Securing Remote Work: Lessons from a Data Breach

This article explores the critical vulnerabilities in remote work setups that led to a data breach, emphasizing the need for updated security protocols and robust endpoint management to prevent unauthorized data access.

Scenario and Impact

A mid-level employee working remotely encountered an issue with their company-issued laptop, which had not received recent Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policy updates due to a misconfigured endpoint management profile. While attempting to work on a borrower report, the employee faced sluggish VPN access, preventing access to the document. As a workaround, the employee downloaded the report locally and uploaded it to a personal cloud drive. Due to inadequate visibility and enforcement of policies, the system failed to detect or block the use of a personal drive, leading to the unauthorized transmission of sensitive company information outside the organization. During a review following a reported data theft, it was discovered that this information was shared externally without a legitimate business requirement.

Incident Response

• Primary Root Cause: The misconfigured endpoint management profile resulted in outdated DLP policies due to the following reasons:
  • VPN performance issues prompted the downloading of local files.
  • Lack of real-time monitoring for personal cloud access.
  • Inadequate endpoint inventory across the enterprise.
  • No alerts were generated due to policy misconfiguration on the endpoint.

• Action and Containment:
  • Access to company resources from the affected endpoint was immediately revoked. The system was placed in a quarantine group for isolation and further investigation. 
  • A comprehensive system scan was conducted to identify anomalies, and the DLP policy was re-established. 
  • All copies of sensitive data were identified and removed from the employee’s personal storage. Access to all unsanctioned platforms was re-evaluated to ensure effective policy enforcement.

 Remediation and Future Prevention

• System Restore: Access was reinstated for the employee once the system passed all mandatory security checks. Devices with similar misconfigurations were reviewed to apply necessary remediations across the enterprise.
• Preventive Action: 
  • VPN infrastructure has been reviewed, and appropriate controls have been implemented to enhance remote performance. 
  • Automated compliance checks are now in place to identify misconfigured devices promptly. 
  • Security awareness training has been conducted, focusing on best practices for handling, managing, and sharing sensitive company data.

• Recommendations:
  • Implement controls for real-time policy validation on outdated systems.
  • Deploy a Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) to monitor and control cloud usage.
  • Establish a fail-safe alternative for VPN access, such as secure access gateways for file transfers.

Mrinmoy Dey
CISO
Lendingkart