Top 4 Data Security Tips For Data Science
Businesses collect enormous amounts of data and information which comes through a wide range of smart and connected devices such as IoT. Also, there is a lot of sensitive information stored by companies across their servers which requires protection against hackers.
With data breaches becoming more common, companies must deploy stringent security measures to safeguard their valuable data. One of the best ways to secure data is by having data encryption for your websites using an SSL certificate and prevents increasing cybercrime activities within the enterprises.
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Data security is a growing challenge for data scientists
Data science is transforming different industries by providing valuable insights from data providing new ways of doing business. However, data security can be a primary concern for data scientists as plenty of data are extracted using multiple channels which makes it prone to attacks by hackers.
According to reports by Risk-based Security Research reported in 2019, the first six months showed an unprecedented rise of around 3,800 breaches which exposed almost 4.1 billion records.
Sometimes, it may not be possible to clearly distinguish between genuine users and hackers, which can disrupt the process of data extraction.
Most of the data is sensitive and confidential, which makes it difficult in data usage, extraction and building algorithms. Also, they need to get consent from users which may cause delays in turnaround time along with cost overruns.
Since the volume of data is huge, data scientists need to consider all the key attributes and dimensions of the data to provide a complete solution to address complex business issues.
Best data security practices to reduce risks for your enterprise
- Prevent unauthorized access
Data scientists deal with sensitive data of the enterprises, so they need to take extra precautions to see that it does not fall into the wrong hands. Sometimes this data may be misused by hackers or even within the organization which means it’s time to have data loss prevention solution that provides access to some of the key individuals who need to manage the data.
- Get regular data backup
Back up all the important electronic spreadsheets, databases, files, important documents, word processing documents along with accounts receivables and accounts payable files.
Make sure to back up all the critical data on the cloud and plan for contingencies such as fire or floods so that backups are stored in a separate location. Check your backups regularly to see that it is working properly, and all the updates are installed on time.
- Use secure data encryption methods
Data encryption is an economical method for adding an extra layer of protection, especially if a hard drive or network connection fails. Especially if you are working on critical applications that require high performance, it requires data protection.
There are many high-level applications and services available today that are enabled with built-in encryption for this purpose. Also, it pays to use secure file sharing services rather than using email and web servers.
- Use anti-malware protection
Verizon Data Breach Investigation Report,2019 suggests that 52% of the data breaches occurred due to hacking and 28% were due to malware, with over 69% of the crimes were committed by outsiders.
Ransomware attacks are increasing and becoming common, with nearly 24% of the incidents being reported in many cases. Phishing and identity theft related to cloud-based email accounts are growing at an alarming rate with 670 incidents and 157 confirmed data disclosures.
Most phishing attacks involve installing malware on the employee’s computers which makes it essential to anti-malware software installed on devices across the networks.
Conclusion
Regardless of the type of organization that you operate, data thefts and web threats can cause major disruptions to the day-to-day operations of your business. In the absence of right security measures, enterprises may be vulnerable to cyber attacks by hackers which can destroy the confidence of your customers and cause loss to your business. With data breaches becoming more common, it’s key that enterprises have the right security strategies in place to deal with any contingencies that may lead to data loss in the organization.