Cyber threats are ever-evolving, challenging organizations to fortify their defenses. Unauthorized users armed with stolen credentials pose a persistent danger, seeking any opportunity to infiltrate systems and steal critical data. Even features such as developer mode and superuser privileges, can inadvertently become conduits for data leakage. Furthermore, the rise of hybrid cloud environments complicates data security by introducing disparate infrastructures and increased attack surfaces.
The Biggest Gap in Your Cyber Security Solution
Discover the primary yet overlooked source of cyber breaches and the challenges in implementing a comprehensive solution
Cyber Security Solution for SAP Data
Learn how to manage data access and usage to minimize risk of data breach and improve cyber security
SAP - Share Data Securely Across Your Entire Extended Enterprise
Explore the use pf digital rights management to protect any file type
Vulnerable Business Systems
Safeguarding sensitive data against unauthorized users wielding stolen or compromised credentials poses a huge challenge. It requires advanced security protocols and continuous vigilance to prevent unauthorized access.
External Intrusion
Enforcing internal controls is vital for all organizations, especially when users access systems in developer or super user mode. These elevated access levels can potentially enable unauthorized actions or access.
Insider Threats
Implementing data security controls in environments that include both on-premises and cloud systems requires a nuanced approach to ensure comprehensive protection across different infrastructures.
Outsourcing and Offshoring
Some A&D companies are hesitant to leverage outsourcing or offshoring due to the lack of technology to address concerns about inconsistent or inadequate global data protection regulations, leading to higher costs and reduced competitiveness. However, to stay competitive in the global market, there is a growing interest in outsourcing and offshoring to improve efficiency and lower costs. Sharing proprietary information with external entities increases the risk of unauthorized access or disclosure, highlighting the need for a data-centric security approach to protect data regardless of its location.
Implementing Best Practices for a Proactive Data Security Approach
To overcome the challenges surrounding the ever-evolving cyber threats, organizations need to implement best practices as defined by the NIST cybersecurity frameworks to improve their cybersecurity posture. A comprehensive and proactive approach to data security must contain the following elements:
Policy-driven Security Approach
A dynamic authorization policy engine with attribute-based access control (ABAC) enables organizations to make informed decisions and automate actions based on real-time attributes and pre-defined policies. By integrating and leveraging on existing infrastructures, identity-driven policies can be applied across users and resources. The consistent enforcement of fine-grained policies across systems and applications facilitates flexible adjustments to access rights on the fly without complex customization and manual procedures, enhancing scalability and security.
Secure Data Throughout Entire Lifecycle
Organizations must ensure that data is persistently protected throughout its lifecycle, from creation to disposal, by implementing data-centric security controls such as data encryption, access controls, and data classification.
Monitor Access Activity
Organizations need real-time visibility into their data access activity to identify and respond to potential threats. This involves possessing up-to-date capabilities for threat detection and response.
Compliance Auditing
Compliance audits should cover data security policies, data access controls, data handling procedures, and employee training. By regularly auditing their data security practices, organizations can identify and address vulnerabilities in their security controls.
NextLabs Solution
CloudAz Centralized Policy Platform
CloudAz applies the zero trust principles to secure access and protect data across silos using attribute-based policies. CloudAz secures resources by eliminating implicit trust and verifying every stage of a digital interaction. This reduces the risk of cyber-attacks and external adversaries in this sector where national security and proprietary technologies are of prime importance.
SkyDRM Digital Rights Management
Many A&D sensitive technologies and designs are stored in PLM or CAD applications, underscoring the need to protect data in PLM and CAD. SkyDRM enables seamless global sharing of valuable intellectual property from PLM applications, such as Siemens Teamcenter and Bentley ProjectWise, with real-time access and usage controls. Furthermore, it can protect the rights of CAD files, such as AutoCAD and PTC Creo, ensuring organizations share critical information securely with third parties, including offshore, outsourced, and supply chain partners.
Data Access Enforcer (DAE) Data-Level Security Controls
DAE enforces “need-to-know” data access at runtime using fine-grained attribute-based policies. DAE provides dynamic data masking and segregation capabilities compatible with cross-domain policies. By dynamically segregating data based on policies, data can only be viewed by authorized users with permitted access. The content can also be modified according to attribute-based policies with data masking, and with format preserving encryption (FPE) capabilities, confidential information such as export controlled data can be protected even if shared with unauthorized users.
