Document Security in Manufacturing: Protecting Intellectual Property and Sensitive Information
To stay competitive in the market, manufacturing organisations rely heavily on their intellectual property (IP). However, IP can also become a prime target for malicious actors such as dishonest competitors, ex-employees, and cybercriminals. Given this, safeguarding your IP is of paramount importance. This article delves into the matter of protecting intellectual property, and document security in manufacturing and offers proven strategies that can help improve your organisation’s security.
Importance of data protection in manufacturing
Manufacturers were caught off guard by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a surge in cyber attacks. In 2020, cybersecurity attacks skyrocketed by 300%. The manufacturing industry also became the primary target of cyber criminals in 2021, as reported by IBM’s 2022 Threat Intelligence Index.
The attraction for cyber attackers lies in the abundance of sensitive information stored by manufacturing companies, including employee and client personal and financial data, as well as proprietary technology, product designs, formulae, and other intellectual property.
The loss of such confidential information can be catastrophic for both employees and customers. Protecting against cyber threats is more important than ever for manufacturers.
Common cyber threats
To safeguard your organisation’s sensitive assets, it’s crucial to understand the tactics employed by malevolent actors to steal or compromise them. By being aware of these methods, you’ll enhance your chances of detecting and preventing specific threats before they pose a significant risk.
In manufacturing, cyber threats to intellectual property can come in various forms.
- Phishing is a deceptive manoeuvre that tricks employees of an organisation into divulging sensitive information, like login details, via email or other means of communication. Typically disguised as authentic messages from colleagues, higher-ups, or peers, phishing scams are a breed of social engineering strategy.
- Ransomware is a type of malware that can encrypt your computer’s files and demand a ransom fee to unlock them. Unfortunately, cybercriminals using ransomware aren’t just satisfied with holding your data hostage. They may also threaten to sell or reveal your sensitive information to outsiders. These attacks make up a significant chunk of all manufacturing sector breaches, making it essential to take precautionary measures.
- Brute force attacks involve systematically trying out different username and password combinations until the attacker gains unauthorised access to a company’s systems and networks. This method can be used to crack login credentials or decryption keys. If successful, the attacker may gain access to an account with privileged permissions, compromising the organisation’s most valuable assets.
- Insider attacks pose a significant risk to your organisation as they can come from any user within your network, regardless of whether they are acting maliciously or negligently. What makes these threats even more dangerous is that insiders typically have legitimate access to sensitive data and are familiar with your cybersecurity measures – they can easily bypass them and compromise your data intentionally or by mistake. Protecting against insider threats is paramount to safeguarding your critical assets.
How to protect intellectual property and documents?
#1 Professional risk assessment
Protecting your intellectual property is essential, so don’t overlook the importance of a thorough risk assessment. By identifying and prioritising potential risks, you can make informed decisions on how to safeguard your critical data.
To ensure your risk assessment is effective, following recognised guidelines like the NIST Cybersecurity Framework is recommended. Regularly conducting cybersecurity risk assessments is also a must to keep up with evolving threats. Consider implementing periodic reviews in your organisation.
#2 Use high-level encryption
Safeguard your manufacturing intellectual property by encrypting your data. This ensures that only authorised individuals with the decryption key can access sensitive files. Opt for high-level encryption that adheres to the NIST-established Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) specification for maximum security.
#3 Restrict access
To safeguard your intellectual property, it’s crucial to limit access within your manufacturing organisation. With System’s Privileged Access Management (PAM) capabilities, you can grant access only to specific users, roles, and groups of users. The various solutions in this category also allow for temporary access credentials and setting expiry dates for permissions. Keep your valuable assets secure with PAM technology.
There is another technology that will help in document management and organisation of multi-level access – VPN. With it, you can organise secure file sharing both inside and outside the business. You can install VPN on Windows 10, Android, iPhone, Mac, TV, or router. Your risk management requires the distribution of access levels, data encryption, and anonymity, which means you need a reliable VPN.
#4 Constantly monitor
Protect your intellectual property by closely monitoring how employees and subcontractors handle it, with privileged user monitoring procedures and user and entity behaviour analytics (UEBA) tools. Enhance your security and further features for user activity and privileged user monitoring, including user session video recording and keylogging. Gain control over all users on your network with access control software.
#5 Improve employee awareness
Employees’ lack of knowledge on cybersecurity and protecting critical data poses a risk of compromising data, especially intellectual property. To avoid this, conduct regular training sessions to educate staff on common cyber threats and prevention techniques. Moreover, customised warning messages can be set up for rule violations, promoting learning from mistakes while working.
#6 Develop an incident response strategy
Preventing every security incident in your organisation is a challenge, despite your best efforts. This is why having a dependable incident response procedure is crucial. This procedure should identify the individuals responsible for responding to any detected incidents, as well as the actions they must take.
With real-time alerts about user activity, incident response can be automated in your organisation. You can utilise a variety of preset alerts and notifications or develop customised ones. An AI-driven module of special programmes can also spot and rapidly address any abnormal user activity that deviates from typical user behaviour.
#7 Use high-level encryption
Safeguard your intellectual property in manufacturing with data encryption. Encryption means only people with the decryption key have access to your sensitive files. Implement AES-specification high-level encryption, approved by NIST, to guarantee your intellectual property’s security.
Conclusion
The best way to maximise security and protect intellectual property is through a holistic approach that incorporates processes, technologies, and employee education. Investing in these measures may seem costly at the outset, but it’s essential in safeguarding your valuable assets from malicious threats – or even unintentional mistakes. With the right combination of preventive measures, you can ensure your documents and other data stay away from hackers.