With the growing dependence of businesses on digital platforms for storing and processing sensitive information, the threat of data exfiltration has become a pressing issue. The evolution of exfiltration techniques has given rise to threat actors who exploit insecure devices and engage in suspicious activities to steal valuable data.
These activities often involve unauthorized physical access or social engineering attacks to obtain login credentials with malicious intent. The consequences of such incidents can be severe, leading to financial loss, reputational damage, and operational disruptions.
Given these risks, it is crucial for companies to adopt robust data exfiltration prevention software solutions. These solutions utilize advanced technologies, such as machine learning, behavioral analytics, and contextual monitoring, to effectively monitor, detect, and block the unauthorized transfer of information. This technological prowess enables them to differentiate between normal data usage and potential exfiltration attempts, providing a strong defense against data breaches.
In this article, we’ll guide you through the top 9 data exfiltration prevention solutions, each thoroughly evaluated and leading the charge in safeguarding organizational data.
Here are the nine solutions we’ll be covering in this post:
- Teramind
- Code42
- Forcepoint DLP
- Trend Micro IDLP
- Sophos
- Endpoint Protector
- Safetica
- Symantec DLP
- SecureTrust Data Loss Prevention
Teramind
Teramind is an industry-leading platform that combines user activity monitoring with intelligent behavior analytics to protect against data leaks, phishing attacks, and IP theft. It offers features, including automated alerts, live screen capture, and sophisticated rule logic to detect and prevent fraudulent activities and insider threats.
The software’s flexibility empowers organizations to deploy it in various environments, catering to their needs regardless of size or industry. By leveraging Teramind, companies can ensure compliance with industry regulations and optimize their business processes while maintaining a secure and efficient operational framework.
Teramind Features
- Offers comprehensive user activity monitoring, including screen recording, keystroke logging, application monitoring, email monitoring, and remote viewing.
- Advanced DLP features help organizations protect sensitive data and prevent data breaches by monitoring and controlling file transfers, clipboard activities, and content-based rules.
- Rich set of features offers comprehensive oversight and prevents insider threats.
- Teramind helps organizations in highly regulated industries like healthcare maintain compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and other regulations by providing audit trails, anomaly detection, and risk-scoring capabilities.
- Provides detailed analytics and reports on employee productivity, including active vs. idle time tracking, project time tracking, and behavior analysis.
Why Teramind is the Best Data Exfiltration Solution
- Teramind is a first-line defense against exfiltration activities, with comprehensive endpoint monitoring solutions that monitor user identity and malware-infected devices.
- User-centric security approach with behavior baselining and anomaly detection.
- Teramind offers preventive actions, policy enforcement workflows, and automated response capabilities, not just detection.
- Excels in granular activity monitoring and has superior surveillance capabilities.
- Adds content-aware data protection and sensitive data discovery through DLP rules.
What Are Customers Saying About Teramind?
- Excellent product with a wide range of use cases.
- No limits on what you can track!
- The ultimate solution for remote team management
- Excellent for a remote working setup.
Teramind’s approach is comprehensive, extending beyond mere surveillance to offer a robust defense against the multifaceted risks of data exfiltration. It has employee monitoring solutions, incident response team capabilities, and regular risk assessments to protect against exfiltration risks.
The platform also employs advanced behavior analytics to pinpoint data access and usage irregularities and prevent potential exfiltration attempts, making it the best choice in the market today. It’s a solution that resonates with business leaders and senior company executives who are vigilant about the treasure trove of data within their corporate confines.
Code42 Incydr
Code42 Incydr is a data risk detection and response platform designed to identify and mitigate malicious insiders. It provides comprehensive visibility across various data movement vectors, such as cloud services, email, and removable media, without the complexity of traditional data loss prevention solutions.
Incydr stands out in the threat landscape as a formidable defense against accidental insider threats by offering a solution that integrates seamlessly with existing systems, ensuring minimal impact on productivity. In other words, it ensures that user productivity isn’t compromised while safeguarding against standard data exfiltration techniques. Its lightweight agent architecture and built-in security training aim to reduce friction between security protocols and employee workflows, making it a user-friendly option for modern enterprises.
Incydr Features
- Risk Dashboards: Incydr’s dashboards provide tailored views to identify data exposure and measure program performance across the company.
- Risk Indicators: The platform prioritizes risks needing immediate attention through contextual risk scoring based on file, vector, and user behaviors.
- Response Controls: Incydr implements automated responses to protect data without disrupting productivity or overburdening security teams.
