How to Reduce the Risk of Data Vulnerability

Introduction 

In the current world, sensitive business information or data is more at risk than in the past decades. Trade secrets of a business, information on national security, credit card and social security numbers, personal medical record are all kept, transmitted and used via linked devices or online. The propagation of important data provides with a rising wide range of gaps to cash stolen intellectual property and information. Additionally, malicious persons from organized rings or even foreign governments have taken hacking to be one of the strongest tools within their reach. In addition, internal threats pose a risk challenge to organizations. A disgruntled or neglect staff may expose information that is confidential at a faster rate that a hacker when there is no sufficient security to prevent intentional or accidental expose of confidential data. Therefore, security is crucial and this paper examines the components of full data security. 

Data at Rest 

This is stored data in hard drives. Data is mainly secured through perimeter-based protection like antivirus software and firewall. But these defenses can be penetrated. Businesses require extra security layers to defend sensitive data from attackers in case of a compromised network. Hard drive encryption is one of the best means of ensuring protection of data at rest (Suganiya & Pravin, 2016) . It will minimize the chances of intruders obtaining adequate data to perform a crime. 

Data in Use 

This data is more susceptible compared to the data at rest. It is so since it ought to be accessed by the people requiring it. The more the devices and persons that gain access to it, the higher the risk of it ending up in the hands of a malicious person at some instance. The primary ways of securing data in use include controlling access and making as tight as possible plus including some kind of authentication to make sure that no user hides behind identities that are stolen. Also, business should be in a position of tracking and reporting applicable information in order to detect malicious activities, assess possible threats, and enhance security proactively. 

Data in Motion 

It refers to data that is actively moving from one point to another, for instance via a private network or over an internet. This is the data that is most susceptible and securing this data needs specialized abilities. When information is sent, for instance an email, generally it takes a long path over electronic devices and infrastructure at enterprises, state facilities plus other networks (Kanimozhi, Suhasini, Padmavathi, Gothainayagi & Jayabharathi, 2015) . As a result, a person having the right equipment may intercept the email as it transits along its channel. But there exist effective methods of securing the email further. The best method of making sure that information and attachments stay confidential while in transit, is to encrypt them before transmitting or passing them via an encryption platform which fits in with the prevailing workflows and systems. 

Ideally, users ought to be in a position of sending and receiving messages that are encrypted directly from the email service. Further, to secure data in motion, organizations mostly prefer to encrypt data which is sensitive before transmitting in addition to using connections that are encrypted such as FTPS, TLS, SSL, HTTPS and so on so as to secure the data contents while in motion (Suganiya & Pravin, 2016) . 

Conclusion 

The inherent risk of data, whether in rest, use or motion rests mainly on the value and sensitivity of the data. Hackers will try to obtain access to important data not matter if it is in transit, rests or active use. What matters to the attacker is the easiest state to break. That is the reason proactive protection such as data encryption is the most effective and safe way of securing sensitive information at any state. 

References 

Kanimozhi, R., Suhasini, A., Padmavathi, V., Gothainayagi, S., & Jayabharathi, B. (2015). Encrypting Data before Moving it to the Cloud using Specter Encrytion.  Indian Journal Of Science And Technology ,  8 (24). doi: 10.17485/ijst/2015/v8i24/80195 

Suganiya, M., & Pravin, D. (2016). Protecting Data in Modern Computing Devices.  International Journal Of Engineering And Computer Science . doi: 10.18535/ijecs/v5i6.33