NEED OF A STRONG SECURITY SOLUTION IN PUBLIC AND GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS

Digital transformation in the government operations is taking place at a rapid pace and has linked people, processes and places to a great extent. It has also helped the government bridge the communication gap that existed between the government and citizens. This digital transformation includes adopting cloud-based services, increasing work adoption in mobile devices and connecting objects without human intervention (internet of things). However, securing and managing a large amount of data, multiple cloud environments and sprawling Internet-connected devices is a complex task.

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The change in cyber security trends and the evolving threat actors are getting bigger every day.? Governments across many regions in the world are struggling to secure sensitive information. These organizations hold large and constantly evolving sets of sensitive information and operations, each representing various levels of vulnerability and risk. These resources may be susceptible to internal threats, such as malicious insiders or data leaks from within the organization. The people who are responsible for securing sensitive data are constantly facing the challenges of new threats which are mounting every day.

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Major Data Breaches incurred by Government Organizations

According to a report, 80% of the IT security professionals agree that insider threats are the biggest risk to security, not hackers. They also said that the use of mobile technology has only exacerbated the risk to data security.? Government agencies and public sectors pose a great risk as they have the credentials and other personal information of citizens. The most serious breaches included issues like lost USB drives, email documents, employees accessing files without authorization and stolen laptops.

Let’s take a look at some of the major breaches incurred within government organizations:

Aadhar card breach (India)

Aadhar database is considered as one of the most important databases for their unique identification. Individuals are allotted with an Aadhar number which authenticates their identity while availing any social service. In 2017, the information of 1.6 million pensioners was leaked on Jharkhand state government’s website. The name, address, bank account details, Aadhar number, pension scheme of the beneficiary and more such sensitive information was leaked. In another separate incident, sensitive information of 35 lakh Aadhar holders was leaked on Kerala government’s website.? This time the information included the biometric and biographic details of the beneficiary along with pension IDs and photographs.

Data breach FDIC

The FDIC, Washington, DC notified that 44,000 records of customers were exposed when an authorized user unknowingly downloaded classified information of affected people on a personal portable device. Once the breach was detected, the user was contacted and was asked to immediately return the device. The user also had to sign an affidavit stating that none of the information was used for any unauthorized purpose.

Vacaville Housing Authority (VHA)

The Vacaville Housing Authority (VHA) notified that a user unintentionally sent an email to a person with an attachment which included their names and social security numbers. The email contained detailed information about the customers. The receiver of the email immediately informed the VHA about the lapse and the email was deleted from the person’s computer. As a safety measure, VHA offered 12 months free credit monitoring services to the affected customers.

Thailand tourist data breach

The expats residing in southern Thailand were also affected by a major data breach. Sensitive information which included their names, passport details, addresses and professional details of 2000 expats were published on a fake site that resembled the immigration police website. The website went viral and was exposed globally before it was taken down.

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Japan pension system

In 2015, Japan’s pension system was breached and information of 1.25 million people was leaked. An email attachment was sent to a user with an infected virus which spread across once the attachment was opened. The cyber attackers were able to access all the details which included names, birth dates, pension IDs, addresses, etc.? This cyber breach caused huge political ramifications for the ruling party of Japan during that time.

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US department of homeland security

The US department of homeland security was also affected by a major breach where personally identifiable information of more than 240,000 current and former employees of DHS was leaked. The information leak included social security numbers, date of birth, grades, positions and duty stations of affected individuals.

Types of data lost when the public sectors or government organizations are breached

There are various types of sensitive data which can be at risk within a government organization.? The different types of data which can be compromised are as follows:

• Personal Information: This type of data includes social security numbers, contact information, birth dates, education and other personal information.
• Employment Information: Income tax details, salary, insurance policies, etc.? which can be easily compromised.
• Health Information: This type of data includes details on health conditions, prescription drugs, treatments and other medical records.
• Legal Information: This type of data includes documentation on court cases the company may be pursuing, merger and acquisition details, legal opinions on business practices and regulatory rulings.
• Financial Information: Data included here can include credit card details, debit card details, bank account details, expiry dates, etc.
• IT Security Data: The types of sensitive data included here are usernames and passwords, encryption keys, security strategies and network structure.
• Intellectual Property: This type of data includes trade secrets, copyrights, patents, trademarks, geographical indications, etc.

Impact of a data breach in government organizations

Data breach within an organization is a unique type of crisis or emergency. As government institutions hold some of the most sensitive information of individuals, it is imperative for them to ensure its security. Whether you view Edward Snowden as a hero or a traitor, individuals are now more acutely aware of the troves of data collected by the government agencies these days. These revelations have not only brought attention to privacy protocols but also to data security.

Data breaches have significant impacts on the organizations that are attacked.? According to Cost of Data Breach Report by Ponemon and IBM says that the average cost of data breach in US is now a record high of $7.35 million which is a 5% increase from last year.

