Complete Data Protection Where Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Falls Short and What to Do Next

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is a critical aspect of data protection, helping businesses to identify, monitor, and prevent sensitive data from being lost or stolen. However, as cyber threats continue to evolve, DLP alone is not enough to ensure complete data protection. Let’s explore the shortcomings of traditional DLP and the additional measures that businesses must take to ensure complete data protection. From encryption to access control, and backup &  disaster recovery to security awareness training, we'll cover the steps that businesses can take to protect their sensitive data from all types of threats in all kinds of environments. Whether you're a small business just starting to implement data protection measures or a large enterprise looking to improve your existing strategies, we’ll provide valuable insights and actionable advice to help you safeguard your data.

1. The Shortcomings of DLP

Let’s dive into the specific limitations of traditional DLP and the ways in which it falls short in how it protects sensitive data. DLP is a useful tool for identifying and monitoring sensitive data, but it has certain limitations that prevent it from providing complete data protection. It can be rigid and inflexible in its approach, making it difficult to scale as a business grows. It also struggles with identifying and classifying sensitive data, which can lead to false positives and false negatives, thus creating more work for already overburdened security personnel. Furthermore, it is limited in its ability to prevent data breaches caused by human error and it often cannot protect data that reside in the cloud. It is important for businesses to understand these shortcomings in order to develop a comprehensive data protection strategy that goes beyond traditional DLP.

Lack of flexibility and scalability

One of the main shortcomings of DLP is its lack of flexibility and scalability. DLP solutions are often designed with specific use cases in mind, and may not be able to adapt to the unique needs of different businesses or industries. This can make it difficult for businesses to tailor their DLP strategies to suit their specific needs, which can lead to gaps in data protection. Additionally, as businesses grow and their data needs change, DLP solutions may struggle to keep up and may not be able to scale to meet these new needs.

For instance, a DLP solution that is designed for a small business may not be able to handle the volume of data generated by a large enterprise. Similarly, a DLP solution that is designed for a specific industry, such as healthcare, may not be able to adapt to the needs of a business in a different industry, such as finance. This lack of flexibility and scalability can make it difficult for businesses to ensure complete data protection, as they may not be able to rely on their DLP solution to keep up with their changing data needs.

To address this, businesses should look for DLP solutions that are highly configurable and can be tailored to their specific needs while not needing endless policies to be functional. Additionally, businesses should also look for DLP solutions that are cloud-based and can scale to meet their growing data needs. Businesses may also consider implementing a DLP strategy that is built on a set of best practices, rather than a specific product, to ensure that the DLP strategy can adapt to the needs of the organization as it changes over time.

Difficulty in identifying and classifying sensitive data

Another shortcoming of DLP is the difficulty in identifying and classifying sensitive data. DLP solutions rely on pre-defined policies and rules to identify and classify sensitive data, but these policies and rules are not always accurate. For example, a DLP solution may flag a document as sensitive because it contains a certain keyword, but that document may not actually contain sensitive information. Similarly, a DLP solution may not flag a document as sensitive because it does not contain a certain keyword, even though it does contain sensitive information. This can lead to false positives and false negatives, which can create confusion and make it difficult for businesses to ensure complete data protection.

Another issue with identifying and classifying sensitive data is that it is not a static process. Data classification requirements can change over time, as new regulations are introduced or as the business itself evolves. This means that the policies and rules that are used to identify and classify sensitive data may become outdated, leading to more false positives and false negatives.

To address this, businesses should look for DLP solutions that use advanced machine learning algorithms to identify and classify sensitive data. These algorithms can learn over time, and can become more accurate in identifying and classifying sensitive data. Additionally, businesses should also review and update their policies and rules on a regular basis to ensure that they are in line with the current data classification requirements. Businesses may also consider using third-party data classification services or tools that can help in identifying and classifying sensitive data.

Limited ability to prevent data breaches caused by human error

A third shortcoming of DLP is its limited ability to prevent data breaches caused by human error. Despite the best efforts of businesses to secure their data, human error is still one of the most common causes of data breaches. For example, an employee may accidentally send sensitive information to the wrong person, or may unknowingly open a phishing email that contains malware. DLP solutions are often focused on preventing external threats, such as hacking attempts, and may not be designed to prevent data breaches caused by human error.

The problem is that DLP solutions can only monitor and detect sensitive data, they can't stop human error. Therefore, businesses need to take an additional step to prevent data breaches caused by human error. For example, security awareness training can educate employees on how to identify and avoid phishing emails and how to handle sensitive data. Additionally, businesses can implement strict access controls to prevent employees from accidentally or intentionally sharing sensitive data with unauthorized parties.

