Enthec at RSAC 2024
Enthec returned to the RSA Conference 2024 in San Francisco after two years to present the latest innovations of its Kartos cyber intelligence platform. At its booth, located in the Spanish pavilion organised by INCIBE, the company highlighted key improvements, such as the elimination of false positives in searches. Participation in this event reinforces Enthec's presence in the North American market, in line with its business expansion strategy.
Our stand, within the Spanish pavilion organised by INCIBE, received continuous visits from customers and professionals interested in learning more about Kartos' capabilities and about the important innovations implemented this year in the platform, such as the elimination of false positives in search results.
Our congratulations to INCIBE for the organization and gratitude for their constant support. A great opportunity to take the pulse of the current North American cybersecurity market, in which we are already present and which is a priority objective within our commercial expansion strategy.
Enthec participates in the 17ENISE
For yet another year, Enthec Solutions has been present as a sponsor company at the most important national cybersecurity event organised by INCIBE, the 17ENISE, held on 18 and 19 October 2023.
From our stand, we presented to all our customers the new features scheduled for next year of Kartos, our Cyber Intelligence and Cybersecurity platform.
In addition, our CEO, María Rojo, gave a talk entitled Discover how you are going to be attacked to defend yourself better, in which she highlighted the importance of anticipating cyber-attacks by incorporating a proactive approach to the cybersecurity strategy of organisations.
María also participated in the Round Table ‘Boosting female talent in cybersecurity’, as a representative of the We Are Cybergirls Association, in which Enthec participates as a collaborating partner.
As always, congratulations to INCIBE for the perfect organisation of the event. See you next year.
The importance of blacklists in cybersecurity
The importance of blacklists in cybersecurity
A blacklist is a fundamental tool in cybersecurity that allows blocking digital items that are considered suspicious or malicious in order to protect systems.
What is a cybersecurity blacklist?
One of the most widespread and effective tools in the fight against cyber threats are blacklists. But what exactly are they and how do they work? A cybersecurity blacklist is a database containing IP addresses, domains, emails, applications or any other digital element that has been identified as malicious or suspicious. These items are automatically blocked by security systems to prevent cyber-attacks. Blacklists are used by a variety of security solutions, including firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS), and anti-virus software.
When a blacklisted item attempts to access a system, the request is automatically rejected.
Public blacklists are maintained by cybersecurity organisations, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and security software companies. These lists are constantly updated to reflect new threats as they are discovered. In turn, organisations can develop private blacklists to protect their systems from specific threats. If you want to keep up to date with the cybersecurity industry, see our publication→ The 5 cybersecurity trends you need to know about.
Types of blacklists highlighted
There can be as many types of blacklists as there are categories of threats detected. The most prominent are:
IP blacklist
The IP blacklist is a list containing a number of IP addresses identified as potentially dangerous. These IP addresses are often associated with malicious activities, such as sending spam, carrying out DDoS attacks, spreading malware, etc. IP blacklists are used to automatically block traffic from these IP addresses. IP blacklists are used to automatically block traffic from these IP addresses. When an IP address is blacklisted, any attempt to connect from that IP address to a protected system is rejected. IP blacklists are maintained and updated by cybersecurity organisations and Internet service providers. They are constantly updated to reflect new threats as they are discovered or to exclude those that have disappeared. While IP blacklists are a valuable tool in preventing cyber threats, they are not infallible. To avoid blocking, cybercriminals change IP addresses on a recurring basis.
Spam domain blacklist
The spam domain blacklist is a list of domain names that have been identified as sources of spam. These domains may be associated with the distribution of unsolicited emails, phishing, malware and other malicious activities. Spam domain blacklists are used by email security systems and spam filters to automatically block emails from these domains. When a domain is blacklisted, any email sent from that domain to a protected system is marked as spam or rejected. Like all other public blacklists, spam domain blacklists are maintained and updated by cybersecurity organisations, email service providers and security software companies. They are also constantly updated, as cybercriminals frequently change domain names to circumvent them.
