How to Reduce Data Security Breaches Using an ‘Air-Gap’

Not all things need to be online. In fact, there are some systems and information that should never be online and instead be secured by a private offline network. This strategy is known as using an “air gap” between systems and the public Internet.

Improved Security Using Offline Systems

Using an offline network for critical path functions and data security reduces the risk of a data breach. This is an excellent strategy, however, it is not 100% secure. In any security review, the IT security experts look at outward-facing systems that connect directly with the Internet, opportunities to manage system networks offline to improve security, and the risk of “human engineering” hacking attempts. Human engineering security breaches come from the tricking people into doing something that allows a security breach. Using an air-gap strategy needs to be enhanced with increased personnel security, such as extensive background checks, limiting personnel access to systems, and physical security barriers to access sensitive data.

Offline Protection of Personal Data

Any organization that handles personal data, such as credit card information or medical records, has a severe obligation to make sure the data is protected. Access to this information should be managed on a need-to-know basis. For example, credit card data only needs to be used for secured transactions. If it is stored by a company that information should be stored offline and secured by encryption.

For medical records, there are severe penalties for data breaches under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). In some cases, these penalties have been in the many millions of dollars. This means anyone handling such data needs to protect it like they are guarding the gold at Fort Knox. This is the kind of information that benefits from offline storage using a private network, with point-to-point information tunnels that pass data from one place to another only when it is encrypted in order to only permit authorized access to the data.

Conclusion

The risk of experiencing a data breach when there is unnecessary exposure of data to the public Internet can be better managed by taking the sensitive data offline.

Consult with Sentree Systems about how to manage an online presence combined with a private offline network for better security. Every business of any size can benefit from this approach.

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