Data Security: Challenges, Solutions, and the Path Forward
Executive summary
- The billions of records that are generated daily have made data a vital asset for today’s organizations — but rising cyberthreats and strict compliance regulations have made the protection of that data more challenging than ever.
- Data security focuses on ensuring the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of sensitive information through technical, administrative, and physical measures to protect against threats like data breaches and ransomware attacks.
- Data security has transitioned from a technical concern to a strategic priority as executives like CEOs and CTOs are becoming increasingly responsible for overseeing and driving data protection initiatives.
- Businesses must seek strategies that combine legacy system strengths with advanced technologies to provide the best defense against emerging threats.
Legacy approaches to data security
It is essential that application security (AppSec) professionals comprehend and closely monitor databases, which are the foundation of nearly every project or product . However, implementing security measures to protect that data is not a common practice. Typically, databases are shielded from the outside world by firewalls, which minimizes the risk of exploitation from external threats; this suggests that most potential harm to the data is likely to arise from internal sources.
Many organizations are still adopting legacy ways of protecting their data, either unintentionally or intentionally as a cost-cutting measure. These legacy methodologies often use old technology and outdated methods of protecting data in today’s advanced cyberthreat landscape, including weak encryption, a lack of multi-factor authentication, and limited access controls.
Relying on outdated data protection methods can not only expose sensitive information to breaches, but can also be problematic in other ways, especially since these approaches often fall short in today’s fast-paced and intricate digital environment. As organizations embrace the capabilities of cloud services, mobile devices, and interconnected systems, traditional security measures like firewalls and antivirus software may not effectively safeguard against current threats, such as advanced malware, zero-day attacks, and insider attacks.
Businesses must adopt innovative strategies to protect their data in the face of evolving digital assaults, and they must modernize their security strategies by combining legacy system strengths with advanced technologies. A hybrid approach provides the best defense against emerging threats.
Challenges within data security
Over the past 15 years, cloud computing has experienced widespread adoption thanks to its cost efficiency, scalability, and flexibility. However, this evolution also introduced new complexities in securing data as organizations no longer have direct control over the physical infrastructure.
Public clouds are vulnerable to data breaches if providers fail to implement proper security controls or if customers misconfigure their security settings. Hybrid and multicloud environments must also ensure data consistency, comply with security policies, and adhere to platform guidance.
Mobile devices and insider threats
Bring your own device (BYOD) policies and the proliferation of mobile devices in the workplace have increased the risk of data breaches. Lost or stolen mobile devices can provide unauthorized access to sensitive data, particularly if they are not encrypted or protected by strong access controls.
Businesses are facing the significant challenges of insider threats arising from both employees with malicious intents and human errors. These insider threats pose major challenges to data security. Even with strong protective measures in place, there is always a possibility that employees with access to sensitive information will bypass these controls or unintentionally disclose data.
Data security is a vital pillar of every organization’s policy. Every stakeholder in the organization, including engineers, data scientists, security professionals, and development teams, must work together throughout every phase of the data lifecycle — data creation, storage, processing, sharing, and disposal. This collaboration is critical to safeguarding sensitive information and maintaining the organization's integrity.
Development and operations (DevOps) and development and security operations (DevSecOps) are familiar terms to most developers. DevSecOps is a variant of DevOps that weaves in security to the software development workflow; it underscores data protection while ensuring compliance with privacy standards in software development and deployment.
DataSecOps is a new approach in the data-driven world — the main objective is to enhance the privacy, security, and governance of data. This shift in how we manage data is quite important, as it encourages us to move from a mindset of “default to know” to one that embraces the idea of “need to know.” DataSecOps plays a crucial role in data governance by ensuring that we have the necessary control over our data.
Integrating security early in the development lifecycle
Automation in DataSecOps enhances security processes by streamlining workflows and consistently applying measures across all systems. The goal is to integrate security early in the development lifecycle — known as a “shift left” — which helps catch vulnerabilities and data breaches before production.
DataSecOps starts by identifying and classifying sensitive information in the organization. It uses tools to detect sensitive data in databases, files, and cloud storage, including names, health records, and financial information to help ensure overall data security.
A DataSecOps team diligently sorts data by sensitivity, strictly adhering to security and compliance rules. For example, a DataSecOps team for an ecommerce company may use a tool that accurately searches its customer database, identifying sensitive information like credit card numbers and email addresses. This precise tool can identify the personally identifiable information (PII) and implement appropriate security measures.
DataSecOps empowers users with the permissions necessary to do their jobs. Additionally, DataSecOps encrypts data both when it's stored and while it's being transmitted, keeping it secure from unauthorized access throughout every step of the data processing journey.
Data security regulations
Data security regulations constitute legal frameworks designed to protect sensitive information and ensure individual privacy. Notable examples of such regulations include the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
These regulations impose stringent requirements on organizations to safeguard personal and financial data, establish clear protocols for data management, and enforce severe penalties for noncompliance.
On February 28, 2024, President Biden signed Executive Order 14117 to prevent countries of concern from accessing large volumes of sensitive personal data and U.S. government-related information. This initiative addresses national security and foreign policy risks associated with such access.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA) has outlined the data security requirements:
- Maintaining an asset inventory
- Addressing known vulnerabilities
- Enforcing multi-factor authentication
- Encrypting sensitive data
- Minimizing data collection
- Applying obfuscation techniques
- Preventing encryption key storage with protected data
Data security regulations aim to reduce risks from data breaches while granting individuals rights to access, delete, or amend their data. As cyberthreats rise along with privacy concerns, these regulations play a crucial role in maintaining trust and security in the digital ecosystem.
The future landscape of data security
The future landscape of data security is anticipated to be influenced significantly by emerging technologies and the evolution of cyberthreats. Organizations increasingly rely on cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT), so data security must adapt to protect decentralized and complex systems.
Advanced methodologies, including machine learning and automation, will play a critical role in the real-time detection and response to threats. Blockchain technology, known for its decentralized and tamper-resistant nature, is being explored to secure data integrity. By storing data on a distributed ledger, organizations can offer a new paradigm for data authentication and security by ensuring that data remains immutable and verifiable.
Quantum algorithms like Shor's algorithm could break traditional cryptographic methods; this has led to the development of post-quantum cryptography, which aims to create encryption methods resistant to quantum attacks.
In light of growing concerns regarding data privacy, more stringent regulations will necessitate that organizations prioritize compliance and data governance. As cyberattacks become increasingly sophisticated, a more proactive, integrated, and dynamic approach to data security will be crucial for the protection of sensitive information within this rapidly evolving environment.
Anticipate threats to protect data
Data security is vital for modern organizations to ensure sustainability and trust. Rapid data growth, increased threats, and more regulations necessitate an adaptable data protection approach. Encryption, access control, continuous monitoring, and advancements like AI and blockchain help enhance security and maintain confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
As the digital landscape changes, anticipating threats and adopting proactive measures are crucial for protecting the most valuable asset — data.
Help safeguard your business
Akamai provides a robust range of data security products designed to help organizations protect their applications, APIs, networks, and data from various threats. Whether you're facing distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, looking to secure user identities, or ensuring compliance with regulations, Akamai’s solutions deliver scalable and real-time security.
Akamai’s solutions allow you to effectively mitigate risks and safeguard your business in today’s ever-evolving digital landscape.
