How safe are you online? How safe is your personal information when using a computer device? Companies need to be protected against malicious inside users and outside users who try to access information without permission.
Companies such as Ethyca work to ensure information is protected both on the front-end and back-end. Clients and users are engaged on how to ensure they are safe through mediums such as data security and data privacy.
What is the difference between data security and data privacy?
Data privacy is ensuring information is used and protected through the right channels. For example in a company when a financial officer wants to release passwords to send salary to workers, the passwords are channeled to each individual and they ensure no one else can access the password of the other.
Data security entails maintaining the integrity of information from malicious attacks. If information is breached or altered, it loses its security and could lead to expensive recovery. Security is achieved through encryption, network security, or breach response.
People are encouraged to ensure any information they share through computer systems is both secure and maintains a high privacy level.
How to ensure data privacy and data security
Through encryption
There are two types of encryption. Symmetric and asymmetric. Symmetric uses one key to encrypt data both the front end and the back end while asymmetric uses both a private and public key to encrypt and decrypt data.
Managing data access
Being in control of the confidentiality of data is about controlling who can access the data. Control and monitoring of data access are achieved by ensuring that people that access the data have authorization and are on a need to know which helps in limiting exposure. Users should also make use of strong passwords and two-factor authentication. Companies should review access lists constantly and revoke access whenever the access is deemed unnecessary.
Secure disposal of data, devices, and paper records
When data is no longer necessary to the company then it should be appropriately disposed of. Devices used for the company’s purpose of storing important and sensitive information should be securely erased to ensure that the deleted content cannot be recovered or used maliciously.
Managing data acquisition
When collecting sensitive data the company should be keen about the amount of data collected versus the amount of data that is needed and consider privacy and acquisition in the acquisition process. Companies are advised against acquiring sensitive data unless it’s necessary. One of the ways of ensuring data privacy is by reducing the amount of sensitive data collected.
Back-up
Data is backed up into devices such as clouds with limited access to it. This avoids unauthorized access to the stored information at the same time allowing information to be retrieved in case it is lost or compromised.
In conclusion, the world is becoming digital gradually and companies and persons that were used to analog life have to change to digital life. It is important to know how to secure your information on computer systems. Unethical hackers are on the rise and it is safe to be vigilant through institutions like Ethyca.