How blacklists work
Blacklists are compiled through comprehensive collection and analysis of data on known threats.
The blacklisting process includes:
- Data collection. Data is collected from multiple sources, such as security incident reports, threat intelligence feeds and also internal analysis.
- Data analysis. The collected data is analysed to identify malicious patterns and behaviours. This includes analysis of IP addresses, domains, emails and applications that have been associated with malicious activity such as spam or cyber attacks.
- Creation of the blacklist. Once malicious items are identified, they are added to the blacklist.
- Constant updating. Blacklists should be constantly updated to reflect new threats as they are discovered and to correct detected errors.
Once the blacklist has been compiled, it is used to automatically block access to the organisation's systems by the digital items on the blacklist.
Main benefits of blacklisting
The use of blacklists for system protection is a solution that provides numerous benefits, among which are:
Easy implementation
Blacklists are relatively simple to implement, making them an attractive option for many organisations. These lists can be easily configured into most security systems, such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems. The ease of implementation allows organisations to quickly improve their security posture without requiring significant resources.
Proactive protection
Blacklists provide proactive security protection by identifying and blocking known threats before they can cause harm. By restricting access to suspicious entities, these lists act as a shield, preventing threat actors from exploiting vulnerabilities. This proactive approach allows organisations to anticipate threats and prevent them from materialising, rather than simply reacting to them once they have occurred.
Complementing security strategies
Blacklists are a valuable complement to other security strategies. They are effective in blocking known threats, but cannot protect against unknown or zero-day threats. Therefore, they are useful as long as they are used in coordination with other techniques, such as anomaly detection and threat intelligence. Together, these strategies provide defence in depth, protecting against a wider range of threats.
Reduction of malicious traffic
Blacklists are very effective in reducing malicious traffic. By blocking IP addresses, domains and emails associated with malicious activity, blacklists significantly decrease the amount of unwanted or harmful traffic. This not only improves security, but also increases network efficiency by reducing the amount of unnecessary traffic.
Limitations of blacklisting
Blacklists are a simple and effective tool to protect systems, however, they have limitations that make it necessary to integrate them into a set of tools.
The main limitations of blacklists are:
False positives
Often, blacklists include erroneous collections or analyses that lead to the blocking of legitimate traffic, an occurrence known as false positives. These false positives harm both the organisation blocking the legitimate traffic and the organisation from which the legitimate traffic originates. To address false positives, many organisations use a combination of blacklisting and whitelisting. Whitelists, in contrast to blacklists, contain items that are considered safe and are allowed. The combination of the two types of lists allows for more granular control and reduces the possibility of false positives.
Need for constant updating
To circumvent blacklist blocking, cybercriminals recurrently change IP addresses, domains or anything that could be blacklisted. Therefore, to remain effective, blacklists require constant updating of their database to reflect new threats as they are discovered, at a significant cost in resources.
Implementation of blacklists through Kartos by Enthec
Kartos XTI Watchbots, the Cyber Intelligence platform developed by Enthec, makes it easy for its customers to create private blacklists based on Kartos' findings and the results of their analyses carried out through our in-house developed artificial intelligence solutions.
In this way, in addition to the protection of general blacklists, our clients add that of private blacklists that respond to the specific context of the organization.
Contact us to learn about the benefits of incorporating our Kartos by Enthec Cyber Intelligence solution into your organization's Cybersecurity strategy to detect exposed vulnerabilities, open gaps, create blacklists and eliminate false positives.
How to prevent social media phishing
How to prevent social media phishing
Corporate impersonation or brand abuse on social media encompasses a variety of tactics ranging from fake profiles impersonating the brand to the distribution of malicious content under the brand's name.
What is social media phishing?
