Data Handling

Data Handling Life Cycle

• Data experiences a unique life cycle through various stages: creating, utilizing, sharing, modifying, archiving, and destroying data.

  • Creating: Knowledge is initially tacit and becomes explicit.

  • Storing: Data is recorded to ensure accessibility and reference.

  • Using: Information may be modified, supplemented, or partially deleted based on interactions or requirements.

  • Sharing: Data is shared with other users; this can involve copying or moving data.

  • Archiving: Data is stored temporarily when not actively needed but must be retrievable if required.

  • Destroying: Data is disposed of when it is officially verified as no longer needed.

Importance of Data Security Life Cycle Model

• The data security life cycle model aligns with the roles performed by individuals and organizations during the evolution of data.

• Helps contextualize data states:

  • In Use: Data actively being processed.

  • At Rest: Data stored but not actively accessed.

  • In Motion: Data being transmitted or shared.

Activities Throughout Data Lifetime

• There are six major activities for data as it evolves:

  • Data Handling Importance: Recognizing the assets that need protection based on their value.

  • Risk Assessment: Evaluating potential risks related to data loss, corruption, or unauthorized access.

Government Regulations on Data Handling

• Data handling procedures can be influenced by regulatory standards:

  • In the US, OSHA mandates that medical records for workplace injuries must be retained for 30 years, while other medical records may be kept for 10 years.

  • Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) outlines the secure handling of credit card information.

  • GDPR in the EU includes strict regulations on how financial data must be protected.

• Multiple jurisdictions may impose conflicting regulatory requirements on the same data set, necessitating thorough understanding and compliance.

Data Handling Practices

• Classification and Labeling: Identifying the sensitivity of data to control access levels effectively.

• Retention: Determining how long data will be kept and in what storage medium, often influenced by regulatory requirements.

• Defensible Destruction: Ensuring a lawful basis for data destruction and utilizing valid methods to eliminate data effectively:

  • Physical Destruction: Disposal of hard drives or chips.

  • Digital Destruction: Ensuring deletions render data unrecoverable, beyond the simple act of emptying virtual trash.

• Secure Data-Wiping Methods: Utilizing techniques like degaussing (using powerful magnets) to completely erase data from physical media.

Overview of Encryption

• Encryption is fundamental in modern digital transactions, ensuring security and authenticity.

  • Cryptography is utilized to obscure meaning, rendering data unintelligible without decryption capabilities.

  • Plaintext: Original, readable data that can take many forms (e.g. images, text, databases).

  • Ciphertext: Encrypted data that appears as random characters and is unreadable without a key.

Integrity in Data Security

• Hash Functions and Digital Signatures: Provide data integrity services:

  • Any alteration results in a different outcome, signaling potential tampering.

  • Confidentiality: Encryption conceals messages from unauthorized access.

Encryption System Components

• Core components of an encryption system:

  • Algorithm: A set of rules or steps for encrypting and decrypting data.

  • Encryption Key: A piece of information that determines the output of the encryption algorithm.

  • Cryptovariables: Variables associated with the encryption process.

• Ensuring robust key management is critical to security and accessibility.

Password Security

• Passwords must be handled with care; secure password policies are paramount:

  • Hash values: Passwords stored as hashes maintain security by hiding their actual values.

  • Modern demands require secure alphanumeric passwords generated to minimize cracking risks.

Data Security Event Example

• Raw logs can track unauthorized access attempts:

  • Logging is essential in determining events and accountability, often critical for audits and forensic assessments.

Common Security Policies

• Clearly outlined during onboarding, related to roles enforcing information security processes.

  • Policies designed to meet organizational needs and regulatory compliance will have associated penalties for non-compliance.

Phishing Attacks

• An overview of phishing attacks, including variations like whaling attacks targeting high-profile individuals.

• Organizations must balance personal use of IT assets against security risks, shaping their acceptable use policies accordingly.

Historical Context of Encryption

• Encryption methods have existed since ancient times, showcasing the human inclination to protect communication.

Key Management and Implementation of Encryption

• Effective encryption relies on secure key management practices to prevent unauthorized access.

Hashing Concepts

• Hashing creates a digest that uniquely identifies the input data:

  • Changes to input result in different hashes, signaling potential issues with data integrity.

Change Management Process

• Describes the systematic approach to managing changes in an organization:

  • Request for Change (RFC): Starting point that includes evaluating, authorizing, testing, documenting, and implementing changes.

• Rollback procedures are critical to restore systems in case of failure following changes.

Logging and Monitoring Security Events

• The value of thorough logging practices is emphasized:

  • Key logs include user ID, system activities, timestamps, and access attempts.

• Critical for identifying and addressing security incidents and maintaining compliance with retention policies.