DLP, or Data Loss Prevention, is a crucial tool in any organization’s cybersecurity strategy, helping to protect sensitive data from being lost, misused, or accessed by unauthorized individuals. With breaches occurring at alarming rates and the consequences of these attacks consistently rising, it’s more important than ever to put a robust DLP strategy in place. In the context of the SC-400 Microsoft Information Protection Administrator exam, Microsoft 365’s DLP solution stands as an ideal recommendation.
Microsoft 365’s DLP Solution
Microsoft 365’s DLP solution is a comprehensive tool that aids organizations in identifying, monitoring, and automatically protecting sensitive information across Office 365. It is equipped with deep content analysis capabilities that let it understand and classify data based on its sensitivity.
Key features include:
- Configurable sensitive information types, useful for identifying and classifying data.
- Policy Tips, which educate end users about potential policy violations before they occur.
- Integrated incident reporting and management, providing visibility into occurrences of sensitive data sharing and helping organizations respond effectively.
With this Microsoft offering, organizations can set up DLP rules and policies, stipulating where sensitive data can be stored, how it is shared, and who gets to access it.
Example of Microsoft 365’s DLP Setup
For example, an organization dealing with credit card information could set up a DLP policy using the built-in sensitive information type for Credit Card Number. If someone attempts to share a document containing credit card information outside of the organization, the DLP solution can block the sharing action, notify the user and the admin, and create an incident report for tracking and future reference.
The following steps depict how to create a DLP policy in Microsoft 365:
- In the Security & Compliance Center, select Data loss prevention > Policy > + Create a policy.
- Select the information to protect. Here, you can choose from predefined templates like Financial, Medical and Health, and Privacy. For this example, choose Financial > Credit Card Number.
- Name the policy and set the locations where the policy will apply, such as OneDrive accounts, SharePoint sites, and Exchange email accounts.
- Configure the rules for the policy. This includes setting the conditions that will trigger the rule, the actions that will be taken, and any user notifications or policy tips.
- Review and confirm the settings, then turn on the policy.
Advantages of Microsoft 365’s DLP Solution
Microsoft 365’s DLP solution comes with a slew of advantages that make it well-suited for modern organizations:
- Integrated Solution: It seamlessly integrates with other Microsoft 365 services, offering a unified DLP solution across multiple applications and endpoints.
- Ease of Use: Its user-friendly interface allows administrators to easily set up and manage DLP policies.
- Real-time Protection: It provides real-time protection against data breaches and other security threats.
- Scalability: This solution scales efficiently with organization growth, making it a sustainable choice for businesses of all sizes.
- Compliance Assurance: With its robust controls and reporting capabilities, it helps organizations comply with data protection regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and others.
In conclusion, for organizations preparing for the SC-400 Microsoft Information Protection Administrator exam, Microsoft 365’s DLP solution is an excellent security tool. With its comprehensive features and robust data protection capabilities, it provides the real-time, automated protection that today’s organizations need.
Practice Test
True or False: Microsoft 365’s built-in Data Loss Prevention (DLP) can help detect data in motion, at rest, and in use across Office
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Microsoft 365’s DLP solution can help detect data in motion (Emails, Documents), at rest (SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive), and in use (Endpoint devices).
Which of the following DLP solutions include policy tips that alert users to potential policy violations before sensitive information is sent?
- a) Microsoft Endpoint DLP
- b) Microsoft 365 DLP
- c) Microsoft Cloud App Security DLP
- d) Microsoft Exchange DLP
Answer: b) Microsoft 365 DLP
Explanation: Microsoft 365 DLP includes policy tips that alert users about potential policy violation.
True or False: The Microsoft Intune mobile app management SDK includes DLP controls.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: The Intune SDK provides DLP controls to avoid user data leaks on mobile devices.
Which of the following DLP solutions will help organisations monitor and control sensitive information in cloud apps?
- a) Microsoft Endpoint DLP
- b) Microsoft 365 DLP
- c) Microsoft Cloud App Security DLP
- d) Microsoft Exchange DLP
Answer: c) Microsoft Cloud App Security DLP
Explanation: Microsoft Cloud App Security DLP helps organisations monitor and control sensitive data in cloud applications.
True or False: DLP solutions can prevent users from sending sensitive information in Outlook.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: DLP solutions provide options for setting up policies that prevent sending sensitive information via email.
What is the primary use of Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) labels?
- a) Email spam tracking
- b) Managing user access to certain files
- c) Marking and classifying sensitive data
- d) Network traffic monitoring
Answer: c) Marking and classifying sensitive data
Explanation: MIP labels are used for marking and classifying sensitive data, which assists in DLP.
True or False: DLP solutions cannot help in Compliance regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: DLP solutions can significantly help in meeting and managing compliance standards like GDPR and HIPAA.
Which DLP solution is best suited for preventing sensitive data from leaving an organisation’s network?
- a) Microsoft Endpoint DLP
- b) Microsoft 365 DLP
- c) Microsoft Cloud App Security DLP
- d) Microsoft Exchange DLP
Answer: a) Microsoft Endpoint DLP
Explanation: Microsoft Endpoint DLP prevents sensitive data from leaving an organisation’s network on endpoint devices.