In the digital age, social media has become an integral part of our lives and businesses, providing opportunities to connect, share content and interact with diverse communities, including customers. However, this growing dependence has also led to an increase in phishing, fraud and scam campaigns in these virtual environments. These criminal practices have evolved to include corporate impersonation to deceive users and customers in order to obtain confidential information or illicit enrichment. Social media phishing, also known as brand abuse, involves the creation of fake accounts posing as official profiles of well-known companies or relevant individuals. As far as organisations are concerned, impersonators often meticulously copy logos, images and communication style to appear authentic. They often take advantage of active brand communication or promotion campaigns, copying them in order to maliciously lure customers. Their main objective is to trick users into revealing personal or financial information or to damage the company's image. The consequences of corporate impersonation are often serious. Customers lose trust in the brand, leading to a decrease in sales and engagement. In addition, the organisation may face legal problems if customers suffer financial losses due to the impersonation or if the impersonation has been used to commit other illegal acts.
Threats of corporate identity theft on social networks
The impersonation of corporate identity on social media brings with it a number of threats to organisations:
Falsification of profiles
Profile spoofing is at the heart of corporate impersonation on social networks. Criminals create fake profiles that mimic legitimate companies to deceive users and obtain personal or financial information. These fake profiles can become very convincing and even indistinguishable without research, using logos, images and brand language similar to those of the real company to appear authentic. They often post relevant content to appear authentic and gain followers. Once they have gained the trust of users, these profiles are often used to run a variety of scams. This can include promoting fake offers, requesting payment details for non-existent products, or directing users to fraudulent websites where they are asked to provide personal information.
Phishing through social media
In the context of social media, fraudsters use sophisticated techniques to send direct messages or posts that appear to be from a recognised organisation or institution whose identity they have impersonated. Cybercriminals have adapted these tactics to the social media environment, taking advantage of the trust and familiarity that users have with these platforms. They use social engineering tactics to trick users and obtain the sensitive information they seek. In a typical phishing scenario, criminals create fake profiles or pages that look like those of a legitimate company. They then send enticing messages or posts that may include special offers, contests or fake security alerts to lure users into clicking on malicious links. Once the user clicks on the link, they may be directed to a fake website that looks like the company's official website. The user is then prompted to enter personal or financial information, which is then collected by the criminals.
Publication of malicious content
One of the most damaging threats of brand abuse on social media is the publication of malicious content.
Malicious content can take many forms, from false and misleading information to links to dangerous websites or malicious software. This content can be used to damage a company's reputation, sow discord and create conflict, mislead customers and steal valuable information.
Impersonation of services
Impersonation is another significant threat in the context of corporate identity theft on social media. Criminals create accounts that impersonate the brand's customer service, directing users to fake or dangerous sites or luring them into a scam. These fraudulent services can range from non-existent product offers to false promises of customer support. Users, believing they are interacting with the real company, provide personal or financial information, make payments or make decisions based on incorrect information. Spoofing significantly damages an organisation's reputation. Customers who have been misled often associate their negative experiences with the real company, even holding it responsible for lack of sufficient vigilance and protection, which can lead to loss of trust and loyalty. There can also be a direct financial impact. If customers are tricked into buying fraudulent products or services, sales decrease. In addition, the organisation may face significant costs to mitigate the damage, restore its reputation or legally prove its lack of responsibility for the crime.
Preventing phishing on social networks
Preventing social media phishing is critical to protecting your customers and your organisation. A good strategy on how to prevent social media phishing needs to include:
Monitoring social networks
By continuously monitoring social media, organisations can detect fraudulent use of their corporate identity on social media and prevent cybercriminals from using the brand with impunity to deceive customers. Continuous monitoring and analysis of the data it provides also helps to identify emerging patterns and trends of brand abuse and proactively respond to the threat.
Establish a proactive protection strategy
When an organisation has a proactive social media brand protection strategy in place, the likelihood of the threat of maliciously targeted brand abuse decreases.