Incydr Pros
- Incydr enables organizations to detect data theft on day one and continuously monitors corporate devices, reducing the risk of malicious user activity.
- Robust access control mechanisms that protect against spear phishing and malicious programming.
Incydr Drawbacks
- The platform’s specialized focus on insider threats and data exfiltration might not align with the needs of organizations looking for broader data classification or traditional DLP policy enforcement.
- The licensing and pricing models for Incydr’s features can be complex and may appear less straightforward compared to offerings from other vendors.
- Because Incydr takes a different approach than other DLP solutions, users who need to filter out incidents using a content-specific approach may find this solution limited.
While Incydr is one of the robust prevention systems that excel in rapid detection and tailored incident responses, it does have a learning curve, potential integration complexities, and cost considerations that may affect its suitability for some organizations.
Forcepoint DLP
Forcepoint DLP is an enterprise-grade solution that prevents the unauthorized access and exfiltration of sensitive data across all channels, including cloud, email, and endpoint. The software is equipped with tools such as data discovery to locate sensitive information, fingerprinting/OCR for accurate data identification, and unified policy enforcement for consistent security measures across various platforms.
The platform’s Risk-Adaptive Protection dynamically audits user behavior to preemptively halt potential data breaches, providing a proactive approach to data security. This makes it a dynamic tool for organizations looking to safeguard their data against external and internal threats. Forcepoint DLP integrates seamlessly with cloud access security brokers and storage platforms, providing comprehensive data security across on-premises and cloud environments.
Forcepoint Features
- Data Visibility and Control: Forcepoint provides extensive oversight and management of sensitive data across digital environments.
- Compliance Readiness: The solution comes with pre-configured policies that help businesses meet regulatory requirements for data protection in over 80 countries.
- Comprehensive IP protection: It safeguards sensitive data such as PII, PHI, financials, trade secrets, and customer information across structured and unstructured forms, stopping data theft even when devices are off-network.
Forcepoint Pros
- Effective monitoring capabilities that help prevent data leakage and ensure compliance.
- Forcepoint features an easy implementation process, pre-built policies and classifiers, granular dictionary rules, and cumulative data size tracking.
Forcepoint Drawbacks
- Deploying Forcepoint DLP across multiple servers can be challenging and time-consuming.
- The product’s data discovery and machine learning capabilities are reportedly lacking in effectiveness and accuracy.
- The user interface can be complex for new users.
Forcepoint DLP delivers visibility and control over sensitive data across various channels as a data security solution. Despite its strengths, some users report a steep learning curve and challenges with the software’s demands on system resources.
Trend Micro iDLP
Trend Micro’s Integrated Data Loss Prevention (iDLP) is a security solution designed to protect sensitive data from being lost, leaked, or stolen across various platforms, including endpoints, cloud environments, and mobile devices. It addresses the challenges posed by data mobility, the use of personal devices for work, and the increasing frequency of advanced persistent threats (APTs).
iDLP integrates directly into existing Trend Micro solutions. It offers a lightweight plug-in that lets organizations quickly gain visibility and control over their private data and intellectual property without additional hardware or software.
Trend Micro Features
- Endpoint protection: Offers granular device control, detects and reacts to improper data use, and educates employees on data usage policies.
- Regulatory compliance: Simplifies compliance with out-of-the-box templates and provides forensic data capture and real-time reporting for audits.
- Streamlined administration: Streamlines administration and lowers costs with a lightweight, centrally managed solution that reduces resource impact.
Trend Micro Pros
- Straightforward setup simplifies DLP integration into an organization’s security infrastructure.
- Reduces costs compared to traditional DLP solutions.
Trend Micro Drawbacks
- Pricing is non-transparent, so you have to reach out for a quote.
- Additional components may be required to extend DLP email coverage, which could complicate the service offering.
- Remote or online deployments may not offer the same feature support as on-premises installations.
Thanks to its comprehensive scanning tools and malware protection, Trend Micro iDLP offers organizations a robust defense against data breaches. The solution is cost-effective and user-friendly. However, it’s important to note that some features might be less supported in remote deployments, and email security could be enhanced with extra components.
Sophos
Sophos is a cybersecurity company that specializes in advanced products and services to protect against security threats. It offers robust data loss prevention capabilities to safeguard sensitive information from unauthorized access or leaks.
Their DLP policies are a critical component of the Sophos Central Admin, where administrators can manage and enforce rules to prevent accidental data loss across endpoints. Sophos’s DLP solutions enable monitoring and restriction of file transfers containing sensitive data, such as controlling the transfer of files via web-based email or external storage devices.
