Steps to improve your data security
The following suggestions can assist you in strengthening your data security:
DETERMINE DATA SECURITY THREATS
To begin, identify and evaluate the security risks associated with how your IT systems manage, store, and offer access to sensitive and business-critical data. Specifically:
Make a risk-management strategy. Many compliance requirements include identifying, assessing, and mitigating security hazards as part of a solid data security program. Consider using a framework, such as the NIST risk assessment framework described in SP 800–30, rather than beginning from scratch.
Find any user accounts that haven’t been used in a long time in your directory. Identify any user accounts that haven’t been used in a long time and consult with your colleagues to see whether they may be deleted. Then figure out why these accounts are still active and fix the underlying processes.
Is the IT department notified when an employee leaves the company or a contractor’s task is done, for example? Otherwise, even though they still have access to systems and data, the connected accounts may become inactive. For a hacker, finding inactive accounts to target is rather straightforward.
A quick search on LinkedIn or Twitter, for example, might reveal who has recently left a company. An attacker may explore your network without raising any alerts by taking over a dormant account.
Regularly scan your environment for any dangerous files. To avoid accidentally releasing ransomware or other malware, you should look for and remove unauthorized executables, installers, and scripts on a regular basis.
Find accounts that have administrative privileges that aren’t required. Few individuals need administrative access, and giving anybody more authority than they require might be dangerous.
PERFORM A SERVER INVENTORY.
Make a list of all your servers, detailing their functions and the information they hold. In particular, you should:
Antivirus software is up to date. Although antivirus software cannot guard against all types of cyber-attacks, it is a necessary first line of defense.
Investigate other programs and services. Unwanted software on your server does more than just take up space; it also poses a security risk since it may have access to your important data.
Take a look at your operating systems. Verify that no servers are running an operating system that the vendor does not support any longer. Because outdated operating systems get no security upgrades, they are a tempting target for hackers who can swiftly exploit any system flaws.
This list will aid you in detecting and repairing important security flaws. Keep in mind that this isn’t a one-time thing.
UNDERSTAND YOUR DATA.
You must be aware of the location of your sensitive information in order to protect it. Using data discovery and categorization tools, scan your data storage, both in the cloud and on-premises, and label sensitive or regulated data by kind and purpose.
Then you can properly prioritize your data security activities to improve data security while remaining compliant with regulations.
Keep a watch out for sensitive information that appears in the inappropriate locations, is made available to a large number of people, or is overexposed in general. Reduce the risk of data loss and exfiltration by taking action as soon as feasible.
A LEAST-PRIVILEGE PARADIGM SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED AND MAINTAINED.
Limiting each user’s access permissions to just what they need to accomplish their work is crucial since it limits the damage that an employee may do, whether purposefully or accidentally, as well as the power of an attacker who gets control of a user account.
You don’t want a sales representative’s account to have access to confidential financial information, for example.
Administrators, users, executives, contractors, and partners should all be checked. Repeat the assessment on a regular basis, and put in place measures to avoid overprovisioning.
When a worker changes roles within the company, one common error is neglecting to remove permissions that they no longer need; for example, an account manager who transitions to a technical support engineer should no longer have access to client billing databases.
KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR ANY UNUSUAL BEHAVIOR.
It’s also critical to keep a close eye on what’s going on in your IT environment, especially any attempts to access, change, or delete sensitive data. Individuals, particularly administrators and highly privileged users, must be detected and analyzed as to what, where, when, and how they access data. In particular, you should:
Users may delay dangerous action until after business hours, when they assume no one is watching.
Keep a watch out for unusually high levels of user activity. Sudden bursts of activity are worrisome and should be investigated as soon as possible. A large number of files being destroyed fast, for example, might suggest a ransomware assault or a disgruntled employee looking to leave the company.
