complicate their effective deployment, making them costly in terms of both time and financial investment. What DSPM needs is a platform that complements its capabilities to deliver a comprehensive security posture. But more on that later. 

What is DLP?

A more active type of data protection, known as Data Loss Prevention (DLP), monitors, detects, and blocks data in use, in motion, and at rest. It helps ensure unauthorized users do not lose, misuse, or access sensitive data. DLP systems:

• Track and control the flow of sensitive information to prevent unauthorized access or data breaches
• Inspect content to identify sensitive data based on predefined policies
• Block the transfer of this data outside the network unless authorized
• Enforce security policies that regulate access and sharing of sensitive information 
• Provide tools to address and mitigate the impact of a data leak

The Downside of DLP

DLP is not a perfect solution as it can be overly restrictive, sometimes wrongly blocking legitimate data usage and hindering business processes. Managing DLP systems can be complex, requiring constant policy updates as organizational needs and security landscapes evolve. High rates of false positives can burden IT teams, necessitating frequent adjustments to minimize disruptions. The effectiveness of DLP is dependent on precise policy definitions, which may not effectively cover new or evolving threats. Once again, DLP is prone to outright data blockage, which is not entirely useful to organizations that need to ingest and pass along files and sensitive data in order to do business effectively. It’s like downloading a PowerPoint presentation but only receiving a PDF – you only get a fraction of the effects. 

Exploring the DDR Difference

While many solutions offer benefits, none fully meet modern data security needs like Data Detection and Response (DDR). DDR is a cutting-edge cybersecurity approach that prioritizes preventative data protection and preemptive threat mitigation to enhance data privacy and security. This strategy relies on granularly controlling and obfuscating data and is also significantly bolstered by integrating advanced content disarm and reconstruction (CDR) technologies within its framework.

DDR automates responses to threats, effectively shielding against potential risks to private data. This automated response capability helps mitigate malicious data exfiltrating, insider threat, workforce negligence, and cyber threats by playing a crucial role in managing data in motion and at rest. By implementing real-time masking and anonymization techniques, DDR ensures that sensitive details are transformed into secure formats, preserving their usability while maintaining stringent privacy standards.

DDR incorporates cloud-native API integrations, making it highly effective in modern cloud environments. These integrations streamline security across platforms without compromising the user experience. With its comprehensive approach, DDR prevents data loss and oversharing of private information and proactively neutralizes malware threats. This proactive stance, supported by Zero Trust principles that treat all data as potentially private and all files as potential threats until verified, provides a robust defense against both known dangers and emerging zero-day threats. Thus, DDR not only aligns with but also enhances compliance with stringent data protection regulations, safeguarding the privacy and integrity of data throughout its lifecycle.

DSPM vs Data Detection and Response

DDR redefines data protection by actively managing and mitigating risks in real-time. This is a stark contrast to DSPM systems, which primarily identify vulnerabilities and access points to sensitive data, often only illustrating potential security issues without resolving them. DDR moves beyond mere detection by automating responses to secure private data in motion and at rest. This proactive strategy detects where private data resides and who accesses it and ensures that any data interaction is secure through real-time masking and anonymization techniques.

While DDR incorporates sophisticated CDR processes as an additional layer of security, the integration of Zero Trust principles fundamentally enhances its capability. In DDR, we assume all data is a compliance risk or can be exfiltrated until proven otherwise, ensuring a robust defense against data exfiltration and insider threat. When paired together, DDR and DSPM complement one another’s strengths, giving organizations the best of both worlds.

DLP vs Data Detection and Response

DDR offers a distinct advantage over traditional DLP systems in safeguarding sensitive data from loss and unauthorized access. DLP monitors and blocks sensitive data based on predefined rules, effectively preventing unauthorized transmission or access after detection. Alternatively, DDR incorporates a number of capabilities, including Zero Trust principles, where no data or file is assumed safe until proven otherwise. It rigorously scrutinizes every data element, searches for sensitive data, and applies advanced techniques like data masking and anonymization to prevent data loss – still delivering the intended data and functionality minus all the risks. DDR focuses on preemptive measures that prevent problems at the source rather than reacting to data policy breaches like DLP.

Data Detection and Response vs What’s Always Been Done

DDR systems provide a more specialized approach to securing sensitive data than broader data security platforms. While traditional data security platforms offer tools to protect data across various environments, their approach tends to be more generalized, focusing on a wide range of security measures that might not effectively (and preemptively) handle new and sophisticated threats. Additionally, many of these traditional security tools result in more work for IT teams and SOCs as the result of increased alerts and false positives, not to mention manual mitigation. 

On the other hand, DDR excels in real-time protection of private data as well as neutralization of compliance risks and cyber threats, employing technologies to proactively cleanse data of potential risks before they manifest.

DDR’s strength lies in its ability to protect data in real-time by detecting, obfuscating, and remediating data in motion and at rest while also handling known and emerging threats by dismantling harmful elements within data, ensuring that security measures are not merely reactive but preventive. Not only does this approach keep organizations compliant with PCI, PHI, and PII regulations, this proactive disarming process is crucial for maintaining the integrity and privacy of sensitive customer and insider information, something that traditional data security platforms may not achieve with the same level of efficacy.

Integrating Zero Trust principles in DDR ensures that no file or data packet is trusted by default, adding an extra layer of scrutiny that enhances data protection beyond the capabilities typically found in general security platforms. 

Privacy Protection That Focuses on Data

Votiro’s dual-sided approach to data security ensures that sensitive information is protected from unauthorized access and sophisticated cyber threats that could lead to data loss. 

Experience the future of proactive data protection with Votiro, and ensure that every piece of data—whether in transit or at rest—is thoroughly scrutinized and secured. Sign up today for a free 30-day trial or schedule a one-on-one demo to see how Votiro can enhance your organization’s data security, reduce your tech stack, and help you comply with the strictest regulatory standards.