The proactive strategy allows the organisation to stay ahead of brand abuse, detecting identity theft on social networks in real time so that the organisation can proceed with its cancellation before it causes significant damage. You may be interested in our publication→ Proactive security: what is it and why use it to prevent and detect threats and cyberattacks?
Being active in social networks
Although it may seem paradoxical, not opening corporate profiles on the different social networks or remaining inactive on them not only does not protect against identity theft, but also encourages it. Having very active profiles on social networks allows users to become familiar with the brand's own communication and to detect impersonators more easily. In addition, active profiles make it easier to check the veracity of a profile that arouses suspicion among users.
Protecting the brand with advanced technologies
The continued sophistication of cyber-attacks requires organisational protection that is up to the task and uses advanced strategies and technologies such as artificial intelligence and automation to provide the right responses at the right time. Solutions based on artificial intelligence and machine learning identify fake profiles and malicious activity more effectively and quickly than traditional methods. In addition, they are able to automatically track active or latent fraudulent campaigns on social media until they are completely eliminated.
Consequences of corporate identity theft on social networks
Brand abuse often has serious consequences for an organisation:
Financial losses
Social media impersonation leads to a decrease in brand value due to loss of trust, as well as a decrease in revenue due to lost sales to misled or defrauded customers. After a successful social media impersonation, the organisation is forced to invest in powerful communication campaigns to regain some of its customers' trust. In addition, when cybercriminals use the impersonated corporate identity to engage in illegal activities, fees are generated to cover legal action.
Reputational damage
The reputation of a brand has a direct impact on its value. Corporate impersonation on social media damages the reputation of an organisation and its brand. Fraudsters use a company's brand to spread false information or engage in unethical or even criminal behaviour that has negative effects on the organisation's image. When this happens, the corporate image is damaged.
Legal problems
Corporate impersonation raises legal issues when fraudsters use the brand to engage in illegal activities, as the organisation will initially be held liable until it proves the impersonation. In addition, defrauded customers may hold the organisation vicariously liable for the deception due to a lack of sufficient vigilance and protection, and claim restitution for their financial loss from the organisation, either legally or administratively. This also implies a legal or administrative defence.
Loss of customer confidence
After interacting with or hearing about fake accounts that have impersonated the corporate identity, customers perceive that the organisation is not taking adequate measures to protect its brand and, indirectly, them from scams.
They then become wary of interacting with the company on social media, proceed to avoid it and are less likely to remain loyal to it.
Protect yourself from social media phishing with Kartos by Enthec
Kartos, the Cyber Intelligence platform developed by Enthec continuously and automatically monitors the web and social networks to detect domains, subdomains, websites and social profiles identical or similar to those of your organisation. Thanks to its self-developed Artificial Intelligence, false positive findings are eliminated. In addition, Kartos tracks phishing, fraud and corporate identity fraud campaigns detected until they are deactivated, with identification of the countries in which they are active, data and alarms in real time. Since this year, the Kartos platform also offers a Takedown Service for social profiles, domains and fraudulent subdomains, as well as cloned websites detected by the platform. Contact us for more information on how Kartos can help you protect your brand from cloning and abuse on the internet and social networks.
Cybersquatting: what is it and how to protect yourself?
Cybersquatting: what is it and how to protect yourself?
Cybersquatting is an increasingly widespread cybercrime that exploits the value of brands to make illegitimate profits by squatting on their domain. This cybercrime is becoming commonplace in the digital environment, so it is crucial for organisations to know exactly what cybersquatting is and how to protect themselves against it.
What is cybersquatting?
