Technical information leakage: what is it and how to protect yourself?

Technical leakage of information is the uncontrolled process of dissemination or transfer of confidential data to third parties, representing a "leak" of information outside the company, group or circle of people authorised to have access.

This may happen due to employee error, security flaws or malicious acts (cyber attacks). Leakage of confidential information leads to financial losses, reputational damage and legal problems.

Causes of information leakage

The leakage of confidential information and unauthorised access to it can result from a variety of circumstances:

• improper use of devices on which critical data is stored;

• inadequate protection of information by the organisation or designated responsible party;

• data leakage initiated by an employee, which can be either accidental or intentional.

However, this occurs under certain conditions that favour such situations:

• incompetence of personnel. This is due to lack of training in data protection and, as a consequence, negligence;

• use of illegal software. Pirated software may contain malicious programmes whose purpose is to steal important data;

• ineffective monitoring of employee actions. Lack of adequate monitoring of the actions of the company's employees;

• high staff turnover. Frequent staff renewal increases the likelihood of data breaches, as new employees may not be sufficiently informed about company's security policy.

Technical leakage of information is the uncontrolled process of dissemination or transfer of confidential data to third parties, representing "leak" of information outside the company, group or circle of people authorised to have access.

Types of information leakage channels

Third-party interception channels fall into several categories. They are of the following types:

• physical channels of leakage of confidential information. This is the leakage of information through physical media, such as lost or stolen devices;

• technical channels of leakage of an organisation's information. This is the leakage of information through computer systems, e.g. through vulnerabilities in the network or software;

• informational channels of information leakage. This is the leakage of information through communication, e.g. through email or social media.

How to identify the data leakage factor

Identification of information leakage is detected in several ways:

• employee witnessed. If an employee observed suspicious activity, it may indicate a leak;

• video camera. Video surveillance can help identify a physical data leak;

• a competitor used a secret against the company. If competitors start using your confidential information, it's a clear sign of leak;

• the incident is captured with the help of DLP. In this case, an Information Security professional will see in the breach report.

How to protect yourself against data breaches

Ways to prevent and protect channels of information leakage through technical and other channels provide for:

• encryption. Turns data into incomprehensible code that can only be decrypted with a special key;

• software updates. Regular software updates help avoid leaks through vulnerabilities;

• access restriction. Establishing and controlling access rights helps minimise the risk of information leakage;

• authentication. Using strong passwords and multi-part authentication protects data from unauthorised access;

• ongoing audits. Regular security audits help detect leaks and vulnerabilities;

• install specialised software. The best data leak protection systems are DLP (Anexet) and SIEM, which can detect and automatically block data transfer to third parties.

Anexet is superior Data Leak Prevention (DLP) solution that provides additional layer of protection and control over organisation's sensitive information. Together with SIEM (Security Information Management) systems, it forms robust and comprehensive system of technical interception tools, enabling effective and advanced cyber security solutions.

Conclusion

Leakage of confidential information and its technical protection systems is big problem for companies. Every year there is a news story about a company being hit by insiders.

Data leakage in most cases is result of lack of attention and resources devoted to methods to protect against sensitive information leaks by employees and management.
It is worth remembering that data security is not a one-time task, but ongoing process. Only systematic and comprehensive control of information leaks can minimise the risk of consequences.