For most businesses, a data breach represents a financial setback they aren’t ready for.
In 2022, the average cost of a data breach in the U.S. was $4.35 million.
Industries that are most likely to be victimized by a data breach are healthcare and finance. This is not uncommon since they store and collect more sensitive user data than any other sector.
However, as more and more companies gather user data to improve their operations, the protection of information is on the minds of any organization that stores data in cloud-based repositories.
How well protected is the data that your business stores in the cloud?
One way of keeping track of information and continually protecting valuable assets is with data security posture management.
Data security posture management provides visibility as to where sensitive data is, who has access to that data, how it has been used, and what the security posture of the data store or applications is, as defined by Gartner.
What should such a product entail, and whose responsibility is to protect corporate and customer private data?
Keeping Tabs on Sensitive Data
Protection of data, for the most part, refers to the security of private user data. Think bank account information, birthdays, home addresses, or social security numbers.
Organizations need to make sure that they know where that data is at all times as well as that it’s safe.
Without visibility, companies might overlook the intruder that is changing or stealing data within the cloud to either leak them online or demand ransom.
As a company adopts more and more cloud infrastructures, it can lose visibility into where the specific data is within the data repositories.
Data management solutions let you know where the private information is within your infrastructure and report if someone else is accessing personal data.
With cloud databases, we’re also talking about the environment that is always changing. New information is added, and old is altered and moved from one part of the data repository to another.
One of the most important capabilities of data security posture management is the organization and analysis of such data.
With the help of artificial intelligence, the process of data management is automated to give the security teams and business owners complete visibility of the data that is kept within the cloud.
That way, the security team knows where the sensitive data is at all times and whether it’s accessed by a genuine user.
Detecting Critical Cyber Threats
Which critical risks (flaws that can result in major incidents such as data breaches) are endangering a company? Providing an answer to this question at all times is another key feature of the data management tool.
Critical weaknesses within the cloud environment can result in compromised data.
Cybersecurity and data security are closely connected. Identifying the critical hacking risks also includes finding out whether the possible threat is putting sensitive data at risk.
Companies that use cloud data services might be vulnerable due to misconfigured cloud components.
If a threat actor finds the errors before the security teams fix them, weaknesses can create a path that leads the hacker directly to the sensitive data kept in repositories.
Such configuration mistakes provide the flaw that cybercriminals seek to exploit and get access to the network of business — where all the confidential and sensitive data is.
For instance, the misconfiguration of systems within the ICICI bank led to the compromised data of millions of users in India. The culprit for this lead was publicly available and incorrectly configured cloud-based storage.
To prevent security threats from damaging the company and thus getting to the data, data security posture management also includes the detection of high-risk threats — the kind that can result in compromised sensitive information.
It notifies teams if the hacking activity is happening within the repositories with sensitive data.
Analysis of the threats and reporting on whether there are critical risks within the infrastructure is also a process that is repeated 24/7. Therefore, it enables the security teams to find out about the pressing issues early and fix or mitigate them on time.
Not Relying Only on Third-Party Vendors For Cloud Security
Who is responsible for securing and managing the data that is stored in the cloud?
Both customers (businesses that adopt cloud-based services) and third-party vendors are responsible for the security of the data within the cloud.
While the users themselves aren’t responsible for cloud data security to the same extent as cloud vendors and companies who adopt such environments, they can also play a part in the endangerment of sensitive data.
That is, public cloud databases are managed and protected based on the shared responsibility model.
How does it work?
Every party (cloud provider and the user) plays its part in protecting the data that is stored within the cloud.
The first is a cloud provider who makes sure that their product is deployed safely to businesses that add them to their infrastructures. They also have to secure physical data centers.
Organizations that use cloud-based structures have to make sure that there are no misconfigurations but also that the data that is created within the cloud is safe from hacking exploits.
Users have to access the database with strong passwords and be ready for possible social engineering attacks such as phishing.
Do You Need Data Security Posture Management?
Automated data security posture management is essential for businesses that:
- Have high volumes of data that have to be managed
- Are trusted with sensitive data from their users and clients
- Use cloud-based data services for cheaper and more flexible scaling of a company
The most important capabilities of data management are automated and up-to-date data discovery and classification, as well as detection of any violation or security threats that might endanger sensitive information.
Within the hectic and ever-changing cloud repositories, this is a process that is automated and repeated at all times — continually providing the most important alerts concerning the state of your data security posture.
Interesting Related Article: “Data Security Tips for Everyday Users“
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