DLP APIs: The next frontier for Data Loss Prevention

According to the Breach Level Index, there have been 7,094,922,061 data records lost or stolen since 2013 with 4,417,760 records lost or stolen every day, 184,073 records every hour, 3,068 records every minute and 51 every second.

There are more and more signs showing that the infosec paradigm has to change. The data security violations’ impact, as we have learnt throughout the years, is extending to more than the business environment, affecting hospitals, public institutions, and many other organizations. We have also learned that insiders have been neglected far too long as a threat vector, making Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solutions a must in all organizations. Also, the focus shouldn’t be only on the extension of DLP into cloud services and should extend to a similarly important aspect – in-app DLP.

In-app DLP

In-app DLP is the next frontier for DLP because nothing knows better the data than the apps and services creating it. I’m speaking about DLP integrated natively in applications and services, not as a 3rd party solution, and many established companies already provide it to a certain extent.

One of the advantages of in-app DLP is that the application never loses the handle over the actual data. Data can leave the apps container only if passed through a DLP without relying on a 3rd party DLP solution to apply polices. Instead, policies are applied before it leaves its protective sandbox. Other reasons why the trend of DLP getting baked-in into more apps and services is becoming popular are the native strength and the changing architecture on how applications run. Sandboxing is expanding for enhanced security but vendors must also consider the fact that it also requires built-in DLP to support it. It is a win-win.

The other trend of DLP extending its reach to cloud services such as Box, Dropbox, etc. has created the CASB (Cloud Access Security Brokers) market that strongly intersects with the DLP market. Players in the CASB market are the interface between cloud (storage) solutions and DLP solutions and other technologies, but they usually do not provide DLP features. They represent the bridge between DLP products and the cloud solutions and they usually combine a sum of functionalities from different other existing solutions: firewalls, SIEM, DLP, encryption, and others.

DLP APIs

DLP APIs offer the possibility to integrate DLP at the app level, but also the option of building a CASB solution with support for all popular cloud storage solutions. DLP APIs give developers the power to integrate DLP into the enterprise apps they build and the cloud services they offer.

The control and flexibility organizations have when managing their data and their customers’ data is significantly increased just by the fact that the decision is in their hands. In-app DLP acts directly at the source and can be customized according to the application’s purpose, the user behaviour, the type of data the application collects and stores, and many other variables.

The DLP market dynamic is changing, with new technical proposals such as DLP APIs. It follows a natural course, migrating from the device level, the content level, to app level. Organizations’ infrastructures and needs have changed as well, and so did users’ behaviour towards data. The key to keep up and improve data security is constant evolution and adjustment from all sides: vendors, organizations, developers, employees.