Cybersquatting is the act of registering, selling or using a domain name in bad faith, taking advantage of the reputation and commercial value of a famous brand or name with the intention of making illegitimate profits. Essentially, cybersquatting is a form of online piracy that causes harm to businesses and individuals. The term comes from squatting, which is the act of illegally occupying property, with the addition of cyber, to confine it to the digital environment. In this case, the squatted property would be the corporate domain. This is why cybersquatting is also called cybersquatting. Cybersquatters often register domain names or create subdomains that are identical or confusingly similar to popular brands in order to trick users into visiting their website. This leads users to fraudulent websites with various illegal intentions: selling fake goods, scams, data theft... In addition, cybersquatting is also often used by cybersquatters to profit from the sale of squatted domains to legitimate companies at exorbitant prices, in order for them to avoid damage to their brand. To combat cybersquatting, ICANN has developed the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). This procedure makes it easier for affected companies to recover domain names registered in bad faith. To find out more about cyber-attacks on businesses, go here→ How to protect yourself in the midst of a wave of cyber-attacks on businesses.
Differences between cybersquatting and phishing
Although both are cybercrimes that involve the misuse of names and trademarks and sometimes go hand in hand in a cyberattack, the cybersquatting and phishing are not exactly the same thing.
Cybersquatting is the registration, trafficking or use of a domain name that is identical or similar to a well-known trademark. Its aim is to make financial gain through that identical or similar domain name.
It does not necessarily involve deceiving users or stealing personal information; sometimes it is simply used to force the organisation to ransom the domain. Phishing, in turn, involves sending fake emails or creating fake websites that mimic legitimate companies or brands in order to trick users into obtaining personal information, financial information or login credentials. It aims to gain access to accounts, steal identities and commit fraud. It involves the use of social engineering techniques to manipulate victims into believing they are interacting with a trustworthy entity. Often, however, the first step in a phishing attack is cybersquatting: a real domain is used to create a fake website or profiles as the basis of the deception.
Some examples of cybersquatting
Some prominent examples of cybersquatting are:
- Registration of domain names identical or similar to famous brands with the intention of reselling them to their rightful owners at an excessive price.
- Use of domain names to divert web traffic to sites with pornographic content, misleading advertising or illegal activities.
- Blocking domain names to prevent legitimate companies from registering and using them, in order to sell them to the highest bidder.
- Creation of fake websites that mimic the appearance of well-known brands to deceive users and obtain personal or financial information.
Detection of cybersquatting
Some of the most effective strategies for detecting cybersquatting are:
- Domain monitoring. One of the most effective ways to detect cybersquatting is through regular monitoring of domain names. Such tools issue real-time alerts when a domain name that is similar to the organisation's domain name is registered, allowing quick action to be taken to protect the brand.
- Use of internet service provider (ISP) domain look-up tools. The tool shows the many variations that could be used to commit cybersquatting. These tools also indicate which domains have already been registered.
- WHOIS search. The WHOIS database is a valuable resource for detecting cybersquatting. A WHOIS search provides information on who has registered a particular domain name. In this way, an organisation can check whether a domain name similar to its brand name has been registered by someone who has no legitimate relationship to it.
- Phishing detection tools. Sometimes cybersquatters use cybersquatting in their phishing tactics to trick users into visiting their fraudulent websites. Phishing detection tools help to identify these websites and, collaterally, to detect cybersquatting.
The role of new technologies
Artificial Intelligence and machine learning are beginning to play a crucial role in the fight against cybersquatting. Their detection, analysis, learning and automation capabilities make them key tools for proactively, accurately and effectively combating cybersquatting. As cybercriminals develop more sophisticated tactics, their use will become increasingly critical. The use of AI and machine learning-based solutions allows:
- Proactive detection of suspicious domains: real-time detection and analysis of new domain registrations and patterns indicating possible cybersquatting, such as names similar to well-known brands.
- Constant monitoring of registered domains: continuous monitoring of detected suspicious domains similar to the brand, with alerts on changes in content or usage that may indicate fraudulent activities.
- Identification of cybersquatting techniques and patterns: recognition of common methods used by cybercriminals, such as addition, substitution or omission of characters in domain names.
- Reduction of false positives: accuracy in distinguishing between legitimate domain registrations and real cybersquatting cases, reducing false alerts.
