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Futureproof Your Data Loss Prevention Strategy with Always On Email Encryption

Wednesday, March 1st, 2023

The threats to sensitive data keep increasing, and organizations are struggling to stay secure. With the government considering new cybersecurity requirements for critical infrastructure, many organizations are reviewing their data loss prevention policies and are looking for ways to improve their security stance. This article reviews standard data loss prevention methods, their shortcomings, and how adding always-on email encryption to your toolbox can help futureproof your communications.

What is Email Data Loss Prevention?

Data loss prevention, also known as DLP, ensures that sensitive data is not lost, misused, or accessed by unauthorized users. DLP software allows users to classify business-critical data and take specific actions when those data are present in email messages. If sensitive data is identified, data loss prevention tools take some action to prevent users from accidentally or maliciously sharing data that could put the organization at risk.

How does DLP Technology work?

There are two main types of data loss prevention tools available:

Rules-based DLP
AI and Machine Learning based DLP

We will primarily discuss rules-based DLP in this article. But first, DLP tools that use AI or machine learning are trained on an extensive data set to identify when email messages sent by your employees contain sensitive information.

In rules-based DLP software, administrators create rules that trigger the data loss prevention technology to take a particular action. Some examples of rules include:

Encrypting emails that contain social security numbers.
Not sending emails that contain health data (as identified by the organization).
Flagging emails that include specific keywords like “contract,” “financial report,” or “confidential information.”

Once the rules are in place, the DLP software will scan every outgoing email message to search for data that meets the criteria. When the DLP detects sensitive data, it takes an action that the administrator also determines. Some common protective actions include:

Not sending the email at all.
Adding a warning label or sending a notice to the email sender.
Encrypting the email and sending it to a web portal.

Why is DLP technology insufficient for security and compliance?

While DLP technology may capture most sensitive data, it is not infallible. In industries like healthcare and finance, even one mistake could lead to a breach with severe financial penalties.

Looking at how most data loss prevention software works, it’s easy to see how it can fail. Rule-based DLP requires administrators to thoroughly document and catalog every possible variation of the keywords and number formats that could indicate the presence of sensitive data. Even one typo could throw off DLP software and cause data to be sent without protection. Sensitive healthcare and financial data do not always fall cleanly into pre-determined categories, and there are always exceptions to rules.

Conversely, false positives from extremely strict rule-making can result in delayed business communications and inefficiency. If DLP rules are too restrictive and too many messages are not sent or locked behind a portal, employees may use less secure channels to get around DLP technology.

How to Close Data Loss Prevention Gaps with Always-On Email Encryption

Highly regulated industries should consider sending all messages with a baseline of TLS encryption instead of relying on DLP technology to trigger it. TLS encryption is secure enough to meet most compliance requirements and has added usability benefits. TLS-encrypted messages appear just like regular, unencrypted emails in the recipient’s inbox, making them easy to read and respond to but without the risk of interception or eavesdropping. When all messages are automatically encrypted, you can worry less about DLP failure and data leakage.

DLP scanning can also trigger web portal pick-up encryption for more sensitive messages. Sending highly confidential information like financial statements, medical records, and board meeting minutes requires added security that can be triggered by DLP technology. Reducing the number of rules required makes data loss prevention tools easier for administrators to manage. Also, removing encryption choices from employees improves their productivity and reduces risk.

Message encryption may only be optional for a little while longer. In 2022, CISA issued Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Performance Goals, which recommended TLS encryption as part of prioritized cybersecurity practices that critical infrastructure owners and operators can implement to reduce the likelihood and impact of known risks and adversary techniques. Prepare for the future and protect your sensitive data by using LuxSci’s easy-to-use email encryption tools today.

Tags: content filters, data loss prevention, dlp, email encryption, email security, financial data, futureproof, keyword filtering, phi
Posted in Email, LuxSci Library: Security and Privacy
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The Cybersecurity Risks of Mergers and Acquisitions

Thursday, February 2nd, 2023

In tough economic times, many businesses go through mergers and acquisitions to improve their financial prospects. However, this process can put organizations’ sensitive data at risk. In this article, we discuss the cybersecurity risks of mergers and acquisitions. According to a report by Forescout, 62 percent of participants agreed that their company faces significant cybersecurity risks by acquiring new companies and expressed that cyber risk is their biggest concern post-acquisition.

