Data Leak Detection
Data leak detection identifies and monitors the unauthorized exposure of sensitive information outside of an organization's control.
Here's a breakdown of the key components:
Unauthorized Exposure: This refers to instances where data is made available to individuals or entities that are not authorized to access it. This can be unintentional (e.g., misconfiguration) or malicious (e.g., a cyberattack).
Sensitive Information: This includes any data that an organization needs to protect, such as:
Personally identifiable information (PII)
Financial records
Trade secrets
Intellectual property
Customer data
Credentials (usernames and passwords)
Outside of an Organization's Control: This is a critical aspect. Data leak detection focuses on where the data ends up, not just where it originates. It's about finding data that has "escaped" the organization's secure environment.
Where Data Leaks Occur
Data leaks can happen in various places, including:
The Dark Web: Marketplaces and forums where cybercriminals buy and sell stolen data.
Public Websites: Unintentionally exposed data on websites, code repositories, or cloud storage.
Social Media: Sensitive information is shared inadvertently on social media platforms.
Paste Sites: Websites where users can paste and share text, often used to share code snippets or configuration files.
Cloud Storage: Misconfigured cloud storage buckets that are publicly accessible.
Why Data Leak Detection is Important
Data leaks can lead to:
Financial losses: Due to fines, legal fees, and damage to reputation.
Reputational damage: Loss of customer trust and brand value.
Identity theft: If PII is leaked, it can be used for identity theft.
Competitive disadvantage: Leaks of trade secrets can harm an organization's competitive position.
Here's how ThreatNG helps with data leak detection:
ThreatNG's external discovery capabilities help identify potential sources of data leaks by mapping an organization's external-facing assets. This includes discovering:
Cloud and SaaS services: ThreatNG identifies cloud services and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions used by the organization, which can be a source of data leaks if misconfigured or if access is not controlled correctly.
Code repositories: ThreatNG discovers code repositories, which can unintentionally contain sensitive data like credentials or API keys.
Mobile apps: ThreatNG discovers mobile apps, which can also contain sensitive data.
ThreatNG's "Data Leak Susceptibility" assessment evaluates explicitly the risk of data leaks.
ThreatNG derives this assessment from external attack surface and digital risk intelligence based on Cloud and SaaS Exposure, Dark Web Presence (Compromised Credentials), Domain Intelligence (DNS Intelligence capabilities which include Domain Name Permutations and Web3 Domains that are available and taken; and Email Intelligence that provides email security presence and format prediction), and Sentiment and Financials (Lawsuits and SEC Form 8-Ks).
This assessment combines information from various sources to assess an organization's susceptibility to data leaks.
3. Reporting
ThreatNG's reporting capabilities can highlight potential data leaks and provide alerts about critical issues. For example:
Reports can identify exposed code repositories with sensitive credentials.
Reports can show misconfigured cloud storage buckets that are publicly accessible.
ThreatNG's continuous monitoring is essential for data leak detection because data can be exposed anytime.
By continuously monitoring the external attack surface, ThreatNG can detect new data leaks as they occur.
This includes monitoring for exposed code, misconfigured cloud services, and data appearing on the dark web.
ThreatNG's investigation modules provide detailed information that helps security teams investigate potential data leaks:
Code Repository Exposure: This module helps discover and investigate code repositories and their exposure level, examining their contents for the presence of sensitive data.
Cloud and SaaS Exposure: This module evaluates cloud services and SaaS solutions, providing insights into potential misconfigurations and vulnerabilities.
Dark Web Presence: This module monitors the dark web for compromised credentials and other sensitive information.
ThreatNG's intelligence repositories provide valuable context for data leak detection:
Dark Web Presence: This repository contains information on compromised credentials, a key indicator of potential data leaks.
Mobile Apps: This repository helps identify sensitive information within Mobile Apps, including Access Credentials, Security Credentials, and Platform-Specific Identifiers.
7. Working with Complementary Solutions
ThreatNG's data leak detection capabilities can be integrated with other security solutions to provide a more comprehensive approach:
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Systems: ThreatNG can complement DLP systems by providing external visibility into data leaks while DLP systems focus on internal data loss.
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Systems: ThreatNG can feed data leak alerts into SIEM systems to correlate external data with internal security events.
ThreatNG offers a range of capabilities that help organizations detect and prevent data leaks. Its external discovery, data leak susceptibility assessment, reporting, continuous monitoring, and investigation modules provide comprehensive data leak detection.
