Data Security Posture vs. Data Privacy: Navigating the Intersection

Data security and data privacy are two closely related concepts since both are essential aspects of protecting personal information. However, they have different meanings and goals. Data security is about keeping data safe from unauthorized access, while data privacy is about ensuring that data is collected, used, and shared in a way that respects people's rights.

Data Security Posture vs. Data Privacy  Navigating the Intersection

Both are important for protecting personal information, and organizations should implement a comprehensive program that addresses both aspects. In this article, let us explore the possibilities that data security and data privacy can unlock, along with their differences, uses, and best practices for robust security.

Data Security and Data Privacy: Different Sides of the Same Coin?

Data Security and Data Privacy

Data privacy is protection of an individual’s personal information and handling of sensitive data as per governing privacy laws and regulations. Data privacy emphasizes the fact that people have control over their data, and that trading a person’s data purely for business gains is unethical and contradicts the idea of privacy. It ensures personal data is collected, stored, and processed lawfully.

On the other side, data security posture management is more oriented towards the aggregated security measures undertaken by an organization for protecting its data. This ranges from incorporating security controls, dealing with security standards and having an action plan for mitigating risks.

Although the line seems blurry when it comes to defining these two terms, the point of difference comes down to where these measures are implemented. Data security focuses on technical and organizational security measures, whereas data privacy looks into legal considerations related to the collection and handling of user data.

Common Characteristics Between Data Security and Data Privacy

In the above section, we discussed the differentiating point, now, let us look at the similarities between DSPM and data privacy.

It is a matter of concern for organizations to possess a solid data security posture which would serve as a firewall against unauthorized access, mutation, disclosure or destruction. In addition, they also need to conform with privacy laws and regulations to uphold the privacy of an individual’s data.

Let us brush through some of the similarities between data security posture and data privacy:

  • Protecting Sensitive Data: Protecting sensitive data against unauthorized access, disclosure, change, or destruction is an issue for both DSPM and data privacy. They seek to stop data breaches and guarantee that your data is secure and private.
  • Both Involve Technical and Non-technical Controls: Data security and privacy require both technical and non-technical measures. While non-technical controls can help ensure that data is handled properly and that people are aware of the risks of data breaches, technical controls can help to prevent unauthorized access to data.
  • Risk Management: Risk management is a component of both disciplines. While data privacy evaluates risks associated with the safe management and protection of personal information, DSPM determines and mitigates risks to the security of data.
  • Data Classification: Data classification is involved in both DSPM and data privacy. Data is categorized according to its value and sensitivity, and appropriate security and privacy safeguards are then applied.
  • Incident Response: Data privacy and DSPM both necessitate incident response planning. Organizations must have a well-defined response strategy in place in the case of a data breach or privacy incident to lessen the effect and adhere to breach notification laws.

DSPM and data privacy both place a strong emphasis on safeguarding sensitive data and guaranteeing its security and privacy, albeit having differing areas of focus. To create a comprehensive data protection framework that includes security posture management and privacy compliance, organizations need to handle both issues.

Ways to Improve Data Security and Uphold Data Privacy

Whenever an organization starts growing and expanding, the odds of data attacks fairly increase, hence, in order to stay unaffected from data attack attempts, organizations should have a strong security system in place. But, there’s always a possibility to beat the existing system and find a loophole. So, implementing security is not a one time thing, it is an evolving system that needs to be updated frequently.

Let us look at some of the ways to keep improving data security while upholding data privacy.

Incorporate Data Encryption

To begin with, a simple no-brainer step is to incorporate data encryption. Use effective encryption methods to safeguard data while it is in transit and at rest. By doing this, you can make sure that even if someone gains access to your data without your permission, it will still be unreadable and useless without the encryption keys.

Robust Access Control

This encryption needs to be complemented with robust access control, where the system grants access only to those individuals with appropriate authorization. This restricts access to sensitive data to authorized personnel only, thereby reducing the risk of unauthorized access.

Cloud Secure Strategy

More often than not, data is stored on the cloud, and if so, it is recommended to adopt a cloud secure strategy. For this, it's necessary to comprehend the shared responsibility model, make use of cloud-native security features, and data security in the cloud environment.

Build Security and Privacy Into the Development Process

Moving ahead, when it comes to data privacy and introducing new features, security and data privacy needs to be a part of the development cycle and shouldn’t be treated as an optional component. To inculcate such strategies, organizations can introduce strong policies and regulations concerning handling of data.

Training Programs and Assessments

Moreover, context awareness can be brought to employees via training programs and assessments, this not only imparts knowledge of data security but also reduces the chances of security attacks.

Regular Data Backups

Lastly, regular data backups should be done to mitigate loss of data in case of a security incident or system failure.

Conclusion

Although DSPM and data privacy have different areas of focus, it is fair to say that they both center around protecting sensitive data and ensuring its security and privacy. To create a comprehensive data protection framework that includes security posture management and privacy compliance, organizations need to handle both issues.

By implementing the steps and strategies discussed above, businesses can substantially improve their data security and privacy procedures, protecting sensitive data and upholding stakeholder and customer trust.

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Online Threat Alerts Security Tips

Pay the safest way

Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.

Guard your personal information

In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.

Be careful of the information you share

Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with

Know who you’re dealing with

Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.

Check your accounts

Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.

Don’t believe promises of easy money

If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.

Do not open email from people you don’t know

If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.

Think before you click

If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.

Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond

If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.

Be careful with links and new website addresses

Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.

Secure your personal information

Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.

Stay informed on the latest cyber threats

Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.

Use Strong Passwords

Strong passwords are critical to online security.

Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs

Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.

Update the operating systems on your electronic devices

Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.

What if You Got Scammed?

Stop Contact With The Scammer

Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.

Secure Your Finances

  • Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
  • Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:

Check Your Computer

If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.

Change Your Account Passwords

Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.

Report The Scam

Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.

Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:

  • Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
  • Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
  • Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.

How To Recognize a Phishing Scam

Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.

Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:

Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might

  • say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
  • claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
  • say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
  • include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
  • want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
  • say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
  • offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real

About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)

Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.

By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.

With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.

Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.

Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).

Data Security Posture vs. Data Privacy: Navigating the Intersection