Before M&A: Assess Cybersecurity Risk

Even before mergers and acquisitions are announced, it can be a vulnerable time for a company’s data. Leakage of sensitive company data, like confidential financial information, can be catastrophic to negotiations. As a result, this makes companies considering a merger or acquisition highly susceptible to hacking.

Internal threats are also likely to increase. Employees not involved in negotiations may learn about merger talks and have some incentive to leak data to the press or to criminals to stop the process. It is essential to protect all communications relating to merger discussions.

The most significant risk of a merger is not doing cyber due diligence on the company being acquired. Risk analysis needs to be a part of negotiation talks. Most organizations being merged or acquired are smaller, with low levels of sophistication, and may lack mature cybersecurity programs. You need to understand the potential risks your company may be inheriting to prepare to address them properly. Security personnel need to be included in M&A talks to ask the right questions, audit systems, and prepare for integration.

Addressing Risk During Integration

Once a company merges with another, the risks to sensitive data increase. Highly sophisticated threat actors target M&A activities because, with operations in transition, high-value data is often vulnerable.

The Technology Risks of Mergers and Acquisitions

In 2019, the IBM Institute for Business Value surveyed 720 executives responsible for the merger and acquisition functions at acquirer organizations. More than one in three said they experienced data breaches that can be attributed to M&A activity during integration.

IT changes may be extensive and cannot all take place at once. It’s essential to take time to fully understand inherited policies, equipment, and procedures before making rapid changes. Enterprise IT projects take time to plan and complete without disrupting day-to-day operations.

IT teams will deal with a new mix of assets, technologies, processes, and organizational culture during integration. Risks continue to evolve during the initial period of change as they learn more about inherited systems and processes. They may also be overwhelmed by integration tasks integral to day-to-day operations, so that security tasks may be a lower priority. It’s incredibly important to prioritize security and have a well-organized transition to ensure that sensitive data is not exposed.

The Personnel Risks of Mergers and Acquisitions

Changing personnel can also create gaps in your security program. Employees with institutional knowledge may leave the company, meaning crucial processes and procedures must be re-documented and updated. If teams are understaffed in essential areas, they may take shortcuts that leave sensitive data exposed.

Staff burnout and uncertainty from the transition can also lead employees to make mistakes. Phishing and business email compromise threats are prevalent in the early days of a merger or acquisition. People may report to new managers and fall prey to social engineering-style attacks because of their unfamiliarity with new reporting lines and company hierarchy.

It’s important to prioritize security training and update all employees on policies after a merger occurs. Clearing up ambiguity helps to reduce risk and builds trust in the organization.

How to Reduce Cybersecurity Risk During a Merger or Acquisition

Utilizing basic email security features like filtering and message encryption can go a long way to protect sensitive data and limit risks. Whenever confidential information is shared, it should occur through secure or encrypted channels. Leaked information can lead to negative consequences and volatility.

The best way to reduce risk is to plan for it. It’s critical to thoroughly understand the risks you will inherit by merging with or acquiring another company. This should include thoroughly reviewing risk assessments and IT systems and even bringing in a third-party to assess their cybersecurity. The time to find out about these liabilities is before the merger occurs, not on day one.

Tags: business email compromise, cybercrime, cybersecurity risk, email encryption, email filtering, email security, hacking, phishing, risk reduction
Posted in Business Solutions, LuxSci Library: Security and Privacy
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LuxSci and StepAhead Partner to Protect Patient Data

Thursday, November 17th, 2022

Boston, MA- November 2022 – LuxSci, a provider of HIPAA-compliant email services, is pleased to announce a new partnership with StepAhead, a software company focused on protecting healthcare data. By partnering with LuxSci, StepAhead helps healthcare technology organizations protect sensitive data so they can utilize it in ways that do not compromise patient privacy.

