Edge DLP

Protect Risky Information On Websites: DLP for Edge Browser

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Edge DLP

Table of Contents

TL;DR:

Edge DLP is a browser-based data loss prevention strategy for protecting sensitive information.
It helps prevent data leakage, unauthorized sharing, and ensures compliance with regulations.
Strac Edge Browser DLP offers advanced capabilities like policy enforcement, user behavior analysis, and seamless integration.
It addresses risks such as data leakage via web applications and unauthorized sharing of sensitive information.
Strac's solution is user-https://calendly.com/strac-sensitive-personal-data/30minfriendly, easy to deploy, and reduces the administrative burden on IT and security teams.

What is Edge DLP?

Edge Data Loss Prevention (Edge DLP) refers to the practice of implementing DLP capabilities directly within web browsers. This approach ensures that data transmitted through web applications is monitored and protected at the point of interaction. By integrating DLP functionality into the browser, organizations can effectively control and secure data flows from endpoints, particularly in environments where remote work and cloud applications are prevalent.

Examples of Edge DLP:

Browser-Based DLP for Webmail: Consider a healthcare organization that needs to prevent unauthorized sharing of patient records. By implementing Edge DLP within the browser, the organization can monitor and control data transmitted via webmail services like Gmail or Outlook.com. This ensures that sensitive health information is not inadvertently or maliciously shared outside the organization.
Cloud Application Security: A financial institution using cloud-based applications such as Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive can leverage Edge DLP to monitor file uploads and downloads. This prevents employees from uploading confidential financial data to personal or unauthorized cloud storage accounts.
Social Media Protection: An educational institution might use Edge DLP to prevent staff and students from posting sensitive information on social media platforms. For instance, the browser-based DLP can detect and block attempts to share confidential academic records or personal information on platforms like Facebook or Twitter.

What Risks or Problems Does Edge DLP Solve?

Edge DLP addresses several critical risks and problems associated with data security in modern, distributed work environments. Here are a few examples:

Data Leakage via Web Applications:
1. ‍Problem: Employees frequently use web applications for communication and collaboration, making it challenging to control data leakage.‍
2. Solution: Edge DLP monitors data transfers within the browser, ensuring that sensitive information is not transmitted to unauthorized destinations. For instance, an employee trying to upload a confidential document to a personal cloud storage account would be blocked by the Edge DLP solution.‍
Unauthorized Sharing of Sensitive Information:
1. Problem: With the rise of remote work and cloud-based applications, there is an increased risk of unauthorized data sharing.‍
2. Solution: Edge DLP can enforce policies that prevent users from sharing sensitive information through webmail, social media, and other web applications. For example, an employee attempting to email a list of customer contacts to a personal email address would be detected and blocked.‍
Compliance with Data Protection Regulations:
1. Problem: Organizations must comply with various data protection regulations, such as GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS, which require stringent controls over sensitive data.‍
2. Solution: Edge DLP helps organizations meet compliance requirements by providing real-time monitoring and control of data transfers within the browser. This ensures that sensitive information is handled in accordance with regulatory standards.‍
Web Security and User Behavior:
1. Problem: Employees may visit blacklisted sites, download files from blacklisted domains, or use insecure HTTP sites, posing significant security risks.‍
2. Solution: The Edge DLP can detect and block access to blacklisted sites, downloads from blacklisted domains, and visits to insecure HTTP sites. It also monitors web searches for blacklisted keywords, blocks attempts to upload files to non-whitelisted domains, and controls clipboard operations, ensuring that sensitive data is not copied or pasted inappropriately.

How Does Strac Edge DLP Solve Above Problems?

Strac Browser DLP addresses the challenges of browser-based data loss prevention with a robust and comprehensive solution. Here's how Strac Browser DLP effectively tackles browser DLP issues:

Strac Browser Extension Capabilities: Strac's Browser Extension provides enhanced visibility and control over browser events. It detects visits to blacklisted sites, blocks downloads from blacklisted domains, monitors searches for blacklisted keywords, prevents file uploads to non-whitelisted domains, and controls clipboard operations.

Strac Edge DLP: Warn on Sensitive File Upload

Advanced Policy Enforcement: With Strac, organizations can define and enforce detailed data protection policies, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and internal standards.
User Behavior Analysis: Strac includes advanced user behavior analytics to detect suspicious activities and potential insider threats, enhancing overall security.
Seamless Integration: Strac integrates seamlessly with existing security tools, including endpoint security, SIEM systems, and cloud security platforms, creating a unified security environment.
Support for Various Web Applications: Strac supports a wide range of web applications, providing comprehensive protection across different platforms and services.
Ease of Use: Strac's solution is designed for easy deployment and management, reducing the administrative burden on IT and security teams.

