Recently, the FTC issued a short guide to what organizations can do to protect data security. It is called Start with Security (HTML) — a PDF version is here. This document provides a very clear and straightforward discussion of 10 good information security measures. It uses examples from FTC cases.
The FTC has issued a number of documents providing data security guidance that cover some of the ground in Start with Security, but Start with Security is a great succinct synthesis of many FTC cases, reports, and documents.
The 10 measures are:
- Start with security.
- Control access to data sensibly.
- Require secure passwords and authentication.
- Store sensitive personal information securely and protect it during transmission.
- Segment your network and monitor who’s trying to get in and out.
- Secure remote access to your network.
- Apply sound security practices when developing new products.
- Make sure your service providers implement reasonable security measures.
- Put procedures in place to keep your security current and address vulnerabilities that may arise.
- Secure paper, physical media, and devices.
It is important to note that this is not an exclusive list or a checklist of minimum security measures. There are many other measures that might be needed to protect the security of personal data. Many of these measures aren’t absolutes — the appropriateness of the measure depends upon the sensitivity of the data and the risk that it might be compromised.
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This post was authored by Professor Daniel J. Solove, who through TeachPrivacy develops computer-based privacy training, data security training, HIPAA training, and many other forms of awareness training on privacy and security topics. This post was originally posted on his blog at LinkedIn, where Solove is a “LinkedIn Influencer.” His blog has more than 900,000 followers.
Professor Solove is the organizer, along with Paul Schwartz of the Privacy + Security Forum (Oct. 21-23 in Washington, DC), an event that aims to bridge the silos between privacy and security.
If you are interested in privacy and data security issues, there are many great ways Professor Solove can help you stay informed:
* LinkedIn Influencer blog
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