Application Enforcer
In the A&D industry, valuable information is often shared internally or externally with vendors and contractors via various applications such as SharePoint and SAP. NextLabs’ Application Enforcer for SharePoint automates information controls by identifying, classifying, and persistently protecting data uploaded to SharePoint, even after it leaves the application. This supports a collaborative culture and governance process that enables secure sharing of information with external parties. NextLabs’ Application Enforcer for SAP ERP enforces real-time segregation of duties policies to prevent single individuals from controlling all process phases or transactions, safeguarding sensitive SAP data and meeting compliance needs.
CloudAz Report Server
CloudAz simplifies audit processes with centralized logging and reporting of all data access activity and authorization decisions. Reports also notify project managers and team members whenever a user tries to export classified data outside of the export-regulated project collaboration locations. Centralized visibility enables organizations to prevent non-compliance activities and maintain comprehensive reporting for audit and compliance purposes.
Challenges
Compromised Credentials
Safeguarding sensitive data against unauthorized users wielding stolen or compromised credentials poses a huge challenge. It requires advanced security protocols and continuous vigilance to prevent unauthorized access.
According to Verizon’s 2022 Data Breach Investigations Report, stolen credentials were the vector of choice for more than 40% of cyberattacks.
Developer & Super User Mode
Enforcing internal controls is vital for all organizations, especially when users access systems in developer or super user mode. These elevated access levels can potentially enable unauthorized actions or access.
Many security solutions are designed to safeguard the network perimeter, yet superusers operate from within; they can establish backdoors and bypass security measures without leaving a trace.
Hybrid Environments
Implementing data security controls in environments that include both on-premises and cloud systems requires a nuanced approach to ensure comprehensive protection across different infrastructures.
Data flows between public and private clouds introduces potential vulnerable points susceptible to interceptions.
Implementing Best Practices for a Proactive Data Security Approach
To overcome the challenges surrounding the ever-evolving cyber threats, organizations need to implement best practices as defined by the NIST cybersecurity frameworks to improve their cybersecurity posture. A comprehensive and proactive approach to data security must contain the following elements:
Policy-driven Security Approach
Global organizations must have comprehensive data security policies that address their complex IT environments. These policies should cover data classification, access controls, data retention, and data breach response, while being regularly reviewed and updated to ensure effectiveness and relevancy.
Secure Data Throughout Entire Lifecycle
Organizations must ensure that data is persistently protected throughout its lifecycle, from creation to disposal, by implementing data-centric security controls such as data encryption, access controls, and data classification.
Monitor Access Activity
Organizations need real-time visibility into their data access activity to identify and respond to potential threats. This involves possessing up-to-date capabilities for threat detection and response.
Compliance Auditing
Compliance audits should cover data security policies, data access controls, data handling procedures, and employee training. By regularly auditing their data security practices, organizations can identify and address vulnerabilities in their security controls.
Automation & Prevention
With data security policies, organizations enable the automation and enforcement of preventive controls, reducing cybersecurity risks and compliance management costs.
NextLabs Solution
Robust Data-Security Policies
NextLabs’ unified policy management platform, Cloud Az, enables companies to create, implement, and enforce comprehensive data security policies. CloudAz allows companies to define Attribute Based Access Control (ABAC) security policies that are evaluated and enforced dynamically at that time of the access request. The policies can apply the regulatory controls applicable to the user, data, and environment in real-time.
Data-Centric Security
NextLabs solutions provide data-centric security controls that protect sensitive data at all times, regardless of its location. These solutions can encrypt data at rest and in transit, control data access based on policies, and apply dynamic data masking to protect sensitive data. Companies can define and enforce granular data access policies based on user roles, locations, and devices.
Centralized Real-Time Monitoring
CloudAz’s centralized monitoring provides real-time visibility into data activity and events. This allows organizations to monitor data access and data usage to detect potential security incidents. CloudAz can provide alerts based on security policies, enabling rapid response to security incidents.
Smart Audit and Report
CloudAz provides centralized auditing and reporting capabilities that enable companies to demonstrate compliance and ensure the integrity of their data security policies. Compliance reports can include data access, data handling, policy enforcement, and insights into security vulnerabilities.
Automation with Preventative Controls
With dynamic authorization and ABAC, the NextLabs platform automates the enforcement of data access policies, improving data security by reflecting changes in attribute values immediately and reducing the cost of policy management.