The report also shows that the root cause of data breach is mostly malicious insiders? and the average cost of data breach was? approximately $156 per record lost.

Some of the impacts of data breaches are:

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·??????? Financial Loss

·??????? Business Disruption Loss of Trust

·??????? Intellectual Property Theft Equipment Damage

Preventive measures for data breaches in government and private sectors

Government institutions manage and create myriads of sensitive data in both structured and unstructured formats. They hold a large amount of confidential data which is circulated across multiple teams for various projects. So, they need to adopt a solution with data encryption capabilities designed to address the global epidemic of insider threats and data breaches.

Here are a few preventive measures which can help you prevent data leak from within the organization.

1. Implement strong security solution: Government organizations need to implement a better security solution which can secure sensitive information. They need to ensure that the cyber security tools are implemented and updated properly. A strong security solution which includes insider threat management, data leak prevention, endpoints security, etc. can help them to a great extent. Implementing a proper cyber security solution will also help them monitor the users, applications, systems, devices, etc. and detect incidents even while on the move.
2. Awareness training: Security awareness training in the government institutions is a must to mitigate insider threats and cyber-attacks. IT officials working in government sectors should be well aware of the various cyber threats which can affect the organization and the ways through which sensitive information can be leaked.
3. Secure endpoints: Securing multiple endpoints and communication channels with strong encryption will prevent the leakage of sensitive data. IT officials need to make sure that all the endpoints within the organization generate real-time incidents. This will help in identifying accidental leakage of sensitive data and act upon it immediately.
4. Discovery of data: Government agencies need to identify the critical assets and learn where they are stored, collected, transferred or used. This will help them discover if any sensitive data is stored on unauthorized devices or systems without their knowledge.
5. Information asset management: Government organizations need to make sure that they have proper fundamental data protection capabilities. As a lot of information is shared across multiple teams, organizations need to make sure that only privileged users can access the files or documents. There are various solutions which help you create user and group level policies and grant access to selected authorized users only.
6. USB enforced encryption: Government organizations should implement a strong USB enforced encryption solution for external hard drives or pendrives. In case any sensitive document is transferred to unauthorized devices, they can only access the documents with authorized password.
7. Implement application monitoring tools: Government organizations should also implement application monitoring tools which will help them learn about the various applications accessed by a user during the day. They can also whitelist and blacklist certain applications which can be harmful for the organization.

CONCLUSION

Government agencies should implement a better security solution which can help them in discovering data at risk, get real-time incident alerts, monitor user activities, etc. to quickly remediate security incidents before they become data breaches. They should also make sure that they establish a reliable cyber security system where they can apply effective security policies and controls. These policies should be effectively implemented across all departments and teams. In addition to these security measures, they also need to tightly control who can access specific data, documents and files. Endpoints are one of the highest risk access points in government agencies. Implementing encryption on multiple endpoints will help them reduce insider threat to a great extent.

InDefend: Unified User Behavior Analytics & Insider Threat Management Solution

inDefend is a one-stop solution to help protect your data from insider threat and prevents the leakage of sensitive data through various communication channels and endpoints. It allows you to monitor the behavioural patterns of the users and also pinpoint the avenues through which confidential data can be leaked. This solution is built to achieve complete transparency over all the digital assets residing within the organization. With our unified solution, you can detect and tackle various security solutions and cyber threats which lurk within the internet.

It offers a proactive approach to the organization as follows:

Insider Threat Management

Provides a complete user behaviour analysis to protect your sensitive data from being compromised by monitoring user activities.

Data Leak Prevention

Prevent the leakage of sensitive data through various communication channels and endpoints within the organization.

Real Time Alerts

Real-time incident alerts for any kind of sensitive activity that takes place within the organization.

Accurate Analytics

Detailed Cyber Intelligence Reports which pinpoint the avenues of data leaks and highlight the key sensitive data leakage scenarios with granular visibility into organizational ecosystem.

Superior Control

Lock down or block specific channels or devices in case any sensitive data exfiltration is detected.

Enforced Encryption

Secure multiple endpoints with enforced encryptions to restrict the use of sensitive information or files.

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Application Whitelisting

Track all the applications accessed by the user during the day and learn about the amount of time spent on them. It helps you to apply certain policies and blacklist or whitelist applications which can be accessed by the user

Government networks and critical infrastructures across the globe are under constant attack. So, it is imperative for the government organizations to implement intelligent security management which can prevent the leakage of confidential data and shield systems from various cyber threats. inDefend is designed to prevent the leakage of sensitive data through various communication channels and endpoints. It allows you to enable certain sets of policies across multiple teams in various departments. This solution also helps you to proactively detect avenues through which data can be leaked. So, start using inDefend now and secure your organization against all kinds of data theft.

Contact us for more information

WhatsApp at - +91 95999 36473

Email - [email protected]

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