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As WikiLeaks threatens to expose confidential documents from a major US bank, security experts say sensitive data can easily be protected with the right tech.
McAfee’s data loss prevention expert John Dasher wrote in a blog: “While technology can’t put a genie back into a bottle, it can provide an organization the tools needed to deal with this type of problem going forward.
"Data Loss Prevention (DLP) technology can block attempted USB thumb drive use, or send up alarm flares when an otherwise ‘normal’, authorized user suddenly copies hundreds of MBs of sensitive information to their laptop in preparation for a hasty defection to a competitor or sharing with the likes of a WikiLeaks."
However, Dasher conceded that “technology alone can’t solve the problem”.
“Proper internal controls must accompany technology deployment. Our most successful customers are those who invest the time and energy to involve their cross-functional business leaders in the process leading up to a technology deployment. At the end of the day, it’s these very business leaders who are best able to identify what information is sensitive to the organization, and therefore, need to be involved up front, as well as when an incident occurs and needs remediation,” he wrote.
Whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks has dominated the headlines this week after exposing a cache of secret documents relating to various governments, international organisations and political figures.
Earlier this year, McAfee was bought by Intel in a deal worth $7.68 billion. Following the acquisition, the chip giant claimed that the industry’s current approach to security "does not fully address the billions of new internet-ready devices… as well as the accompanying surge in cyber threats."
