Maintaining Validity and Integrity of Sensitive Data
What exactly is sensitive data? Sensitive data is the personal information which needs to be secure and is only available to authorized parties unless specifically granted explicit permission for access. The data may be in electronic or physical form, however, either way, sensitive data refers to personal information or personal data. Important to remember that “sensitive” does not mean “scared”. Companies and other organizations don’t like to label people as security risks. This can cause bad PR and worse business relationships.
So what does data sensitivity really mean anyway? First, let’s distinguish between data accuracy and security to define the condition. Although there is no set rule, it is common to use them interchangeably in order to get the best results. Data accuracy is usually associated with a high degree of data security.
To give you specific examples, the three most important categories of sensitive data protection are Financial Information, Healthcare Information, and Personal Data. Each category has its own unique set of parameters which requires different methods of handling the same. For example, Financial Risk refers to the possibility of fraud by a third-party. Personal Data is any information that is confidential or critical. Health Care Risk refers to the possibility of a breach in secure health data. In simple terms, the more categories there are in the category of what is sensitive data protection, the more categories there should be for secure guarding of data against hackers, outsiders and malware.
There are numerous categories of what is sensitive data protection and many of the latter is often misconstrued as forms of threats. For instance, in the context of protecting financial information from hacking, one would not expect to discuss examples like phishing or back door attacks. These are vulnerabilities that cybercriminals use to gain access to secure networks. The term “phishing” is also not meant to be used in a generalized manner. It is intended to describe any online activity in which an unsuspecting user enters data to gain access to a website, or to illicitly obtain personal information.
As we have already mentioned, data sensitivity can also be closely linked to unauthorized access. Also known as a breach of security. Unauthorized access can take many forms. It could involve downloading a program onto an infected computer, without permission, and the user is not aware of its existence or how to remove it. It could also be leaking out confidential information through a system breach, whether physical or online. A wide array of software tools are available for either detecting or preventing breaches in security.
What is sensitive data about financial matters? Credit card numbers are the most obvious example of financial information that could be considered sensitive. But even passwords, bank account numbers and social security numbers should be considered sensitive personal information. This is because every transaction that a person makes leaves behind some sort of digital footprint. The kind of information that can be leaked or stolen includes bank account details, passwords, ATM and credit card numbers, tax refund information, and even photographs.
There are certain restrictions that surround the transfer of sensitive data in the commercial sector. The data processing industry’s regulations must be adhered to by businesses. It is essential that information management be done on a regular basis in order to identify and prevent potential security threats. Some areas of business that need to be especially vigilant include processing payments, accessing employee data and using sensitive databases to make recruitment decisions. Most importantly, businesses must implement systems that are capable of encrypting sensitive data at rest, as well as in motion.
Why would you want to consider this? You need to be careful about how sensitive data is handled if you don’t want security breaches to occur in your company. It doesn’t really matter what sensitive data it is, such as credit card numbers and social security numbers. Sensitive information is just as much of a threat if it is kept confidential and therefore, there is a high level of importance placed on maintaining high standards for confidentiality and integrity. Maintaining integrity and confidentiality of this kind of information would not only protect your company from external threats, but it also has internal benefits such as reducing financial fraud. High levels of integrity will reduce the likelihood that your company will be forced into debt by processing charges or purchases that do not exist.