“LuxSci is thrilled to work with StepAhead. Their unique approach to data security and patient privacy is a perfect complement to LuxSci’s email encryption technology. By partnering with StepAhead, we can support our enterprise technology customers as they develop the solutions that will change the future of healthcare delivery for the better,” said Heather Clark, Vice President of Partnerships at LuxSci.

The healthcare ecosystem is rapidly changing, and digital innovation is essential to serve the needs of patients. However, digital tools introduce risk to sensitive data like protected health information. The partnership allows LuxSci and StepAhead to help healthcare technology companies address the complex data security and compliance questions that arise during digital transformation.

“The synergies between our two companies and the complementary security solutions we offer, provide a powerful combination for healthcare organizations. LuxSci owns the space where movement of sensitive data is a necessary business process by applying their encryption technology to keep that data safe. StepAhead provides tools to further leverage that data, in an anonymized form with the highest level of utility, so it can be distributed freely without fear of breach. This helps expand the value of the sensitive data without increasing the risk profile for all situations where the original sensitive data is not necessary,” said Kurt Ring, Co-Founder and VP of Sales at StepAhead.

StepAhead’s innovative Tarmiz technology offers a new model for protecting PHI with targeted data anonymization. This process enables organizations to maintain the integrity and authenticity of their native data without being exposed to unnecessary risk or undesirable outcomes.

LuxSci provides secure email solutions to help healthcare organizations meet compliance requirements and protect patient data. LuxSci’s SecureLine encryption technology helps healthcare providers reduce risk profiles while providing easy-to-use email tools.

The partnership between LuxSci and StepAhead will help further expand the security around sensitive data and provide additional options for organizations looking to utilize that data in the most effective and safest ways possible. To learn more about SecureLine visit www.luxsci.com and for more information on Tarmiz visit https://stepahead.dev/learnmore/.

Tags: anonymization, data protection, data security, email security, ePHI, hipaa compliance, phi
Posted in Affiliates & Resellers, Industry News
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New Feature: Secure Email Tagline

Thursday, June 23rd, 2022

LuxSci is introducing a new email tagline feature to inform recipients that email messages are secured. This helps build trust and increase confidence with less tech-savvy recipients who do not understand how email encryption works.

TLS Encryption

TLS encryption is now widely supported by the most popular email providers. As a result, more organizations are choosing to send emails containing sensitive data with TLS encryption. There are a few reasons for this:

TLS encryption is permitted under HIPAA and most compliance regulations.
It’s easier to use and does not require recipients to log in to portals to access their messages.
The open and response rates are higher on TLS encrypted messages.

However, using only TLS to encrypt emails can be confusing to the laypeople receiving them. While it’s easy to use and “invisible,” that can be concerning when transmitting sensitive information. If it looks like a regular email, recipients may be concerned that the organization does not care about the security of their personal information. This perception can negatively impact the business and dissuade people from using digital channels.

Introducing a New Email Tagline

For these reasons, all Email Hosting, Secure Connector, Secure High Volume Email, and Secure Marketing customers who send emails encrypted via SecureLine will have a small tagline at the bottom of the email that indicates the message is secure. It looks like this:

This tagline builds trust and lets the recipient know that the company has taken steps to secure sensitive data. If you are an existing customer, visit your email settings or contact Customer Support to enable this feature. New customers will automatically have the tagline enabled when sending SecureLine encrypted emails.

Tags: email encryption, email security, encryption, escrow, portal pickup, tls, tls encryption, user experience
Posted in Email, New Feature Announcements
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HIPAA-Compliant Email Hosting or Outbound Email Encryption?

Tuesday, January 25th, 2022

There are many ways to protect ePHI in email. HIPAA is technology-neutral and doesn’t make specific recommendations for how to protect email communications. This article explains the difference between a HIPAA-compliant email host and an email encryption gateway. These are just two of the options for securing email accounts.

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Tags: email, email encryption, email security, encryption, hipaa, hipaa compliance, outbound email encryption, outlook, secure connector, secure email, secureline, smtp
Posted in Email, SMTP Connector
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