6 Ways to Safeguard Data in Software Development

In the modern world, data is the most valuable asset for any organization. And where there is data, there is a need for robust security. Numerous reports on data theft have been released proving that data theft is a serious concern.

The most recent incident occurred in June this year, impacting over 200 global organizations, 17.5 million individuals, and major federal agencies, with MOVEit (file transfer tool) as the target.

In the ever-present threat of data breaches affecting various industries, software development companies stand out as particularly vulnerable. The collaborative and fast-paced nature of software development inherently heightens the risk of data loss.

To address this vulnerability, effective preventive measures are essential. Let’s delve into the concept of information leakage prevention and examine how the software development lifecycle integrates security measures to mitigate the specific risks associated with data loss.

What Is Data Loss Prevention?

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) encompasses tools and measures to thwart unauthorized data access or use. It commences with a strategy, identifying vital data, categorizing customer information, and employing relevant tools.

Various global regions adhere to distinct regulations; for instance, the European Union follows the General Data Protection Regulation, and the United States adheres to the California Consumer Privacy Act. Health information falls under the Health Insurance Profitability and Accountability Act.

It’s crucial to distinguish between data loss and data leakage. The former occurs when data is irretrievably lost due to human error, natural disasters, or malicious actions. In contrast, data leakage involves the unintentional or intentional release of data beyond the organization’s control.

How Does the Software Development Life Cycle Address Security?

As mentioned in the introduction, software development companies are especially vulnerable to data loss and leakage. Wonder why? Every software (especially custom) undergoes certain stages, such as planning, design, coding, testing and deployment. Some of these stages involve working with data. Thus, there are risks of the data being lost during these stages.

You might ask if the risks are so high, how does software development lifecycle address this problem?

Unlike the traditional software development process, where security is addressed as a separate step, with SDLC, security is treated as an integral part of the software development process. To be more precise, security is addressed through DevSecOps practices.

DevSecOps integrates security assessments seamlessly across the entire development process. Implemented through practices like code review, penetration testing, and architecture analysis, it ensures data security from initial design through final deployment.

Key Factors for Data Security in Custom Software Development

Outsourcing software development brings in additional risks of data loss or leakage. To avoid this, there are some key factors that need to be kept in mind to eliminate these risks.

1. Data sharing suitability

Different data have different levels of criticality. Data that is highly sensitive, such as customer data, medical records or intellectual property documentation should not be shared with third parties, and proper security measures should be taken to ensure that such sensitive data is not compromised.

2. Data recovery preparedness

Prepare a data recovery plan with your software development partner. The data recovery plan should include scheduled data backups and storing sensitive data on corporate servers. Replicating the data is another effective way to secure critical information.

3. Data Processing Agreement (DPA)

A Data Processing Agreement is a contract between a software vendor and client, establishing rules for processing, transferring, storing, and protecting shared data. Particularly beneficial for companies outsourcing software development, it aligns with local and industry regulations.

Tips to Prevent Data Loss in Software Development

Establishing secure work principles and coding practices are two of the most effective ways to prevent information erosion in SDLC. Enforcing data safety protocols across all software development cycles is another way to secure critical information. Other ways to protect data in a DevOps environment are:

1. Classify data using machine learning

Data classification is a cumbersome and time-consuming task. The amount of data software developers have to handle during SDLC can be enormous, and classifying it manually is often not an efficient solution. Machine learning tools can help businesses automate data classification, securing the data when it’s in use and transit during SDLC. Using machine learning tools provides accurate results and minimizes errors that would have been made by a human.

2. Encrypt data everywhere

Encrypting the data while it is in use and transit is an effective way to prevent loss or leakage. During encryption, it is important to leverage format-preserving encryption techniques to ensure the original format is preserved. There are data loss prevention tools that can be used to automate the encryption of data.

3. Consider custom vs. out-of-the-box software

Safeguarding the data in software development should be the number one task for companies. Start with choosing the right approach to software development. Unlike off-the-shelf solutions, which are frequently subjected to cyber attacks due to being vulnerable by nature, custom software can have additional security features specific to the business requirements. Custom software development allows businesses to introduce multi-layered security protocols, robust encryption protocols and other measures to ensure an unmatched level of protection and compliance with industry regulations.

4. Monitor for internet exposure

Many companies choose to store their data in the cloud. This option offers many benefits but also creates significant security challenges for organizations. When storing data on the cloud, it is important to check if any of the hosts are exposed to the public cloud. Protecting the company and client’s data privacy and confidentiality while complying with various regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA must remain the top priority for software development companies.

5. Leverage User and Entities Behavior Analytics process

The best way to spot potential threats is to establish a baseline of normal behavior by leveraging the User and Entities Behavior Analytics (UEBA) process. UEBA is the process of continually monitoring the company network for unusual and suspicious activities.

The process uses machine learning and statistical analyses to detect deviations from established patterns, signaling when there is a potential threat. It is a great tool to detect insider threats, such as employees who demonstrate unusual behaviors, or employees who purposely misuse their access to carry out targeted attacks and fraud attempts.

6. Develop and establish security policies

Every software development company needs to set up and maintain robust security policies for their employees. As software engineers are the ones who can sometimes have access to the most sensitive data, they should adhere to the established security policies and have their access rights reviewed regularly. Training and awareness programs should also be implemented among employees to ensure they adhere to the company’s security regulations.

Conclusion

As evident, data loss or leakage can significantly harm a business’s reputation, potentially resulting in lawsuits.

To mitigate these risks, organizations should adopt prevention practices, employ robust monitoring and security tools. Given the ubiquitous threat of cyber attacks, having a prevention plan and following the tips in this article will help businesses maintain data security and a competitive edge.
 

FAQs

1. What is data loss?

It occurs when crucial information is unintentionally or intentionally misplaced. Common causes include physical damage, viruses, malware, or formatting errors.

Recovery is possible with professional assistance, but it can be costly and time-consuming. For businesses, data loss is a serious issue, potentially harming a software company’s reputation and leading to legal action.

2. What is privacy during the entire life cycle of software?

Privacy is a broad term covering aspects such as personal information management, access control and more. Privacy in software development is a set of practices that help the parties involved in software development understand their obligations with respect to the information and data they process or store.

3. What is the data privacy lifecycle?

Data lifecycle refers to the entire period of time when the data is in the hands of an organization. The data lifecycle consists of five states: creation, storing, use, sharing and disposal of data. Each state has to comply with certain regulations of privacy legislation. Companies that collect and process data use this 5-states model to ensure risks are managed across all data lifecycle states.