New data protection approach
New data security system developed by Israeli researchers automatically protects sensitive data because it travels with the data even when it is saved to removable devices like a USB flash drive
With data theft averaging $6 million a leak, it is a good thing two old high-school buddies from Israel developed a self-protecting data solution that travels with your files. In the United Kingdom, 28 million records were lost in a data breach. In the United States, a popular clothing firm lost the identity data of 800,000 job applicants when a laptop with the information was stolen from an outsource company hired to handle applications.
“Loss of valuable data is a nightmare that happens,” says Alon Samia, CEO of Covertix, an Israeli startup that he and his partner Tzachi Kaufman developed. The two began marketing their novel “self-protecting” data solution a few months ago. The patent-pending system is policy-based, not user-dependent.
“Our policy-centric approach is different. It is like a personal bodyguard and not a fence. It is not just a signal, but a whole set of rules defined by IT management. It is much more elaborate than any system out there,” he told Israel21c.
The CxSense Smart-File technology developed by Covertix goes beyond protecting sensitive data within a company. It also protects data that leaves the company’s network. “Most systems put a lock on the fence around the house. Our control sits on the sensitive data file itself all the time and travels with it when it leaves the house,” explains Kaufmann. “Encryption at the gate is just the first line of defense.”
Defense that travels with the data
Sharon Kanon writes that CXSense automatically protects sensitive data because it travels with the data even when it is saved to removable devices like a USB flash drive. It identifies potentially risky devices and computers and limits use according to your specifications — for example, until 9pm, or within 24 hours.
The rules are strictly enforced. If unauthorized users attempt to access or tamper with data, the system will block them. No copy and paste, forward or edit commands will be accepted. No print command either. Rules may allow a user to open and view a document, but not modify it. Even IT personnel, who typically have access to any file, may be barred. And spoofers who try to sneak in can be caught red-handed.
“Tagging information, with a kind of GPS for documents, we can tell where it is, and if it is in danger. The system makes it possible to share information without worry,” says Samia.
Sometimes a company wants to share data for a