- Automated real-time response: activation of automatic response protocols to block the suspect domain, notify the authorities and the affected brand and proceed to takedown.
Most used methods of cybersquatting
Cybersquatting can occur in different ways.
Homographic
It involves replacing characters in a domain name with visually similar characters, often indistinguishable to the naked eye. This method is particularly effective because of the difficulty for the human eye to distinguish between certain characters, especially in URLs.
Addition
It involves adding additional characters to an existing domain name. It is particularly effective when targeting brands with short names, as an additional character can easily go unnoticed.
Omission
In this case, it refers to the removal of characters from an existing domain name. It is quite effective when targeting brands with long names, as one less character goes unnoticed.
Domain change
It involves slightly altering an existing domain name, often by changing the order of the characters, introducing a spelling mistake or using a domain extension different from the organisation's official one. Its effectiveness is based on the very mistakes users make when typing a domain into the search engine.
Subdomain
A common cybersquatting tactic is the creation of subdomains outside one's own brand. A subdomain is an extension of the main domain name. Cybersquatters register subdomains containing the name of popular brands to trick users and redirect traffic to fraudulent sites.
How to prevent cybersquatting
Preventing cybersquatting can be a challenge, but there are several strategies that help protect the brand and domain:
- Early domain registration. Register domain names that are important to the brand early. This may include variations, common misspellings and other domain names that could be attractive to cybersquatters.
- Trademark protection. Registering the trademark provides additional legal protection against cybersquatting. If the trademark is registered, it ensures the possibility of winning a domain name dispute.
- Constant vigilance. Continuous monitoring of the domain with automated tools capable of alerting about the use or registration of domains and subdomains that are the same or similar to corporate domains is essential.
- Use of a private registration service. When registering a domain name, it is advisable to use a private registration service, so that cyber criminals cannot access the information associated with the registration.
- Legal action. Take immediate legal action to recover the domain name when cybersquatting is detected. The Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) is the process for doing this.
You may be interested in our publication→ Brand protection: strategies to prevent fraudulent use.
Protect yourself from cybersquatting with Kartos by Enthec
Kartos XTI Watchbots, our Cyber Intelligence platform, uses in-house developed Artificial Intelligence to help organizations monitor their domain and detect any associated cybersquatting.
In addition, Kartos by Enthec provides organizations with real-time alerts about the existence of domains and subdomains associated with those of their brand and offers takedown services for the removal of those that are fraudulent.
Contact us to learn more about how the solutions of our Kartos XTI Watchbots Cyber Intelligence platform can help you detect and prevent cybersquatting, protect your brand, and avoid cyberattacks.
New Takedown Service
New Takedown Service
Since July 2024, Kartos has included in its offer a Takedown Service for the removal from the network of content that may pose a harm or risk to the organisations it monitors.
What kind of Takedowns does Kartos offer?
An operation can be performed on multiple types of content, depending on the repositories where they are located. In the service associated with Kartos, the takedowns offered are the following:
- Fake websites that operate fraudulently by impersonating the brand in order to carry out scams, fraud or phishing.
- Removal of content on impersonation profiles on social networks through fake profiles of brands or individuals.
These services are offered exclusively on the findings detected by Kartos in its use as a monitoring tool.
What specific actions are carried out by the Kartos Takedown Service?
For Web:
- Blacklisting on all major platforms
- Intervention in domain and hosting providers.
- Regular mails of information on the status of the service
- Final report on the results of the action.
For Social Media Content:
- Actions on the content of profiles on the main networks, to prevent damage to people or brands through the publication of offensive, false or malicious content on their own or fake networks.
What is the average resolution time of the Kartos Takedown Service?
The average resolution time depends on the type of takedown that needs to be performed:
- Phishing, copyright infringement and fake websites can take from hours to 4 days.
- Those related to social media impersonation require the involvement of legal teams and can take up to a month to complete.
