How Companies Protect Personally Identifiable Information
Personally identifiable information (PII) is data that can be used to identify a particular person; this data includes Social Security numbers, birth dates, email addresses, credit card numbers, driver’s license numbers, passport numbers, and more.
Companies collect PII from their clients and customers daily, and businesses must keep PII secure to prevent bad actors from accessing and using the data. Learn how companies protect personally identifiable information.
1. Encryption
Cybercriminals might find ways to access a corporate network, but if the data is encrypted, it won't be very sensible to them. Therefore, businesses must encrypt data when it’s stored and transmitted between parties.
Encryption keeps data secure by scrambling it into ciphertext. Ciphertext appears as a meaningless combination of random symbols; only authorized parties have the encryption key, which allows them to turn it back into plaintext.
2. Data Masking
Another way companies protect personally identifiable information is through data masking. Data masking obscures sensitive information, keeping it hidden and minimizing the risk of data breaches. The hidden data is replaced with proxy data, such as XXXX appearing in place of digits for a Social Security number.
Once you mask data, no one can reverse the process. This makes it easier for a business to share information internally without the risk of revealing PII. Using data masking to protect PII helps businesses stay compliant with federal and state laws.
Referring back to the word "proxy", you may have heard this be used personally and professionally to help people remain anonymous online. Whilst some people will utilize a VPN to access certain sites without being tracked to their actual IP address, proxy servers can also be a huge benefit. Proxy servers like socks5 proxy, for example, do not encrypt data, this must be understood before using one alone. However, some proxies can be used with a VPN for maximum security.
This does take some time to configure of course as this will slow down your internet connection which can be tough when working, so it maybe best to switch from one to the other when browsing, so you are always protected.
Cyber criminals can be incredibly smart. They plan and practice different ways to access data and they do so by learning how people protect theirs. So, if new security measures come out for data masking, or new software is introduced, always take a look and see if this will work for your business and how you can better utilize this for the 'every day'.
3. Secure Remote Access for Employees
Lastly, with the rise of remote work, it’s more important now than ever for businesses to secure remote access for employees; using many cybersecurity measures together builds the most vigorous defense against any threat. Developing a detailed cybersecurity policy is the first step. It helps you understand which assets your business needs to protect, possible threats to their security, and the rules for protecting them.
Employee cybersecurity training is another vital part of securing employees’ remote access. Ensuring employees understand how to secure their devices and safeguard against social engineering attacks physically meant to steal information helps keep data secure.