Sensitive Data Types for Edge DLP

Checkout all the sensitive data elements and file formats supported by Strac: https://www.strac.io/blog/strac-catalog-of-sensitive-data-elements

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Sharepoint DLP Use Cases

Practical Scenario

A hospital’s billing and administrative teams use SharePoint Online to store patient invoices, medical reports, and insurance forms. While collaborating with external insurance providers, a staff member accidentally updates the permissions on a SharePoint document library to “Anyone with the link,” exposing potentially thousands of patient files containing PHI.

How Strac's Sharepoint DLP Helps

Continuous Data Discovery: Strac automatically scans existing and newly uploaded documents, identifying PHI (e.g., medical record numbers, Social Security Numbers).
Classification & Labeling: Once identified, files are labeled (e.g., “HIPAA Sensitive”), ensuring that administrators know which documents require the highest level of protection.
Visibility into Access: Strac provides real-time insight into who has access to these sensitive documents. Administrators can instantly see if unauthorized users or broad groups have viewing rights.
Revoke Public Links: If a file is publicly accessible, Strac immediately revokes those links and restores restricted access.
Alerts & Quarantines: When someone attempts to share PHI externally, Strac can alert admins, quarantine the file for review, or completely block the action.
Audit-Ready Reports: All actions are logged, enabling quick incident response and demonstrating HIPAA compliance for audits.

Practical Scenario

A mid-sized investment firm uses SharePoint to collaborate on various client files, including:

Credit card statements (subject to PCI-DSS)
ID documents (Driver’s Licenses, Passports, etc.) used for KYC (Know Your Customer) verification
Banking information such as account and routing numbers

An associate accidentally shares a SharePoint folder containing these files with a newly onboarded client who does not require access to all confidential documents. This folder is also accessible to several internal teams outside the immediate project, creating multiple potential exposure points.

How Strac's Sharepoint DLP Helps

Comprehensive Data Discovery: Strac scans both existing and newly uploaded documents in SharePoint for sensitive information such as credit card numbers, bank account details, and ID documents (Driver’s License, Passport formats).
Classification & Automated Labeling: Once identified, Strac applies meaningful labels (e.g., “PCI-DSS Sensitive,” “PII – ID Documents,” “Banking Info”) to ensure these files stand out and are subject to stricter security rules.
Visibility into Access: Strac provides an immediate view of who currently has access to these sensitive files. This allows admins to spot situations where external clients or internal teams unnecessarily have permissions.
Public Access Revocation: If a labeled document (e.g., containing card data or ID scans) is found to be publicly shared or too broadly accessible, Strac automatically revokes these links or permissions, aligning access with the principle of least privilege.
Alerts, Quarantines, and Blocks: When a user attempts to share a labeled document with outside domains—or with an entire department—Strac alerts administrators or quarantines/blocks the file share, depending on policy settings.
In cases where the share is intentional but needs review, admins can approve or deny the request within Strac’s dashboard.
Audit & Compliance: Every sharing event, label assignment, and access revocation is logged, creating a detailed audit trail. This helps demonstrate compliance with PCI-DSS, KYC, AML, and other regulatory requirements.
Automatic reporting simplifies any regulatory or internal compliance audit, reducing the administrative burden on security and compliance teams.

Practical Scenario

A software company keeps source code, product roadmaps, and design specs in SharePoint. Several teams—including external contractors—use the same SharePoint site. A developer accidentally grants a large group, including some non-disclosure–exempt contractors, access to a folder containing patent-pending code.

How Strac's Sharepoint DLP Helps

Holistic File Scanning: Strac inspects documents, PDFs, and archives for code snippets, system designs, and proprietary business terms to detect potential IP.
Intelligent Labeling: Documents identified as containing IP or trade secrets are automatically classified (e.g., “Proprietary IP”), reinforcing the need for restricted sharing.
Real-Time Access Insights: With Strac, administrators can instantly see who has access to IP-tagged files, enabling them to remove unauthorized users or reduce permission scopes.
Immediate Link Removal: If a contractor or external partner is mistakenly granted access to IP, Strac revokes public or unauthorized sharing before the files can be downloaded.
Alerts & Blocking: Strac’s policies can be configured to alert security teams or block external sharing attempts for files containing proprietary content.
Incident Response & Auditing: Detailed logs of every share request, label change, and access revocation aid in quick incident resolution and help prove due diligence if legal issues arise.