Document Security Measures for protecting information

a year ago

Introduction

Technical information includes but is not limited to; Research and engineering data, technical reports, engineering drawings, manuals, specifications, standards, data sets process sheets, technical orders, books, computer software, catalogue-item identifications, articles, studies and analyses, and related information. These properties are subject to theft, and therefore owners of such material, including writers, publishers and analysts, are prompted to protect their cherished pieces of work. Therefore, this essay will look at the various security measures that can be used to protect technical information.

Security Measures

Encryption

Technical information management relies heavily on cryptography as a key enabler technology. Unscrambling items is the goal of encryption, which aims to make them inaccessible until they can be decrypted. "Encrypting" and "decrypting," respectively, are the technical terminologies for the processes of encoding and decoding data. To safeguard Technical Information during transmission and storage, encryption is a useful tool. The content cannot be accessed without the decryption key if it is encrypted effectively; therefore, copying the files is nearly pointless. It's possible to get encryption that is practically unbreakable off the market, but most encryption software in use today isn't quite as secure. Symmetric-key encryption plays an important part in many commercial IP management systems since the same key encrypts and decodes data. For example, a movie or song is encrypted with a unique key by the distributor before it is disseminated; the encrypted object can then be decrypted and distributed, perhaps broadly - placed on a Web site. Only the right people (such as paying clients) get access to the object's key, which is usually done using a more secure method, such as one that uses specialized hardware.

Alternatively, cryptography enables the use of two different keys; one of these keys should be kept private, while the other should be made public, maybe in an internet address where everyone can find it. You can encrypt and send a private message using the recipient's public key. After that, the message can only be decrypted by the recipient, who has the corresponding private key. As a result, individuals can create and share their public keys while maintaining the confidentiality of their private keys.

Copyright

  Literary and artistic works protected by copyright include books; music; works of fine art (paintings, sculptures); and technology-based works (electronic databases and computer programs). One does not have to publish or make something "open to the public" to have it protected. It is copyrighted from the act of making it.

Literary and artistic property rights are protected by copyright law against those who 'copy' or otherwise use how the original concept was represented by the author, as defined by the law. Authors and creators of original works are granted a wide range of exclusive rights under copyright law for a limited but long period. Having these rights means that the author can regulate the commercial use of his work in various ways and receive compensation for it. Additionally, the creator or owner of a work can grant or deny permission for the following activities: making a work available online; making translations or adaptations of a work; distributing copies of the work; renting or lending copies of the work, and making translations or adaptations of works.

  Paternity rights and integrity rights are two examples of moral rights protected by copyright law. The paternity right means that the work is claimed as one's own; the integrity right means that the work can't be altered or mutilated in any way without permission from the copyright holder. It is impossible for a corporation to "possess" moral rights; they can only be awarded to authors. Because of this, a publishing business is unable to assert moral rights. Moral rights violations, such as failing to identify the author or altering his work, can hurt the creator's reputation.

Authentication

To verify that the user is who they claim to be, authentication tools are employed. People can be identified by one or more factors: information they know, which can be a possession or an identity. For example, the username and password are the most prevalent authentication method today. In this scenario, the user gets authenticated by verifying a fact about themselves, their Username and password. However, stronger authentication methods are occasionally required due to the ease with which this type of authentication can be compromised. It's also not always easy to tell who someone is only by looking at their possessions, a key or a card, for example. A person's identity can readily be stolen when their identifying token is lost or stolen. Multi-factor authentication is a more secure method of verifying a user's identity. People are less likely to lie about themselves when they combine two or more of the abovementioned variables.

Access Control

Access control is perhaps the most basic form of technology for intellectual property protection, i.e., establishing whether the requester can access information. A basic form of this control has been a part of the operating systems software world virtually since operating systems were originally deployed, providing modest but useful protection. In its most basic form, a user access system tracks each user's identification, the objects' identities, and the permissions (reading, executing, changing) given to each user. When a user requests a service, the system checks this information and either approves or rejects the request based on the user's privilege.

The Processor must prevent unauthorized access to systems and applications used to process personal data. Access to the provider's data processing systems is granted only to authorized administrators by the Processor. Access is granted solely through multi-factor authentication, which relies on the login credentials saved in each user's account. The Processor also implements an advanced rights management system. It is only permissible to log in remotely over encrypted connections. Several network segments are used to restrict access to individual services and components further. Isolation is provided using hardware-based firewall technologies and Virtual Private Clouds (VPC). System and application access is recorded, logged and monitored in one place.

Backups

Information security is enhanced by the implementation of a thorough backup strategy. The first component of a successful backup plan should be regular backups. Based on the importance of the data and the owner's ability to replace it, backup frequency should be determined. The most vital data should be backed up every day, while the less critical data can be backed up every week. Secondly, backup data sets should be stored off-site. A single disaster, such as an earthquake, fire, or tornado, might wreak havoc on the original and backup data housed in the same facility. Offsite data storage is a critical component of any backup strategy. Last but not least, a regular test of data recovery should be conducted. If the process is working, the owner will have more faith in the backup plan, which is important.

DRM or Digital Rights Management

Document security can be further enhanced beyond the use of access controls by using DRM or Digital Rights Management.  With this technology you can control document access and how it is used by authorized users.  For example, whether they can edit, print, copy and paste and screenshot a document.  It is especially useful when sharing documents with third parties as you can control how long they can access documents, prevent them from being shared with unauthorized parties, and instantly revoke access.

Protection Without Delay

It is essential to safeguard your documents and technical information because even a single minute can result in the stealing or copying of one's valuable data.