Image: © Tim Sandle
There is a strong upward trend in insider cybersecurity risk. This is reflected in the cost, frequency and time spent on security incidents. All of this shows that traditional approaches to managing insider risk simply do not work.
In addition, monitoring platforms have not proven to be particularly effective. And what makes matters worse, they are complex to deploy and manage.
For these reasons, an event is celebrated every year and the next edition will take place in September 2024. National Insider Threat Awareness Month.
The event takes place annually in September and was launched in 2019 to help organizations and individuals better understand insider threats and promote the development of strategies to combat them.
Previously Digital Journal heard from Carl D’Halluin, CTO, Datadobi and Larry O’Connor, CEO and Founder, Other World Computing (OWC). Now it’s the turn of DeeDee Kato, Vice President of Corporate Marketing, Foxit.
Kato focuses on a specific topic – the Portable Document Format: “I think this year, during National Insider Threats Awareness Month, it’s time to highlight the importance of robust document security measures – especially when it comes to the often overlooked PDF format.”
The most common misuse of PDF files is by mistake by the employee, as Kato notes: “Whether you are a government agency, a corporation, a healthcare provider or a financial institution, you can assume that your PDF documents contain highly sensitive information.”
The proof is in the details, notes Kato: “It’s important to know, however, that not all PDFs are created equal – especially when it comes to protecting against internal or external threats. But if privacy and security are a concern (and who isn’t these days), you need to know what to look for when choosing your PDF software.”
Kato’s good advice is: “I think many of you know that the first step is to choose a solution that doesn’t skimp on robust protection features like encryption, digital signatures and redaction tools. This way you can be sure that only authorized users can access sensitive content and that sensitive information is permanently removed if necessary.”
The expert then notes, “Next on the checklist should be advanced permission settings to control actions like printing and editing. And let’s not forget that integration with Microsoft OneDrive, SharePoint, etc. should include watermarks to protect your documents, data, and personal information and prevent unauthorized distribution. Audit trails and tracking capabilities are two more features that take your data protection and security to the next level – allowing you to monitor access and changes and comply with those important data protection regulations.”
Summarizing these aspects, Kato points out, “During this National Insider Threats Awareness Month and in all the months that follow… remain relentless in your efforts to prevent insider threats – leave no stone unturned and investigate every potential risk, even those that seem innocuous, such as a seemingly harmless PDF.”
