from data theft
Data Security: A Challenge
Protect business and internal emails from data theft. Email security doesn’t just mean thinking of virus and spam protection for incoming emails anymore. A well thought-out security concept prevents data leakage from outgoing emails as well. Sensitive information, such as confidential customer data, is a valuable commodity for companies and must be treated accordingly. An ideal solution identifies sensitive information, prevents data theft and puts an end to data leakage. iQ.Suite DLP is exactly this solution.
Solution
Provide for increased data security in just 3 easy steps with iQ.Suite DLP: Analyze, evaluate and block are the three pillars of a well-thought-out DLP strategy.
Analyze email traffic
iQ.Suite DLP makes real-time analysis of outbound email communication for company-wide or specific departments a cinch. In conjunction with iQ.Suite Wall and iQ.Suite Watchdog, emails are examined in detail prior to transmission. For example, suspicious data such as customer numbers or credit card data, in email text or attachments, are reliably detected. Advanced fingerprint technology also makes it possible to distinctly identify file attachments, such as Office formats.
But iQ.Suite DLP doesn’t stop there. Data protection is taken to the next level: Innovative detection strategies reveal anomalies in email flow. Information regarding the number and/or size of emails sent during a defined time period are collected and compared to the user’s regular behaviour. The end result is that sudden changes in email volume or data volume become apparent, which could indicate the transmission of confidential data.
Evaluate and visualize
A web-based dashboard visualizes the data collected, making outgoing email communication more transparent than ever before. Important information regarding email volume, the number, size and category of attachments and the number of recipients per email is clearly displayed on the dashboard. This information can also be exported for reporting purposes.
The integrated rights and roles concept ensures that only authorised users can see the information relevant to their specific responsibilities. Previously collected data is deleted according to a pre-defined time frame, respecting current data protection guidelines.
Block suspicious emails
Flexible rules and thresholds enable you to define how emails containing confidential contents are to be handled. Email transmission can be stopped and the email placed in quarantine until further examination. Additionally, the sender or a third party can be informed. And finally, a pre-determined person can perform a four-eye check, ultimately deciding if the email is to be released or blocked. These actions can be combined and adapted to meet company guidelines.
iQ.Suite DLP Usecases
Solution
- Recognise critical file attachments
- Verify if sender is authorised to send items
- Place in quarantine
- Inform second person
- Optional: 4-eyes review
Solution
- Place terminated employee in separate group
- Recognise sensitive information in out-bound emails
- Place in quarantine
- Inform second person
- Optional: 4-eyes review
Solution
- Use address check to recognise emails intended for certain internal or external correspondence partners
- Place in quarantine
- Inform second person
- Optional: 4-eyes review
Solution
- Determine average number of recipients in advance
- Define permissible threshold level
- Compare with previously defined permissible threshold level
- Place in quarantine in case of limit violation
- Inform second person
- Optional: 4-eyes review
Solution
- Determine average email volume in advance
- Define permissible threshold level
- Compare with previously defined permissible threshold level
- Place in quarantine in case of limit violation
- Inform second person
- Optional: 4-eyes review
Solution
- Determine average size of email in advance
- Define permissible threshold level
- Compare with previously defined permissible threshold level
- Place in quarantine in case of limit violation
- Inform second person
- Optional: 4-eyes review
Your benefits:
- Identification of sensitive information in emails and attachments
- Detection of anomalies in email transmission
- 4 eyes principle review and release of stopped emails
- Web-based dashboard for visualization of important figures
- Easy export of data for reporting purposes
- Compliance with current data protection guidelines
- Stop transmission of suspicious emails
General questions on the topic of DLP
Data leakage prevention means protecting data from data theft and preventing the damage caused by the disclosure of sensitive data such as customer information, credit-card data or passwords to unauthorized third parties.
An effective data leakage prevention strategy is based on a variety of protection mechanisms. Outgoing communication should be analyzed and the attempted distribution of sensitive contents or behaviour anomalies should be detected and blocked, such as customer lists in Excel spreadsheets as email attachments or massive transmission of company data. Manual solutions not only compromise productivity but are also error-prone, which is why the magic word here is “automation”. Modern DLP solutions are characterized by monitoring functions and dashboards, enhancing transparency and providing insights regarding current threat levels.
Hackers and data thieves rely primarily on phishing mails to gain access to sensitive data. By pretending to be a trustworthy sender and by faking a legitimate concern, the recipient is duped into disclosing personal information, such as credit card data or passwords, or is misled to opening a file attachment. One click can be enough to start the undetected installation of a Trojan virus, collecting and transmitting data directly to the data thief or enabling hackers access to the company network. Ultimately, this means that data leakage prevention must always encompass protection against phishing attacks.
Even when it has been ensured that no data leaves the company unintentionally, sophisticated data thieves can intercept and read communication between sender and recipient. The only sure way of prohibiting this is to use encrypted data exchange, making it impossible for either “the man in the middle” or the email provider to access information contained in emails. If the email has been signed as well, it becomes possible to determine if the email has been manipulated while travelling through the internet and if the sender actually is who he/she professes to be. Even though encryption solutions vary greatly in their protection level and complexity, one thing is certain: Any encryption solution is better than none!
The best DLP protection can unfold its full potential only if employees understand the processes and act accordingly, which makes periodic trainings about handling business critical data correctly and sensitising employees to current threats indispensable.
- Is outbound communication checked for unwanted contents and transmission blocked if necessary?
- Is it certain that malware programs such as Trojans cannot infiltrate the company?
- Are phishing attacks detected and blocked?
- Is an encryption solution in use?
- Are employees being trained on a regular basis about the newest DLP threats and the correct treatment of sensitive information?
