How to Protect Data Security From Hackers?

• Rajan Thapaliya 

Data hacking involves the actions related to pinpointing weaknesses within computer-based systems or even a part or entire network. This is for exploiting the underlying security to access individual or organizational data. The illegally accessed data may be sensitive, proprietary-based, or even confidential in nature and can be in the form of trading secrets or even matters related to national security. The impacts from this action may be detrimental and may lead to issues such as financial losses for individuals, or even damage of an organization’s reputation due to supposed betrayal of the consumer base’s trust.

Data security, on the other hand, is reflective of the form of procedures alongside protocols that are put in place for offering protection to the crucial information technology ecosystem. This may be constituted within files, databases, accounts, as well as networks. Appropriate data security ensures the utilization of regulations, applications, together with practices that locate the significance of numerous Big data and also utilize the best form of security controls. Moreover, efficient data security considers the sensitivity of the given data alongside related regulatory compliance needs.

Training the Employees

This entails the aspect of companies putting in place routine security educational training plans for the workforce regarding the significance of data security. On this note, there should be the development of strategic procedures that amalgamates a “buy-in from the top” approach. This is key as this plan also involves the top leadership and management within the training programs. Moreover, this approach should ensure the in-depth incorporation of best practices alongside phishing evaluations for tackling the causes of malicious activity for mitigating risks due to insider-based threats.

Putting in place a “Data-Centric Security Approach”

Smartphones, Internet of Things (IoT) as well as Cloud have alleviated the local framework boundaries for internet networking. On this note, there is a need for companies to increase their awareness of better practices for improving data security through perceiving it holistically and strategically. The data-centric approach can therefore be used in creating strategic awareness of the type of data that is held and its value. After this conception has been embraced, there should be an undertaking for encrypting the data as need be in the most secure manner. Moreover, there should also be the consideration for creating an all-inclusive data backup framework and carrying out routine tests on the same.

Enacting “Multi-Factor Authentication”

This approach is in line with the need for keeping in mind that there should be frequent undertakings for improving protections against newly developed forms of attack. This may be overseen by upholding “Center for Internet Security Control 4 — Controlled Use of Administrative Privileges”. One consideration for “Control 4” is the need for perceiving administrative credentials as capable of being attacked far more than the data that requires protection. This, therefore, necessitates offering high-end care for every involved sensitive data within the company.

The next consideration is the need for upholding best practices. Through this, all the compliance systems alongside hardening standards should incorporate the best ideas for the effective handling of credentials. The next consideration is the need for holding two-factor authentication in high regard across administrative and personal user profiles.

Putting in Place Stringent Permissions for Cloud

The enhanced migrations of tasks within cloud require the locking down of cloud-linked information. This may be key to solving an issue such as the human-related error that was experienced through exposure on various AWS S3 (Amazon Simple Storage Service) buckets. This depicts a scalable, fast-speed, and web-linked cloud storage service. Such scenarios have been realized through misconfigurations which in the process led to the exposure of individual data of customers or the workforce. Addressing this issue necessitates the strategic application of ACLs (access control list for issuing authorized access for various digital-based settings. Moreover, there should be a refraining from utilizing outright (default) permissions to the cloud-linked data. This, therefore, requires allowing read-only authorized access to select system manager-specific s3 buckets.

Upholding Continued Vigilance within Patch Management

This requires companies to fortify the securing of their data through the aspect of patching up susceptibilities whereby fraudulent actors may tend to access the underlying network infrastructure of systems. To realize this, there should be the formulation of an effective patch management plan. This ensures in-depth testing of patches before utilization within the set production configurations. Since the tests can fully cover all the probable frameworks, the organizations should be able to adhere to the Tripwire VERT Senior Security Researcher Lane Thames protocols. This necessitates the creation of effective software with the competence of identifying applications, apparatuses, as well as operating systems together with susceptibility detection combined with management software. This can then be utilized in overseeing routine patch-based tests in regards to best-efforts needs. This helps ensure that the patch issue has been tackled within the susceptible components and if there is a need for putting in place extra maneuvers for fixing them.