An IT risk assessment for a large healthcare group revealed an increased risk of unauthorized...

The first step to address the risk of unauthorized disclosure of information is to establish a data classification policy. A data classification policy defines the categories of data based on their sensitivity and value to the organization, and specifies the appropriate security controls and handling procedures for each category. A data classification policy helps to identify the most critical and confidential data, and to prioritize the protection of such data from unauthorized access, disclosure, modification, or loss. A data classification policy also provides a basis for implementing other measures, such as data encryption tools, data loss prevention tools, and data retention policy, to enhance the security of data. References := Reducing Cybersecurity Security Risk From and to Third Parties; Unauthorized Access: Prevention Best Practices; Security of Enterprise Application Integration