Data Privacy

This whitepaper outlines a practical, privacy-by-design approach for safeguarding sensitive information across every device and entry point—identity, endpoints, servers, infrastructure, collaboration, mobility, and third parties—without sacrificing productivity.

Version 1.0 · Audience: IT / Security / Compliance · Classification: Public
Principles: Minimize collection, separate duties and keys, encrypt at rest and in transit, verify with evidence, and expire access quickly. Build controls users can live with.

1) Identity, Access & Directory

Identity is the new perimeter. Govern the full lifecycle and reduce standing privilege.

  • MFA everywhere; phishing-resistant methods preferred (FIDO2/WebAuthn).
  • Conditional access by risk, geo, device health, and user role.
  • JIT/JEA admin with approvals; short-lived credentials and break-glass with hardware tokens.
  • Automated provisioning/deprovisioning (HRIS → IdP) with SCIM/Graph.
  • PAM for privileged sessions; session recording where lawful and disclosed.
  • Strong passwordless or passkeys; disable legacy auth (IMAP/POP/NTLM) where possible.

2) Workstations & Laptops

Harden endpoints to protect data at the point of creation and access.

  • Full-disk encryption (BitLocker/FileVault) with escrowed recovery keys; pre-boot auth.
  • Remove local admin; just-in-time elevation with audit trails.
  • Application allow-listing; exploit protection; host firewall baselines.
  • Patch SLAs and automated update rings; rapid vulnerability remediation.
  • EDR with privacy-conscious telemetry retention and role-based views.
  • Screen lock, idle timeouts, privacy filters for shared/field work.
Data-at-rest
Encrypt user profiles and key app data folders; protect hibernation files.
Data-in-use
Harden clipboard, print, and screenshot policies for regulated apps.

3) Servers (On-prem & IaaS)

  • Disk/volume encryption; secrets in KMS/HSM; rotate service creds.
  • Prod vs non-prod segmentation; east-west filtering; admin via jump hosts.
  • Baseline configs (CIS), golden images, drift detection, immutable infra where feasible.
  • Log minimal necessary fields; tamper-evident storage; time-sync with secure NTP.

4) Network Devices: Firewalls, Routers, Switches

  • Mgmt plane: TLS/SSH only, IP allowlists, MFA; disable telnet/HTTP/SNMPv1.
  • Versioned backups; signed configs; out-of-band management.
  • VLANs/micro-segmentation; ACLs default-deny; DHCP/DNS guard; storm control.
  • NetFlow/IPFIX to analytics; DoS rate-limits; automatic config compliance.

5) Wireless & Guest

  • 802.1X/EAP-TLS with certificate identity; separate corp/BYOD/guest SSIDs.
  • Client isolation; WIDS/WIPS; disable open auth; rotate keys.
  • Guest portal with rate limits; DNS and content filtering.
  • Coverage planning & privacy zoning for cameras/meeting spaces.

6) Email & Messaging

  • Inbound: anti-phish, DMARC/DKIM/SPF, BEC defenses, sandboxing.
  • Outbound: DLP policies; label-triggered encryption (TLS/S/MIME/portal).
  • Safe links/attachments; legal hold; retention by policy.
  • External sharing boundaries; watermarking; recording governance.

7) DNS, Web Filtering & Proxies

  • DoH/DoT resolvers with domain risk scoring and block lists.
  • Block newly registered/DGA domains; isolate risky browsing.
  • TLS inspection with privacy guardrails and user notice where lawful.
  • DNS logging with PII minimization and documented retention.

8) Zero-Trust Access & Modern VPN

  • Per-app micro-tunnels; device posture checks; short-lived tokens.
  • MFA + device cert binding; split tunnel with DNSSEC/DoH.
  • Granular logging; session recording for admin flows (with notice).
  • Auto-quarantine on posture failure; self-remediation prompts.

9) Mobile & BYOD

  • MDM/MAM: Android work profile; iOS user enrollment; app-level policies.
  • Prevent copy/paste to unmanaged apps; block unsanctioned cloud saves.
  • Per-app VPN; jailbreak/root detection; remote wipe of work data only.
  • Minimal telemetry with clear user notices and consent where required.

10) IoT, OT, Printers & Cameras

  • Dedicated VLANs; egress allow-lists; deny lateral movement.
  • Rotate credentials; sign/verify firmware; disable cloud backdoors.
  • Mute mics/cameras by policy; privacy masking where applicable.
  • Inventory & SBOM where feasible; retire end-of-support gear.

11) Voice & Collaboration

  • SRTP/TLS; role-based access to recordings; retention schedules.
  • Meeting classification, lobbies, watermarking, external controls.
  • PII-aware transcripts; redact sensitive content when possible.
  • Contact center PCI pause/resume; DLP for omnichannel.

12) Databases & Storage (NAS/SAN/Object)

  • Transparent encryption; key separation of duties; column masking.
  • RBAC/ABAC; no shared admin creds; rotate service accounts.
  • Snapshot/backup encryption; immutability (WORM) for archives.
  • Query & activity logging with periodic access reviews.

13) Web Apps, APIs & Reverse Proxies

  • WAF, bot management, rate limiting, geo controls; mTLS where apt.
  • Cookie flags, CSRF defenses, session hardening; no secrets in code.
  • Collect minimum necessary data with clear consent & notices.
  • API gateways with OAuth2/OIDC, scopes, throttling, auditing.

14) Backups, DR & Recovery

  • Immutable backups in separate trust zone; distinct credentials.
  • Regular restore tests; documented RTO/RPO; evidence capture.
  • PII minimization in logs/backups; selective restores to reduce scope.
  • Forensic chain-of-custody and hash verification where needed.

15) Vendors & Third-Party Access

  • DPA/BAA where applicable; data mapping & transfer impact assessment.
  • SSO + MFA; scoped API keys; IP allowlists; short token TTL; event hooks.
  • Evidence of controls (SOC 2/ISO); continuous vendor risk monitoring.
  • Automated offboarding revokes accounts, keys, and tunnels immediately.

16) Logging, Monitoring & SIEM

  • Data minimization and tokenization/redaction for PII in logs.
  • UEBA to detect anomalies; tuned alerts; duty segregation for analysts.
  • Retention aligned to policy with immutable tiers and legal hold.
  • Runbooks for privacy incidents: contain → notify → eradicate → learn.

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