Data Leakage Security Risks and Monitoring: Monitoring-Based Measures
As a company or organization, the leakage of personal and confidential information due to data leakage poses a significant security risk. It is important to understand the specific ways in which data leakage occurs and to implement security measures based on monitoring.
This article discusses the security risks associated with data leakage and internal fraud, the scenarios in which data leakage occurs due to internal fraud and cyberattacks, and the security measures to prevent data leakage and internal fraud.
Table of Contents
- Data Leakage and Security Risks of Internal Fraud
- Direct Damage to Customers Due to Personal Information Leakage
- Compensation and Monetary Compensation for Damage to Customers
- Loss of Social Credibility Due to Customer Information Leakage
- Loss of Competitive Advantage in Safety with Competitors
- Loss of Future Profits Due to Leakage of Corporate Secrets
- In What Situations Does Data Leakage Due to Internal Fraud Occur?
- Data Leakage via USB Memory or External Hard Disk
- Data Leakage by Accessing the In-House VPN from Outside
- Data Leakage by Ex-Employees Accessing from Outside
- Abuse of Online Services Accessible via Web Browsers
- Abuse of Chat Tools, Email Clients, PC Apps, etc.
- In What Situations Does Data Leakage Occur Due to Cyberattacks?
- Data Leakage Due to Hijacking of Online Service Accounts
- Data Leakage Due to Hijacking of PCs or Devices
- Data Leakage Due to Unauthorized Access to the In-House Network
- Data Leakage Exploiting Vulnerabilities in OS and Devices
- Cases Where Data is Physically Taken Out by Impersonating Relevant Parties
- Security Measures to Prevent Data Leakage and Internal Fraud
- Improving Literacy Through Security Education Within the Company or Organization
- Monitoring of Personal and Confidential Data: Monitoring and Restrictions on Viewing and Taking Out
- Device Restrictions, Application Control, and Monitoring: Monitoring
- Detection and Defense of Malware and Ransomware
- Browser Control, Log Acquisition, and Monitoring: Monitoring is the Most Important
- Summary
1. Security Risks of Data Leakage and Internal Fraud
First, we will explain the security risks associated with data leakage and internal fraud.
1-1. Direct Damage to Customers Due to Personal Information Leakage
Data leakage has a very high probability of causing direct damage to customers due to personal information leakage, which is a security risk.
- Account Hijacking: Impersonation
- Financial Damage Due to Fraud and Unauthorized Use
- Psychological Anxiety of Being Known for Contact Information and Address
The above is an example of direct damage to customers due to personal information leakage. The more detailed the items of personal information you have, the greater the damage to customers is expected to be.
In addition, data leakage poses a significant security risk, including unauthorized use of online banking and online shopping, fraud using personal information, and direct attacks due to being known for contact information and addresses.
1-2. Compensation and Monetary Compensation for Damage to Customers
As a company or organization, it is also a security risk to have to compensate or provide monetary compensation for damage caused to customers by data leakage. The larger the number and scale, the greater the financial risk becomes.
It is also important to inform employees and the entire company and organization that violating the Personal Information Protection Act can result in fines of around 100 million yen.
1-3. Loss of Social Credibility Due to Customer Information Leakage
Data leakage also poses a security risk of losing the social credibility of the company or organization. No one can trust a company or organization that allows data leakage and personal information leakage, and even if they have to use it for some reason, they have to use it with anxiety.
Depending on the type of business, customers may switch to competitors, so it is necessary to know that you will lose stable profits and continuous customers.
1-4. Loss of Competitive Advantage in Safety with Competitors
The occurrence of personal information leakage due to data leakage is also a security risk in that it loses the competitive advantage in safety with competitors. It can be said that the premise is that companies and organizations are used because they are safe, including trust and security.
Therefore, if it is not safe, not trustworthy, and not secure, it will not be chosen no matter how excellent the products and services are.
1-5. Loss of Future Profits Due to Leakage of Corporate Secrets
Data leakage due to internal fraud has a return of being able to make a profit by selling the data to competitors or malicious businesses. This is the reason why data leakage due to internal fraud occurs, and depending on the content, it can be considered to lose future profits.
Similarly, it is easy to be misused for fraud by malicious businesses, and it is necessary to know that the amount of compensation will increase and it will be difficult to restore social credibility.
2. In What Situations Does Data Leakage Due to Internal Fraud Occur?
Next, we will explain in what situations data leakage occurs due to internal fraud.
2-1. Data Leakage via USB Memory or External Hard Disk
For data leakage, data leakage via USB memory or external hard disk can be considered. This is a method of stealing data directly from devices such as personal computers and physically taking it outside. If you are not performing monitoring or logging, the data in the charge’s access rights can be easily taken out.
2-2. Data Leakage by Accessing the In-House VPN from Outside
It is also possible to access the in-house VPN from outside and take out the data within the range that you can access.
Similar to taking out with a physical device, if you are not performing monitoring, it can be easily taken out, and it is very dangerous because data in shared folders connected to the in-house VPN may also be leaked.
2-3. Data Leakage by Ex-Employees Accessing from Outside
It is also possible for ex-employees with a certain level of access rights to take out data by accessing from outside. It would be no problem if the access rights were immediately eliminated and the account itself was made unusable, but if the account was shared or the password was made known so that people who originally did not have access rights could access it, it would take a lot of time to identify the cause.
2-4. Abuse of Online Services Accessible via Web Browsers
In recent years, there have been more and more opportunities to use cloud-based tools and apps for efficiency and optimization. Therefore, data leakage due to abuse of online services accessible via web browsers can also be considered. If it is used as a matter of course for telework or remote work, there are cases where monitoring cannot be performed and it is not noticed even if it is being abused.