To address this, businesses should implement a comprehensive data protection strategy that includes measures to prevent data breaches caused by human error. This can include security awareness training, strict access controls, and incident response plans that can quickly contain and mitigate the effects of a data breach. Additionally, businesses can also implement tools such as email encryption, and multi-factor authentication to add an extra layer of security to protect data from accidental or intentional release by employees.

Inability to protect data in the cloud

Another limitation of DLP is its inability to protect data in the cloud. With more and more businesses moving their data to the cloud, it is becoming increasingly important for DLP solutions to be able to protect data in cloud environments. However, many DLP solutions are not designed for cloud environments and may not be able to effectively protect data in the cloud.

One major challenge with protecting data in the cloud is that cloud environments are highly dynamic and can change rapidly. This makes it difficult for DLP solutions to keep up with the changing environment and to accurately identify and classify sensitive data. Additionally, cloud environments are often shared by multiple tenants, which can make it more difficult to control access to sensitive data.

To address this, businesses should look for DLP solutions that are specifically designed for cloud environments and can protect data in the cloud. These solutions should be able to monitor and detect sensitive data in real time and should be able to adapt to the changing environment of the cloud. Additionally, businesses should also consider implementing cloud access security broker (CASB) solutions that can provide an additional layer of protection for data in the cloud by controlling access to sensitive data and providing real-time visibility and control over cloud usage.

2. Additional Measures for Complete Data Protection

While Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions can provide a valuable layer of protection for sensitive data, it is important to recognize that DLP alone is not enough to ensure complete data protection. As we have seen in the previous section, DLP has certain shortcomings including a lack of flexibility and scalability, difficulty in identifying and classifying sensitive data, limited ability to prevent data breaches caused by human error, and inability to protect data in the cloud. To truly ensure complete data protection, businesses must take additional measures to address these shortcomings and protect their sensitive data from all possible threats. We go over some additional measures that businesses can take to ensure complete data protection, such as using a more holistic solution such as Phalanx, encryption, implementing access controls, and creating incident response plans.

Option 1: Phalanx - for data protection in the cloud and locally

Phalanx's solution, MUZE, provides an alternative to traditional Data Loss Prevention (DLP) by addressing some of the shortcomings of DLP that we discussed earlier, but it can also be used as an enhancement to existing DLP solutions to cover the shortcomings. One of the main advantages of Phalanx is its ability to secure documents with Zero Trust Data Access (ZTDA) in any location or platform. This is particularly important in today's digital landscape where human error and a lack of visibility into who is accessing what files across an organization can expose businesses to significant cyber risk and data loss.

Phalanx combines automation, encryption, and identity to provide a seamless data access experience for users without sacrificing productivity. This helps with common data security challenges such as reducing the risk of malicious actors gaining access to sensitive files, maintaining security on data stored on endpoints outside of network boundaries, and ensuring that only the right people have access to the right information. Additionally, Phalanx helps mitigate the risks of human error in data handling and transference, which is a major concern for businesses.

Phalanx's solution, MUZE, consists of an endpoint and web application. The endpoint application and its integrations with Outlook/Gmail, OneDrive/SharePoint/Google Drive, and MS Teams work in the background to automatically encrypt data at the file level and enable secure, trackable sharing across each of those environments. The web application provides security leaders and operators with the ability to view risk and understand all aspects of how their unstructured data is accessed and shared across the organization, regardless of location. Additionally, the web application allows users and administrators to manage all of the files that have been shared, regardless of the original environment, in a single pane of glass.

Overall, Phalanx's solution, MUZE, offers an alternative to traditional Data Loss Prevention (DLP) by providing a more comprehensive approach to data protection that includes encryption, identity, and access control. If you're interested in learning more about Phalanx and how it can help your business protect sensitive data, you can visit our website or contact us directly for a live demo.

Option 2. Other Encryption Tools

Encryption is a powerful tool that can be used to supplement the limitations of traditional data loss prevention (DLP) tools. Encryption involves converting plaintext data into an unreadable ciphertext format, which can only be deciphered with the use of a decryption key. By encrypting sensitive data, organizations can ensure that even if data is accidentally or maliciously leaked, the information will be unreadable and therefore useless to unauthorized individuals.

One way to use encryption to cover the shortcomings of DLP tools is by implementing file-level encryption. File-level encryption ensures that each individual file is encrypted and can only be accessed by authorized individuals with the correct decryption key. This is particularly useful for organizations that have sensitive data spread across multiple file storage locations, as DLP tools may have difficulty identifying and protecting all of the data.

Another way to use encryption to supplement DLP tools is by implementing encryption for cloud storage. With the increasing use of cloud storage, it is important to ensure that sensitive data stored in the cloud is protected from unauthorized access. By encrypting data before it is uploaded to the cloud, organizations can ensure that even if an attacker gains access to the cloud storage, the data will remain protected.

