The data export, the interaction with them by different users or the use of certain information, even if it takes place within the boundaries of the organization, pose a significant risk to your security. The encryption and the data masking (Data masking) are complementary technologies that protect data, at the same time that they allow the end user to carry out their task in connection with said information and without apparent changes in its use.
Despite this, despite the tendency to think that data masking is identical to encryption, there is a fundamental difference between the two: encrypted information must necessarily be decoded, thus exposing the original data.
The encryption Makes information theft more difficult while it is being transmitted by any means, but it does not prevent its abuse or that it is susceptible to leaks, neither before encryption occurs nor after decoding has been performed.
By contrast, the data masking ensures that the original information will never be available to the end user. In this way your vulnerability is protected, since only he will have access to the masked data.
If you are interested in starting data masking solutions for your company, we suggest reading this free guide: “Data masking: the 10 keys to an effective project“.
Encryption solutions: limits and alternatives
Solutions encryption they only protect the few infrastructure DBAs that can extract information from the database server and the data files stored on it. Therefore, this technique does not protect end users, partners, support teams, application database developers or administrators who still have access to unencrypted values.
But, Why are all these figures left unprotected? The reason is that encryption has its limits:
– Does not mask the data.
– Does not block unauthorized access.
– It does not allow the monitoring of the life cycle of the data and the interactions to which they are subjected.
– No load, reports or creates audit trails at the access level of an end user.
At the same time, it is common to find in the market encryption solutions What they do is encode the entire database, without giving the option to do it in cells, rows or columns in isolation. Apparently it may seem the same, despite this, by proceeding in this way, barriers are being placed on the authorized enjoyment of encrypted data, what makes them lose usability; although there is no progress in terms of Search of solutions to alleviate the security breach.
A good one alternative to data encryption with which they are able to overcome many of their limits, is he data masking. This technique has many advantages, among which the following can be highlighted:
– Protects data from abuse at the destination of transmission., if this has been carried out.
– It is also effective in protection against data theft, both in transit and at the export destination.
– Guarantees the validity of the data. Of course, every time a piece of information is changed its authenticity is reduced, but this is exactly the central point. The masked data must be real enough to ensure that the end user always gets the same results, even if you use only a fraction of the original information instead of all of it.
In practice, there are many alternatives for protect data by masking. The essence of this method is not to deprive the data of its original meaning, but only camouflage them. If a field should be filled with a last name, cannot be replaced by the name of a city; or if a box needs a numeric value, It is not correct that I do not have it. The same would apply to the expected length in terms of digits of a certain value, that could not be reduced when masked. Some Examples of common data masking techniques are:
– Substitute the last three digits of the Postal Code.
– Replace all account digits or debit or credit card numbers except the last four.
– Do not reveal excessively high salaries or change their numerical values, preserving a meaning.
– Substitution of one name for another, provided they can be included under the same general description.
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