Data breach prevention is a top priority for organizations of all sizes and across all sectors. A breach of sensitive information — whether it’s personal information like credit card and Social Security numbers, or proprietary information like intellectual property or financial forecasts — can have serious consequences.
Anyone whose personal data is breached is at increased risk of identity theft and other misuse of the stolen data, and organizations that suffer a cybersecurity incident are likely to suffer compliance fines and other financial penalties, as well as loss of market share and reputation damage.
1. Look to Regulations for Guidance
You should know which regulations your company is subject to and use their requirements to inform decisions about which data security controls to implement around each type of data.
For example, if your company keeps data about credit card payments, you have to comply with PCI DSS; therefore, you need to make sure that all files and databases that contain customers’ credit card numbers are properly secured, and constantly monitored.
2. Establish a formal security policy
Every organization should have a written information security policy that covers all aspects how data is to be handled in their network: what data can be collected, how it must be managed, the retention for each type of data, the level of security controls required for each data type, and so on.
To implement such a policy, you need automated data discovery and classification. By identifying all sensitive information you create, process and store and classifying it by type, you’ll be empowered to protect it according to its value and sensitivity.
3. Create an Incident Response Plan
To respond effectively to security threats to your company’s data, you need a written and tested data breach response plan. Here are four fundamental steps that an indicent response plan needs to cover:
- Preparation
- Detection and analysis
- Containment, eradication and recovery
- Post-incident handling
4. Use Encryption
Data encryption is an often overlooked data security best practice, but it’s incredibly effective because it makes stolen data useless to thieves. Encryption can be software-based or hardware based. It’s essential to encrypt data both at rest and in transit; in particular, make sure that all portable devices that could hold sensitive data are encrypted.
If this information is helpful to you read our blog for more interesting and useful content, tips and guidelines on similar topics. Contact the team of COMPUTER 2000 Bulgaria now if you have a specific question. Our specialists will be assisting you with your query.
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