In addition to traditional standalone encryption methods, the previously mentioned Phalanx MUZE, provides an automatic and environment-agnostic encryption solution at the file level in the cloud and on local computers. These solutions can help organizations to mitigate the risks of human error, ensure secure sharing of data internally and externally and provide secure transfer of sensitive information.

Encryption is a powerful tool that can be used to supplement the limitations of traditional DLP tools. By implementing encryption, organizations can ensure that even if data is accidentally or maliciously leaked, the information will be unreadable and therefore useless to unauthorized individuals.

Option 3. Access control

Access control is an important tool for supplementing the limitations of traditional data loss prevention (DLP) tools. Access control involves the use of policies and procedures to restrict access to sensitive data to only authorized individuals. Access control solutions can be implemented at both the network level, to restrict access to specific networks and devices, and at the application level, to restrict access to specific applications or files.

At the network level, access control solutions can be used to limit access to certain networks or devices by using authentication methods such as passwords, biometrics, or tokens. This ensures that only authorized individuals can access the network or device, and any attempts to access the data without the proper authorization will be blocked.

At the application level, access control solutions can be used to restrict access to specific applications or files. Access control solutions can be used to create roles and permissions for users, which can be used to control who has access to specific applications or files. For example, an organization can create a role for managers that allows them to access financial information, while other users have access to only the necessary information for their job.

At the data level, access control solutions can be used to protect data from unauthorized access and manipulation. This is accomplished by encrypting data, creating policies and procedures for access control, and using access control systems that can detect and prevent unauthorized access. By using these solutions, organizations can ensure that only those with the proper authorization can access and manipulate data.

Access control is an important tool for supplementing the limitations of traditional DLP tools. By implementing access control solutions at the network and application levels, organizations can ensure that only authorized individuals have access to sensitive data and that any attempts to access the data without the proper authorization are blocked.

Option 4. Backup and disaster recovery

Backup and disaster recovery (BDR) are critical components of any data security plan. BDR ensures that organizations can recover from data loss or corruption due to natural disasters, hardware or software failures, or malicious attacks. BDR solutions can include both on-site and off-site backups, as well as disaster recovery plans for restoring data quickly in the event of a disaster.

On-site backups are used to store copies of data on a local storage device, such as a hard drive or NAS. This allows organizations to quickly recover from data loss or corruption, as the data can be quickly retrieved from the local device.

Off-site backups are used to store copies of data on external storage devices, such as cloud storage services or remote file servers. This allows organizations to recover from disasters that destroy on-site backups, as the data can be quickly retrieved from the external device.

Disaster recovery plans are used to outline the steps that need to be taken in the event of a disaster. These plans should include steps for restoring data quickly, as well as steps for preventing data loss or corruption in the future.

Backup and disaster recovery are essential components of any data security plan. By implementing on-site and off-site backups, as well as a comprehensive disaster recovery plan, organizations can ensure that they are prepared for any potential data loss or corruption, and can quickly recover from any disasters that may occur.

Option 5. Security awareness and training

Security awareness and training is an essential part of any data security plan. It is important for organizations to ensure that their employees are aware of the data security risks and understand the steps that need to be taken to protect data. Security awareness and training can help to prevent data breaches caused by human error, as employees understand the importance of data security and the risks associated with it.

Security awareness and training should include topics such as data security policies, the importance of strong passwords, secure storage and transmission of data, and the risks associated with using public Wi-Fi networks. Training should also include tips for identifying potential phishing attacks and other malicious activities.

Organizations should also provide ongoing training and awareness to ensure that employees stay up to date with the latest security threats and best practices. This will help to ensure that employees are prepared to respond to any potential threats and are able to quickly identify and act on any security issues that may arise.

Security awareness and training are essential components of any data security plan. Organizations should ensure that their employees understand the importance of data security and the steps that need to be taken to protect data. By providing ongoing training and awareness, organizations can ensure that their employees are prepared to respond to any potential threats and are able to quickly identify and act on any security issues that may arise.

In Summary

Ultimately, businesses must take a comprehensive approach to data protection. By combining DLP with additional measures such as encryption, access control, backup and disaster recovery, and security awareness training, businesses can effectively mitigate their risk of data loss and theft and ensure complete data protection. While these measures may require an initial investment of time and resources, the long-term return on investment is well worth it. By taking proactive steps to protect their sensitive data, businesses can safeguard their data, protect their customers, and maintain their reputation for years to come.

Learn About Data Loss Prevention and More With Phalanx

To learn more about how Phalanx can help you reduce the risk of data breaches, contact us for a demo today. 

‍

‍