Sophos Features
- Content Control: Sophos DLP solutions offer granular control over sensitive content, ensuring that only authorized personnel can access critical data.
- Compliance Enforcement: The software helps maintain compliance with various data protection regulations, such as GDPR and HIPAA.
- Insider Threat Protection: Sophos provides tools to detect and prevent unauthorized data transfers, mitigating potential risks posed by insider threats.
Sophos Pros
- Sophos is known for its strong capabilities in identifying and neutralizing threats.
- Intuitive reporting and centralized alerts.
Sophos Drawbacks
- The administration of Sophos’ wide range of products can be intricate and challenging.
- Pricing can be expensive compared to other vendors.
- The software may require significant system resources, potentially affecting performance.
Sophos is a reliable security solution that can protect against data breaches. However, it’s essential to consider the management complexities, system requirements, and financial costs that may impact its implementation in some situations.
Endpoint Protector
Endpoint Protector, developed by CoSoSys, is an efficient data loss prevention solution that helps organizations discover, monitor, and protect sensitive data across Windows, macOS, and Linux endpoints.
It offers a comprehensive suite of features, including device control, content-aware protection, enforced encryption, and eDiscovery, to safeguard intellectual property, personally identifiable information, and other critical data from unauthorized access or exfiltration.
Endpoint Protector Features
- Content-Aware Protection: The solution scans data in motion and can monitor, control, and block file transfers based on detailed content and context inspection.
- Enforced Encryption: Endpoint Protector can automatically encrypt USB drive storage devices, ensuring that data in transit is securely protected with password-based encryption.
- eDiscovery: The platform can scan data at rest, discover sensitive information, encrypt it, and delete it as needed, providing comprehensive data protection.
Endpoint Protector Pros
- Intuitive and customizable policy management, allowing granular control over data access and usage.
- Content filtering capabilities that can detect sensitive data based on dictionaries, regular expressions, and machine learning, as well as compliance regulation profiles.
Endpoint Protector Drawbacks
- Content-based filtering carries a risk of false positives, especially with sensitive data.
- The self-contained platform limits integration with other security solutions.
- Limited analytics and visualization capabilities.
Overall, Endpoint Protector is a solid DLP solution that provides adequate cross-platform protection across diverse OS. While the solution is generally reliable and feature-rich, organizations should carefully evaluate their specific requirements and be prepared to address the minor limitations listed above.
Safetica
Safetica is a data loss prevention software designed to secure sensitive information within an organization. It integrates seamlessly with existing IT infrastructure, providing a user-friendly platform for monitoring, controlling, and securing data across various endpoints.
It provides data discovery and classification tools, ensuring that valuable data remains secure regardless of where it is stored or transferred. The software also offers features for insider risk management, allowing for the detection and mitigation of threats to data security.
Safetica Features
- Continuous Data Oversight: Safetica offers real-time network monitoring to detect unauthorized removal of high-value data and auditing to provide visibility into data access and usage.
- Proactive Threat Defense: Safetica’s threat detection identifies and responds to emerging vulnerabilities, protecting against zero-day attacks.
- Intelligent Risk Monitoring: Safetica’s analytics detect anomalies, enabling swift identification and mitigation of security risks.
Safetica Pros
- Provides real-time notifications and policy enforcement to prevent data leaks.
- Supports compliance with various regulations such as GDPR, HIPAA, SOX, PCI-DSS, GLBA, and more.
Safetica Drawbacks
- Compatibility issues with some operating systems, particularly Mac and Linux.
- The data classification and risk notification features may be challenging for non-technical users to understand.
- Limited customization options for the user interface and reporting.
While Safetica does offer excellent data visibility, protection, and regulatory compliance capabilities, the software does have some drawbacks, which include compatibility issues, complex setup, potential higher pricing, and occasional bugs or slow support response times.
Symantec DLP
Symantec DLP is a data protection solution that offers unparalleled coverage across various communication channels, including cloud services, email, web, endpoints, and storage. It’s designed to provide the highest level of data protection, reducing the risk of data breaches and safeguarding an organization’s reputation.
Symantec DLP ensures total visibility and control over sensitive data, enabling enterprises to discover where their data resides, monitor its usage on and off the corporate network, and protect it from exposure or theft in real-time.
Symantec DLP Features
- Content-Aware Detection: This method uses advanced technologies like Exact Data Matching and Indexed Document Matching to accurately identify sensitive data across the organization.
- Unified Management Console: Provides a single console for policy management, incident response, and reporting.
- Wide Range of Integrations: Seamlessly integrates with other security solutions, supporting a data-centric approach.