True or False: DLP policies can be based on built-in or custom sensitive information types.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: DLP solutions offer options to create policies based on both built-in sensitive information types and custom types depending on the organisation’s requirement.
Which DLP Solution focuses on preventing protected email from being sent outside the organization?
- a) Microsoft Endpoint DLP
- b) Microsoft 365 DLP
- c) Microsoft Cloud App Security DLP
- d) Microsoft Exchange DLP
Answer: d) Microsoft Exchange DLP
Explanation: Microsoft Exchange DLP’s primary focus is on email communication and preventing protected emails from being sent outside the organisation.
True or False: DLP solutions can protect sensitive data both in the Cloud and On-premise.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: DLP solutions can protect sensitive data no matter where it’s stored – on-premises or in the cloud.
How many DLP policies does Microsoft recommend an organization should have as a maximum?
- a) 5
- b) 10
- c) 15
- d) 20
Answer: d) 20
Explanation: Microsoft recommends a maximum of 20 DLP policies for an organization to ensure optimal system performance.
True or False: You can only set up DLP policies in the Microsoft 365 compliance center.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: While Microsoft 365’s Compliance Center is one place to set up DLP policies, they can also be set up in the Security & Compliance Center.
Which DLP solution would you recommend for an organization that primarily uses cloud-based apps?
- a) Microsoft Endpoint DLP
- b) Microsoft 365 DLP
- c) Microsoft Cloud App Security DLP
- d) Microsoft Exchange DLP
Answer: c) Microsoft Cloud App Security DLP
Explanation: Microsoft Cloud App Security DLP is a Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) that provides a multitude of security features for cloud-based apps.
True or False: Any user can see and modify DLP policies in the organization.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: Only users with specific administrative roles can see and modify DLP policies, such as the Compliance admin or Security admin.
Interview Questions
What is a Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solution?
A DLP solution is a set of tools and processes used to ensure that sensitive data is not lost, misused, or accessed by unauthorized users. It allows organizations to detect potential data breaches and prevent them by monitoring, detecting, and blocking sensitive data in motion, at rest, and in use.
What is Microsoft’s DLP solution?
Microsoft’s DLP solution is part of Microsoft 365 Compliance Center. It helps to identify, monitor, and protect sensitive information across the organizational locations including Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Teams.
What are the benefits of using a DLP solution like Microsoft 365?
Microsoft 365 DLP solution helps in locating sensitive data across different locations, preventing accidental sharing of sensitive information, educating users without slowing down their productivity, and meeting regulatory compliance needs.
What sensitive information types does the Microsoft DLP solution provide?
Microsoft’s DLP solution has over 100 built-in sensitive information types like credit card numbers, social security numbers, bank account numbers, medical records, etc., that can be used to identify and protect sensitive data.
How does Microsoft DLP help in meeting compliance requirements?
Microsoft DLP provides robust auditing, reporting, and compliance functionality. It allows you to document your efforts to secure sensitive data as per regulatory frameworks, and it can automatically generate incidents reports, compliance reports, and audit logs.
What is a DLP policy in the context of Microsoft DLP solution?
A DLP policy is a set of conditions, rules, and actions that define how sensitive information should be protected. With Microsoft DLP, organizations can create, enforce, and manage DLP policies to protect sensitive data.
How can you apply DLP policies to specific locations within an organization?
With Microsoft DLP solution, you can specifically define the locations where the DLP policies should be applied. It can be applied in locations such as Exchange email, SharePoint sites, OneDrive accounts, or Microsoft Teams.
What is the role of incident reports in Microsoft DLP solution?
Incident reports in Microsoft DLP provide detailed information about DLP policy matches in your organization. They help in understanding, troubleshooting and tuning DLP policies.
Can Microsoft DLP solution classify and label sensitive data?
Yes, Microsoft DLP solution can automatically classify and label sensitive data based on pre-defined rules. It uses capabilities such as content analysis to understand the nature of the data.
What is the purpose of DLP policy tips?
DLP policy tips are used to inform users in real-time when they’re sending or sharing sensitive information that’s against the company’s DLP policies. It helps to educate users about the organization’s data policies and prevent data loss incidents.
How does Microsoft DLP solution protect data in third-party cloud apps?
Microsoft Cloud App Security can be integrated with the DLP policy system to extend protection to third-party cloud apps. It enables to identify and protect sensitive data stored in those apps.
Is it possible to customize sensitive information types in Microsoft DLP?
Yes, besides the predefined sensitive information types, Microsoft DLP allows creating custom sensitive information types as per the organization’s necessity.
How can the credibility of a DLP alert be measured in Microsoft DLP?
In Microsoft DLP, the credibility of a DLP alert can be measured by its confidence level. The confidence level, based on the number of detected elements, ranges from low to high indicating the likelihood of sensitive data presence.
Is DLP limited only to textual data?
No, in Microsoft DLP, not only textual content but non-textual content, such as images, that can be transformed into text via optical character recognition (OCR) can also be evaluated.
Can you prevent the accidental deletion of sensitive data with Microsoft DLP?
Yes, Microsoft DLP can prevent accidental deletion or sharing of sensitive data by enforcing protective actions like blocking access to the file or encrypting the data.