If you would like more information about the new Kartos Takedown Service, please contact us.
Keys to preventing data leaks
Keys to preventing data leaks
A data breach is a security incident in which confidential information is accessed or extracted without permission, which may include personal data, credentials or any other sensitive information of individuals and organisations. Here, we explain in more detail what it means and the fundamental keys to preventing a data breach.
What is a data leak?
Data leakage is one of the most common and damaging incidents in the field of cybersecurity.
A data breach occurs when confidential information is accidentally or unlawfully exposed. This can happen inside or outside an organisation, and can be the result of a cyber-attack, human error or a failure in security systems. The information leaked in a data breach varies widely in content. It can be personal data, such as names, addresses and social security numbers; financial data, such as credit card numbers and bank account details; or corporate data, such as product details and business strategies. The consequences of a data breach are generally significant. For individuals, it can end up as identity theft or financial fraud. For businesses, it can result in legal fines, loss of reputation and damage to customer relationships. Data leakage can be a quick event, where data is exposed and used immediately, or it can be a slow process, where data is collected over a long period of time before it is used.
Main types of data leakage
Data leaks are differentiated into different types such as:
Interns
In internal data leaks, data is leaked or leaked from within the organisation. It happens when employees or persons with authorised access to confidential information disclose or extract it in an unauthorised way, intentionally or unintentionally. Also, when an unauthorised person outside the organisation gains access to the organisation and its data. Generally, the latter type usually corresponds to a cyber-attack. Some of the main causes of insider leaks include:
- Disgruntled employees or employees with malicious intent who steal data for personal purposes or to sell to third parties.
- Lack of adequate controls and monitoring of the activities of users with access to sensitive data.
- Lack of clear information security policies and insufficient staff training.
- Vulnerabilities in systems and applications that allow unauthorised access to information.
- Cyber-attacks executed to obtain the information.
External
External data leaks are incidents in which confidential information is leaked without authorisation, willingly or unwillingly, by persons or entities outside the organisation, from outside the organisation.
Within external corporate data leaks, those caused by third parties represent a significant threat to an organisation. These leaks occur when an external entity that has legitimate access to an organisation's data, such as a service provider or business partner, inadvertently or maliciously exposes that information. Third parties within an organisation have access to a wide range of corporate data, from personal information of employees and customers to trade secrets and intellectual property. If they do not follow appropriate security measures, they become a weak link in the information security chain. To mitigate this risk, organisations must ensure that all third parties they work with have robust information security policies and procedures in place. This involves conducting cybersecurity audits, including data security clauses in contracts and, most effectively, automated, continuous, real-time monitoring of third-party risk.
4 causes of data leakage
Data leakage can be caused by voluntary and malicious acts or involuntary acts.
The most common causes of unintentional corporate data leaks include:
Use of suspicious software
Suspicious programmes, often disguised as legitimate software, can infiltrate an organisation's systems and give illegitimate access to confidential information. They are introduced by employees unaware of the risks or by external attackers. Once inside, these programmes collect and transmit sensitive corporate data. Infiltration of malware into the corporate system can occur through unwitting installation of malicious software, use of unauthorised messaging or cloud storage applications, downloading infected files or connecting to insecure public networks. Constant supervision and monitoring of activities is essential to detect and prevent the use of malicious software that can lead to data leaks.
Vulnerabilities in the system
Failures in firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and other security controls can leave data exposed to external attacks. In addition, inappropriate network configurations, such as the setting of access permissions, communication protocols, and other network settings, are likely to open unauthorised access to information. Also, lack of security patches and updates to applications and operating systems or lack of data encryption and protection make information more vulnerable to theft.
Social engineering
Social engineering is a major cause of corporate data breaches. Cybercriminals manipulate employees into revealing confidential information, often through phishing or phishing tactics. These attacks become very sophisticated, masquerading as legitimate communications from colleagues or superiors. Social engineering exploits the human tendency to trust and cooperate. To circumvent it, companies must implement cybersecurity training and awareness and appropriate security policies to mitigate this risk.