Symantec DLP Pros
- Offers granular visibility and control over data usage and movement.
- Supports various data detection techniques, including content matching, indexed document matching, and machine learning.
Symantec Drawbacks
- Complex implementation and configuration process, especially for integrating with other systems.
- Perceived vendor lock-in, as integrating with other non-Symantec products may be more difficult.
- It can generate many false positives, requiring extensive fine-tuning of policies.
While it offers comprehensive capabilities across cloud, email, web, and endpoints, Symantec DLP also requires significant time and resources to customize and maintain, which may not suit all business needs.
SecureTrust Data Loss Prevention
SecureTrust Data Loss Prevention is a substantial network security service that focuses on identifying and safeguarding critical business data to thwart unauthorized access and potential security breaches.
It operates as part of the Helios Cloud™ platform, offering extensive coverage across enterprise assets, including on-premises and third-party SaaS applications. The solution adheres to Zero Trust principles, ensuring data protection rules are applied even to activities and applications without explicit policies.
SecureTrust Features
- Comprehensive Visibility: SecureTrust provides an overarching view of network traffic, enabling the detection and control of sensitive data sharing.
- Policy Configuration: It boasts rich data type libraries and straightforward policy settings to help businesses meet compliance requirements efficiently.
- Unified Management: A single management console simplifies data movement oversight and enhances the security posture of the business environment.
SecureTrust Pros
- SecureTrust protects sensitive data and intellectual property, reducing breach risks.
- The service monitors and controls data transfers, helping businesses meet compliance.
SecureTrust Drawbacks
- Non-transparent pricing on site.
- User feedback notes confusing documentation.
- Focuses on cloud systems rather than on-premise deployment.
SecureTrust is a commendable solution offering comprehensive features to protect sensitive data and support regulatory compliance. While it presents a strong defense against data exfiltration, few to no reviews are available on the Internet to assess user experiences with the platform.
Conclusion
External actors and insiders, such as disgruntled employees, can perpetrate data exfiltration. To combat this, businesses must turn to sophisticated prevention systems such as the tools highlighted in this piece, which represent the frontline in safeguarding organizations’ most sensitive information.
While each solution offers unique strengths, the overarching imperative is clear: enterprises must proactively protect against external and internal malicious actors through a combination of advanced monitoring, automated security controls, and a security-minded culture.
FAQs
How can we protect data exfiltration?
Businesses can implement data exfiltration prevention solutions that provide comprehensive visibility into network traffic, configurable policies, and unified management to protect against data exfiltration. These solutions help detect and control sensitive data sharing, reducing breach risks and ensuring compliance with regulations.
What defensive measures can be used to protect against data exfiltration?
Defensive measures to protect against data exfiltration include implementing data loss prevention (DLP) solutions, encryption technologies, and strong access controls and authentication protocols. These measures help detect and block unauthorized data transfers, safeguard sensitive information, and minimize the risk of data breaches.
How do I protect my DNS data from exfiltration?
To protect DNS data from exfiltration, organizations can implement secure DNS solutions that offer advanced threat detection and encryption protocols. These solutions help ensure the integrity and confidentiality of DNS traffic, reducing the risk of data exfiltration and unauthorized access to sensitive information.
What are some compelling practical strategies to detect data exfiltration attacks?
Some effective practical strategies to detect data exfiltration attacks include implementing network monitoring tools, using behavior analysis techniques to identify abnormal data flows, and regularly analyzing audit logs for suspicious activities or data leaks. Additionally, organizations can employ anomaly detection algorithms to identify unusual patterns in network traffic that may indicate data exfiltration attempts.
What are the four standard methods to detect and prevent cybersecurity threats?
Four common methods for detecting and preventing cybersecurity threats include implementing robust network monitoring tools, utilizing behavior analysis techniques, regularly analyzing audit logs, and utilizing anomaly detection algorithms. These methods help identify and mitigate potential data exfiltration attempts and other cybersecurity risks.
What focuses on the detection and prevention of sensitive data exfiltration and lost data?
Data exfiltration prevention solutions focus on detecting and preventing the unauthorized transfer and loss of sensitive data. These solutions utilize data loss prevention (DLP), encryption, and access controls to safeguard against data exfiltration and ensure data security.
What are the 3 types of Data Loss Prevention?
The three types of Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions are network-based, endpoint-based, and cloud-based. These solutions help organizations prevent data exfiltration by monitoring and controlling data flows across networks, endpoints, and cloud environments, reducing the risk of sensitive data loss.
