3 Data Classifications and What They Mean

Hacks happen all the time. The Global Threat Report released by Carbon Black estimates that in 2018, about 1 million cyberattacks per day were attempted. All businesses are at risk on a daily basis and need to take proper data security precautions. How you do so and which data you protect should all depend on their data classification. Here are the three main types of data classification, and how they differ from each other:

Confidential

"Confidential” data is any data that could harm the person or institution it belongs to if released without authorization. There are often federal legal stipulations regarding the protection of this type of information because of its extremely private manner.Some examples of confidential data include

• Social Security Numbers,
• credit card information,
• driver’s license numbers, and
• bank account information.

Be sure to safeguard all data that could be detrimental to someone if a hacker was to release them. The above are good examples of confidential data but also include anything else that fits the description. If not, you could be facing a lawsuit or criminal charge if the data is breached and leaked.

Sensitive

Though the two sound like they’d be exactly the same, the definition of sensitive data differs from confidential. Sensitive data is detrimental to a person’s or business’ reputation rather than survival. Generally, sensitive data refers to unsavory photos, videos, or documents. However, types of sensitive data could also include any bit of information that causes less harm than confidential data would when leaked, but still enough to damage a reputation.

Public

As its name infers, public data is any information that can be legally accessed by any member of the public. For example, in cases where an organization has not-for-profit status, all data in regards to funding and fundraising must be accessible to public eyes. This data doesn't require protection by law, and no one can use it against a company because everyone can already find that information.

Conclusion

Implementing a data security strategy is key for every business and organization. This plan should include reliable and easy-to-recover backups of data that pertains to the safety of staff, clients, and your business. StorageCraft is the data recovery pro. We offer a variety of solutions that back up your data and give you the ability to recover lost data in case of a breach, ransomware attack, or natural disaster. Contact us today to learn more about our products or request a demo and see them in action.