What is data security?

Data security means safeguarding data from unauthorized access, theft, or corruption – whether it be from hardware issues, software issues, accidental loss, or malicious access. In an increasingly digital world, data security is ever important.

Data security illustration

These days, there are many tools that businesses and consumers use to keep their data safe and sound. These tools leverage a mixture of basic and complex processes to ensure that data is being used the way it was intended by its creator. 

Here’s everything you need to know.

Why is data security important?

There are numerous reasons why data security is important. Data security is important because it safeguards vital information from corruption, compromise, or loss. It helps preserve the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of the data, ensuring that it doesn’t fall into the hands of those who would use it for malicious purposes. 

In today’s digital age, businesses, governments, and individuals rely heavily on digital data for a wide range of purposes. Data security protects this information from various threats including cyber attacks, data breaches, or even hardware failures. Additionally, it can prevent significant financial losses that might arise from incidents such as data theft or ransomware attacks. Basically, without robust data security measures in place, the damages from compromised data can be immense and far-reaching.

Data security versus data privacy

Both data security and data privacy are incredibly important components of managing data. Data security refers to the protective measures put in place to prevent unauthorized access, alteration, or destruction of data. It involves the use of physical security, administrative controls, and technical measures such as encryption, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems. Data privacy, on the other hand, is more concerned with how data is collected, shared, and used, ensuring that personally identifiable information is only accessed by authorized individuals and used in ways that comply with relevant laws and policies. 

Types of data security

There are a number of different types of data security. Here’s a look at some of the most-used and most important. 

Access controls

In data security, access controls are key mechanisms that regulate who or what can view or use data. These systems essentially establish a set of rules that restrict access to sensitive information based on user roles, allowing only authorized individuals, systems, or devices to interact with specific resources. There are different types of access controls, such as discretionary, mandatory, and role-based controls. By implementing access controls, organizations can limit the exposure of their data, thereby preventing unauthorized users from accessing or modifying it.

Authentication

Authentication is an important component of data security that verifies the identity of a user, system, or device. The process ensures that the entity requesting access is who or what it claims to be before granting access to information or resources. Common methods of authentication include the use of passwords, biometric data, security tokens, or digital certificates. More secure systems may employ multi-factor authentication, which requires two or more independent credentials for verification—something the user knows (like a password), something the user has (like a physical token or a smartphone), and something the user is (like a fingerprint or facial recognition). 

Backups and recovery

Backups and data recovery form a crucial part of a data security strategy, focused on preserving and restoring data in the event of loss, corruption, or disaster. Backups involve creating copies of data and storing them in a separate and secure location, which could be a different server, on an external drive, or in the cloud. Regular backups ensure that even if the main data source is compromised, there’s another version of that data that can be accessed. Recovery, on the other hand, is the process of restoring the data from these backups. This is especially important in cases of hardware or system failures, data corruption, or cyberattacks such as ransomware, where the primary data source is inaccessible or unusable. 

Data erasure

Data erasure, also known as data wiping or data clearing, is a security measure that ensures the complete and irreversible removal of data from a storage device. This process goes beyond mere deletion, as deleted files can usually be recovered with special tools. Instead, data erasure overwrites the data sectors with random information or specific patterns, rendering the original data completely unrecoverable. This is particularly important when devices are to be discarded, sold, or repurposed, as it prevents any sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands. It’s also critical for compliance with certain data protection regulations, which require that personal data be properly disposed of when it’s no longer needed. 

Data masking

Data masking is a data protection technique that involves concealing original data with modified content. This process retains the authentic look and feel of the data without exposing its actual sensitive information. For example, a masked credit card number might still have the same format and length, but the digits would be replaced in a way that the original number can’t be derived. Data masking is especially valuable in non-production environments, such as development or testing, where actual data is often not necessary. This way, organizations can still work with data that looks realistic without risking the exposure of sensitive information.

Data resiliency

Data resiliency refers to the ability of a system, network, or dataset to recover quickly and continue functioning even when there has been a disruption, such as a cyber attack, natural disaster, or hardware failure. It involves the use of technologies and practices that protect data, minimize data loss, and restore data and systems to normal operation following a disruption. This includes measures such as data backups, redundant systems, disaster recovery plans, and the use of fault-tolerant technologies. Data resiliency is extremely important for maintaining business continuity, reducing downtime, and preventing significant data loss in the face of unforeseen events.

Encryption

Encryption is a fundamental data security technique used to protect information from unauthorized access. It involves the process of converting plaintext data into a coded form, or ciphertext, which can only be understood if decrypted. This conversion is done using an algorithm and a unique key, making the data unreadable to anyone who doesn’t possess the appropriate key. There are two main types of encryption: symmetric, where the same key is used for both encryption and decryption, and asymmetric, where different keys (a public one for encryption and a private one for decryption) are used.

Christian de Looper
About author:

Technology journalist that has over a decade of experience covering smartphones, computers, smart home and other areas of consumer tech. He is published on CNN, Forbes, Tom’s Guide, Digital Trends and many more.

David Green
About reviewer:

Engineer with a passion for solving complex problems and keeping up with the latest technology trends. With years of experience in the industry, he has become an expert in data recovery, using state-of-the-art tools and techniques to recover data from damaged or corrupted devices.