What are the most important tools for preventing data privacy breaches?

Encryption is no longer optional. Try and get Cyber Insurance without it. Use up to date ciphers that have not been discredited. Encryption levels should be set as a group policy which cannot be altered without following a written change management process for approval by senior managers.

Data encryption is a process of converting plain text or data into a coded form (cipher text) using cryptographic algorithms. It ensures data confidentiality by making it unreadable without the appropriate decryption key. Common encryption methods include symmetric encryption (using a single key for both encryption and decryption) and asymmetric encryption (using a pair of public and private keys). Encryption is crucial for securing sensitive information during transmission or storage, protecting it from unauthorized access and potential data breaches.

Data anonymization is a technique used to protect privacy by removing or obfuscating personally identifiable information (PII) from datasets. It involves methods such as data masking, tokenization, and generalization to replace sensitive information with non-identifiable values. The goal of data anonymization is to enable data analysis while minimizing the risk of re-identification of individuals. Anonymized data can still be valuable for research and analytics while reducing privacy concerns and legal compliance risks.

Operate a Roles Based Access Control (RBAC) system that limits each users’ access to the data and systems required to deliver their role. Access rights should be set based on the principles of need to know and least privilege applied. Access rights must be technologically enforced via Active Directory, requiring Multi Factor Authentication (MFA) and no user should be able to change their access rights without following a change request procedure that requires sign off by the appropriate senior manager/s.

To ensure that data is only unavailable for the shorter period of time possible, backups and recovery are vital. It is important to take into consideration some key points: a) location of the backup, as data might be in a country that does not comply with the applicable rules and regulations; b) the RTO, RPO and MTPD defined, and if they meet the needs of the company; c) if there is a processor involved, if it agrees to all of the above; d) definition of a recovery strategy ISO 27001 entails information on Business Continuity management, and ISO 22301 focus specifically on the topic. Nevertheless, treaties, legislation, frameworks and guidelines are central to navigate the data backup and recovery waters.

Data security awareness may be the most important tool in preventing data privacy breaches. When everyone working with data understands the best practices and why they are important, it's far more likely they will act thoughtfully and intentionally design and build systems and processes with data privacy and security in mind.

Learning Management Systems (LMS) are needed to ensure your users know what personal data is and where to report suspected breaches to (ideally 24/7/365). Reward your colleagues who report and build into your organisation’s culture. The LMS also keeps a record of who has or has not completed.

Data privacy audit is essential for maintaining data security, enabling organizations to assess and enhance their data protection measures. Whether conducted internally or with the assistance of a third party, it plays a crucial role in safeguarding sensitive information and minimizing the risk of data breaches.

Educating people about data privacy breaches is a major opportunity to prevent them. First create awareness by delivering campaigns, workshops, training, highlighting the importance of data privacy. At the same time, it is crucial to develop strong privacy policies and make them accessible and understandable. Discussing strategies to provide security training to all communities help users protect their own data and understand other processes of dealing with personal data, from strong password creation, to the recognition of phishing attempts during their online experience, to raising awareness about social engineering.