Improper design or implementation of security protocols
If security policies are not properly implemented and enforced, this creates vulnerabilities that cybercriminals can exploit to gain access to sensitive organisational data. It is crucial that companies design robust security protocols and ensure that they are properly enforced. Ongoing training and security audits are essential to prevent data leaks, as well as monitoring user activities and reporting security incidents. Security protocols must also be regularly reviewed, tested and updated to ensure their effectiveness.
Tips to prevent data leakage
We recommend that you consider the following tips on how to prevent a data leakage:
Use two-factor authentication
Dual authentication is a security measure that requires users to provide two forms of identification before accessing systems. This can be something the user knows, such as a password; something they possess, such as a mobile phone to receive a verification code; or something inherent to the user, such as a fingerprint. This additional layer of security makes it difficult for cybercriminals to access data, even if they have obtained a password. Dual authentication is a valuable investment in protecting corporate data.
In addition, two-factor authentication can be complemented with other measures such as data encryption and activity monitoring to further strengthen corporate information security. You may be interested in our publication→ Good information security practices for your company.
Keeping equipment up to date
Outdated systems have security vulnerabilities that cybercriminals try to exploit to execute attacks. Updates include security patches that fix vulnerabilities as they are detected. In addition, newer versions of software and hardware often incorporate better security measures. It is therefore crucial that companies implement a policy of regular updates and ensure that all devices, tools, systems and applications are up to date. This requires investments in time and resources, but is an essential preventive measure to ensure the protection of corporate data.
Regulating access to confidential information
It involves implementing a system in the organisation that ensures that only authorised employees have access to sensitive data. Access control systems, such as role-based authentication, are an example of such a regulation. Limiting access not only reduces the possibility of data being compromised internally, but also reduces the risk of cyber criminals gaining access through compromised accounts.
Update data security policies
Given the continuous evolution of threats, data security policies easily become obsolete. It is therefore imperative that organisations establish a recurrent process of updating these policies to incorporate the latest technologies and procedures. In addition to adapting to changes in the technology environment, security policy updates also allow organisations to incorporate new regulatory requirements, organisational growth and change, and reviews following a security incident.
Cyber-intelligence for the prevention of data leaks
Cyber Intelligence is an essential tool for the prevention and localisation of corporate data breaches, providing the information needed to understand, mitigate and respond to threats. It enables organisations to identify and monitor suspicious activities, both internal and external, that may indicate potential or actual activity to access, extract or leak sensitive information. Cyber Intelligence is based on the collection and analysis of information about potential threats in cyberspace. It includes the identification of suspicious behaviour patterns, the detection of open security holes and exposed vulnerabilities and the prediction of future threats. This enables organisations to adopt a proactive, risk-based security approach to protect their sensitive data. One of the main advantages of Cyber Intelligence is its ability to provide a real-time view of security threats. In this way, it enables organisations to respond quickly to threats, thus minimising the impact of any data leakage. In addition, Cyber Intelligence helps organisations to better understand the threat landscape. This includes identifying threat actors, their tactics, techniques and procedures, and the types of data they are seeking. With this information, companies can develop more effective defence strategies. By incorporating Cyber Intelligence into their data cybersecurity strategy and combining advanced analytics, constant monitoring and security best practices, organisations significantly strengthen their defence posture against data breaches.
Protect your organisation's data with Kartos By Enthec
The Kartos By Enthec helps you protect your organization's data thanks to continuous, real-time automated monitoring of the external attack surface.
Using Artificial Intelligence developed in-house, the Kartos XTI Watchbots Cyber Intelligence platform can detect in real time any corporate data leak, both its own and that of your third parties, issue an alert, and locate the vulnerability that caused it.
Don't wait any longer to protect your data and negate the consequences of any leak. Contact us to learn about our solutions.