The main risks of preventing sensitive data leakage include:
Insider Threats: Employees or contractors with access to sensitive data may intentionally or accidentally leak it. For example, a staff member might copy customer data to a personal device and share it externally.
Mitigation: Implement strict access controls, role-based permissions, and employee training. Use Tencent Cloud Data Security Center to monitor and audit data access.
Weak Encryption: Unencrypted or poorly encrypted data is vulnerable to interception during transmission or storage. For instance, transmitting sensitive financial records over an unsecured network can lead to breaches.
Mitigation: Use strong encryption protocols like TLS for data in transit and AES-256 for data at rest. Tencent Cloud Key Management Service (KMS) helps manage encryption keys securely.
Phishing and Social Engineering: Attackers trick employees into revealing credentials or sensitive information. For example, a phishing email might trick an HR employee into sharing employee records.
Mitigation: Deploy email filtering and security awareness training. Tencent Cloud Anti-DDoS and Web Application Firewall (WAF) can block malicious traffic targeting sensitive endpoints.
Third-Party Risks: Vendors or partners with access to your systems may mishandle data. For example, a cloud storage provider with weak security could expose customer data.
Mitigation: Vet third-party vendors for compliance and enforce data protection agreements. Tencent Cloud Security Compliance Solutions help ensure adherence to regulations like GDPR and HIPAA.
Misconfigured Storage or Databases: Publicly accessible cloud storage buckets or databases can lead to accidental data exposure. For instance, a misconfigured S3 bucket might leak customer PII.
Mitigation: Regularly audit configurations and use automated tools to detect misconfigurations. Tencent Cloud Security Center provides vulnerability scanning and compliance checks.
Lack of Data Classification: Without proper classification, sensitive data may not receive adequate protection. For example, health records stored alongside non-sensitive logs may be overlooked.
Mitigation: Implement data classification policies and automate tagging. Tencent Cloud Data Classification and Discovery tools help identify and categorize sensitive data.