2-5. Abuse of Chat Tools, Email Clients, PC Apps, etc.
It is also possible to take out data by using chat tools, email clients, and PC apps that are installed directly on the computer instead of web browsers. If it is sent as an attached file to a disposable account, it will be difficult to track after that, and if monitoring is not performed, you may not even notice that the data has been taken out.
3. In What Situations Does Data Leakage Occur Due to Cyberattacks?
Next, we will explain in what situations data leakage occurs due to cyberattacks.
3-1. Data Leakage Due to Hijacking of Online Service Accounts
It is also possible to have data taken out by hijacking online office tools and email accounts. This is a problem that can be prevented if two-factor authentication is implemented, but if you do not set it up because you are reluctant to lose access to your account, or if you have canceled the setting because it is troublesome to log in, the possibility of being hijacked increases.
3-2. Data Leakage Due to Hijacking of PCs or Devices
It is also possible for data leakage to occur by directly hijacking a personal computer or device. If the web browser’s password manager is available, all information that can be accessed from that personal computer or device can be viewed, so the account for each service you are using will be hijacked and the damage may be further expanded.
3-3. Data Leakage Due to Unauthorized Access to the In-House Network
It is also possible to have data taken out by accessing the in-house network in an unauthorized way and hijacking shared folders and devices with weak security. If you are neglecting to take measures against malicious tools and malware, the data will be stolen more and more without even knowing that it has been hijacked.
3-4. Data Leakage Exploiting Vulnerabilities in OS and Devices
Data may also be taken out if you have not updated your OS or devices, or if you have left vulnerabilities unaddressed. Since there may be situations where there is no way to prevent it, such as zero-day attacks, it will be difficult to prevent it unless you have solid security measures in place on a regular basis. In particular, cyberattacks use a combination of malicious methods, so it is important to understand that a single security hole can cause a device or account to be hijacked.
3-5. Cases Where Data is Physically Taken Out by Impersonating Relevant Parties
It is also possible for a malicious third party to enter the company or organization’s building as if they were a person involved and physically take out data. This can be considered when physical security is weak, and a malicious third party with strong device or network skills may take out arbitrary data.
4. Security Measures to Prevent Data Leakage and Internal Fraud
Next, we will explain security measures to prevent data leakage and internal fraud.
4-1. Improving Literacy Through Security Education Within the Company or Organization
In order to prevent data leakage and internal fraud, improving literacy through security education is a prerequisite. Also, let everyone know that internal fraud is high-risk and low-return, and that it can be detected absolutely because security measures are taken systemically. What is important is not to aim for security improvement through willpower or psychology, but to understand that the manager should introduce a security system and establish a system to reliably prevent it through monitoring.
4-2. Monitoring of Personal and Confidential Data: Monitoring and Restrictions on Viewing and Taking Out
It is also important to systematically monitor personal and confidential data and restrict viewing and taking out. EXO Security has a function to protect personal and confidential data, and it is possible to monitor the logs of data that has been taken out. People without authority cannot view it, and if necessary, it is possible to establish a system where they can get approval from their superiors or managers. Since this is an effective means even for telework and remote work, it will be possible to prevent data leakage without slowing down the work speed at the actual work site.
Reference: Personal Information and Confidential Data Protection
4-3. Device Restrictions, Application Control, and Monitoring: Monitoring
It is also important to control devices to prevent abuse due to hijacking of personal computers and devices, and to control applications to prevent hijacked devices from being abused by applications. EXO Security has both functions, making it possible to detect and log unauthorized behavior and operation of devices, and to control the execution of unnecessary applications, which leads to the prevention of data leakage because monitoring can be realized at the same time.
Reference: Device Control
Reference: Application Control
4-4. Detection and Defense of Malware and Ransomware
It is also important to detect and defend against malware and ransomware, which are cyberattacks by malicious third parties. As mentioned above, cyberattacks are layered on top of each other in a complex manner, so multifaceted defense is essential. EXO Security supports ransomware prevention and anti-malware, making it possible to strengthen measures against data leakage from malicious tools from companies and organizations’ important data.
Reference: Ransomware Prevention
Reference: Anti-Malware
4-5. Browser Control, Log Acquisition, and Monitoring: Monitoring is the Most Important
In order to prevent data leakage from cloud services and online tools via browsers, it is most important to organize browsers, acquire logs, and establish a system that can monitor. EXO Security supports multiple browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Firefox, and it is possible to check the logs of files uploaded to cloud storage such as Google Drive and Gmail. It is also possible to restrict browsers collectively, restrict each browser, restrict the use itself, restrict data leakage, check logs, and make it an approval system.
- User Name
- Group
- PC Name
- Uploaded File Name
- File Path
- URL of the Uploaded Site
- Whether or Not Confidential Data or Personal Information is Included
- Upload Date and Time
- File Size
The above is the log that can be checked, and it is possible to reliably detect data leakage and realize monitoring. It becomes difficult to leak data in the first place, and it is possible to establish a system where it is immediately detected even if data is leaked.
In addition, it is equipped with WEB protection that blocks access to malicious sites, so you can reliably strengthen measures against data leakage via browsers.
Reference: WEB Protection
Summary
This article discussed the security risks associated with data leakage and internal fraud, the scenarios in which data leakage occurs due to internal fraud and cyberattacks, and the security measures to prevent data leakage and internal fraud.
For data leakage, it is important to understand that monitoring is the most important in both cases of internal fraud and cyberattacks, and it is important to introduce endpoint security.
If you are feeling insecure about security including data leakage, please take this opportunity to proactively consider introducing EXO Security.
If you have any questions, please contact globalsupport@jiran.com.
