Key steps for data exfiltration prevention in mobile devices

• It is important for enterprises to put in place appropriate mobile device management strategies for the protection of sensitive, proprietary information against unauthorised access and data breaches.
• The approach that is proactive or may mean prioritising upholding prevention of data exfiltration in itself is a justification for protecting corporate assets and gaining trust and assurance in mobile technology as a core component of modern business processes.

In the present age, with data being the most precious asset, appropriate MDM practices cannot just be an option but a dire necessity for data security.

Mobile devices have played increasingly crucial roles in personal as well as professional situations in today’s digital environment. With dependence on mobile technology rising, organisations have to find ways of preventing the theft of sensitive data-in other words, the malicious transport of information from within an organisation to an outside entity.

It is by effective mobile device management (MDM) that sensitive information can be protected from unauthorised access and compliance with data protection regulations ensured.

Mobile device management (MDM) refers to a set of solutions and tools used to manage and monitor corporate employees’ mobile devices when they use to connect to corporate resources. This kind of solution provides IT administrators with very powerful capabilities, including inventory for each device, enforcement of configurations, application management, and security of data.

Prevent data exfiltration within the organisation using these essential strategies that organisations can implement in their MDM practices.

1.  Strong Authentication Methods:  Unless a strong authentication process is followed, mobile devices cannot be sufficiently safeguarded. Organisations should implement two-factor authentication systems that require users to present more than one proof before giving access to devices and applications. Biometric methods, like fingerprints or facial recognition, should be complemented by other traditional forms, like passwords and PINs, to further ensure denial of entry.
2. Encryption of Data:  Unauthorised access to mobile data can be prevented by ensuring that it is encrypted. By doing so, even if someone gains access to the data, it becomes unreadable in the absence of an appropriate decryption key. This becomes another safety barrier thrown across the pathway of data breaches. Both at rest and during transit, data should be encrypted using strong encryption standards and all sensitive data should be well protected.
3. Application Whitelisting or Blacklisting:  Application whitelisting policy enables control by an organisation of what applications can be allowed to run on devices, which thus minimises risks associated with malicious software or rogue apps that aid in data exfiltration. Otherwise, it also further blocks access to potentially malicious software by maintaining a blacklist of known harmful applications.
4. Regular Security Audits and Monitoring:  Conduct regular security audits to identify weaknesses and misconfigurations in the organisation’s MDM. It also serves the organisation well if continuous monitoring of mobile devices is done for suspicious activities such as unauthorised access attempts or unusual data transmissions, as it provides a quick response to what could turn out to be a data breach. Automated alerts will facilitate prompt investigation and remediation.
5. User Education and Awareness Training: Employees are usually the first line of defence against data exfiltration. Therefore, it is critical to provide them with extensive training and education on best practices for mobile-device usage, including recognition and management of phishing attacks and the dangers of public Wi-Fi. Regularly conducted awareness campaigns increase the personal commitment to security measures and the practices that encourage responsible behaviour.
6. Remote Wipe Functionality:  If a device is lost or stolen, then remote wipe capability is important for the organisation. Organisations should adopt an MDM solution that can support remote deletion in order to ensure that confidential information does not remain in the wrong hands if it is put on the wrong devices. This becomes increasingly relevant for organisations that work with sensitive information or PII.
7. Laws and Regulations Compliance: Last but not least, the mobile device management procedure should comply with all the laws and regulations standards, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Compliance is not only beneficial for the protection of organisational data but also acts as a confidence booster among its clients and stakeholders.

Data exfiltration prevention examples

Data breaches could occur through cyberattacks, insider threats, and even accidental leaks. Attackers could exploit the vulnerability in a system or network to siphon off confidential information, while employees may take advantage of their clearances to extract sensitive data for malicious purposes, or even unknowingly share it through poor security practices.

The costs associated with data exfiltration could be severe, including financial loss and operational downtime, not to mention reputational damage and legal liability.

1.  Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Solutions: DLP technology features are predominantly meant to identify, supervise and protect important data that may take residence at end-user points, network endpoints, and cloud services. Such a deployment may include DLP programs that trigger keyword or pattern matching of outgoing emails to detect Social Security numbers or credit card information. DLP systems have greatly reduced the chances of accidental and malicious data breaches because messages could be automatically blocked or encrypted.
2. Network Security Measures: Robust network security measures should be in place for data exfiltration prevention-fortified firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS), and secure web gateways which have traffic monitoring and access control. For instance, an organisation may well configure its firewall to block communication with known blacklisted IP addresses connected to data theft or limit outbound traffic to only necessary protocols and destinations.
3. Endpoint Protection: Laptops and mobile devices usually serve as endpoints and, to some degree, they are targets for data exfiltration. Organisations may also protect themselves from endpoint attacks through endpoint protection platforms (EPP) combined with advanced threat detection and response capabilities. Enhanced security may be achieved by multi-factor authentication, which requires several proof-of-identity components before accessing data. Limiting the use of USB ports to an organisation could also prevent unauthorised transfer of files from devices directly.
4. User Behaviour Analytics (UBA): UBA solutions leverage machine learning into the analysis of user behaviour besides detecting anomalies of possible data exfiltration attempts. For example, if an employee downloads hundreds of megabytes of information out of normal hours or accesses sensitive information that does not apply to their position, then automated alerts can notify security to further investigate. Such proactive methods would be able to help organisations quickly respond to potential illegal activities.
5. Data Encryption:  Encryption of required data, both at rest and while in transit, is fundamental towards preventing data exfiltration. Following this, an intruder cannot decrypt an encrypted file without its appropriate decryption key. An organisation may, for instance, use Transport Layer Security (TLS) as an encrypted path for data transmission over the internet. It prevents even interception of the transmitted information.