Transferring files between customers and trading partners, especially files containing sensitive data without appropriate data security protection solutions applied, involves at least some level of risk. You might accidentally send files to the wrong recipient. Or your latest email attachment was sent with an unsecure File Transfer Protocol (FTP) method. That email you just received from a trusted source? It contained hidden meta data, like executables, that could potentially wreak havoc.
If your organization has already recognized the potential risks with file transfers and even proactively invested in file security software, such as a managed file transfer (MFT) solution, you’re in better shape than many organizations. To help mitigate the data security risks and vulnerabilities such as malware and viruses around transferring files, you’ll want to address the need for integrating threat protection with your MFT.
Related Reading: The Biggest Cyber Risks Organizations Face Today
What Security Risks Are Taken When Transferring Files?
Any number of risks are possible when exchanging data or collaborating. But a few of the most common ones can be resolved by integrating a secure file transfer method with a threat protection tool.
Risk: Sending Files to the Wrong Recipient
Imagine if you’re a hospital employee and accidentally send or forward files containing sensitive patient information or Personally Identifiable Information (PII) to someone other than the authorized recipient.
If you don’t currently use an encrypted file transfer solution or if you don’t have a way to audit what data is where and who might be accessing it, can you prevent PII from being downloaded and avoid a massive data breach?
An MFT solution, such as GoAnywhere MFT, which uses file transfer protocols like HTTPS or SFTP and encryption standards, helps organizations automate, centralize, and streamline file transfers, while keeping the information in those files encrypted and away from any prying eyes that might accidentally access and exploit your valuable data.
Unlike a simple FTP or SFTP solution, GoAnywhere features extensive security controls and advanced auditing and reporting capabilities. And, when integrated with Fortra’ Secure ICAP Gateway, additional protection is added, which can automatically redact any files containing PII.
With the added protection provided by an ICAP solution, even if that errant file lands with the wrong person, any sensitive information would be rendered unreadable. Fortra’ Secure ICAP Gateway is a fully automated solution that augments the security of critical information as it flows through an organization’s existing web proxy infrastructure or managed file transfers.
Related Reading: MFT + Secure ICAP Gateway: A Powerful Security Duo
Risk: Viruses and Malware Latching On To a File Transfer
The many benefits of collaboration come with the risk of a data security threat, one of which is embedded viruses or malware that can ride in unseen on files being exchanged. Securing file transfers, particularly sensitive data files, requires layers of security to thoroughly protect those files end-to-end.
The risk of receiving hidden threats, which can lurk unseen within images or documents, can be reduced with Secure ICAP Gateway. This tool enables organizations to thoroughly inspect content moving in or out of the network through GoAnywhere MFT for malware, sensitive information, or even high-risk executables that could pose a data loss threat.
Related Reading: Data Security Best Practices Every CISO Should Know
Industries that need to meet compliance requirements or that otherwise need a higher level of data security around file transfers, such as finance, government, defense, and healthcare could benefit from the integration of MFT and ICAP. By combining these two solutions, data security policies can be applied more consistently both when sending out sensitive data with PII, Protected Health Information (PHI), or Payment Card Industry (PCI) information and when receiving documents that might come into your network bearing viruses or malware.
Sending documents that may contain sensitive data, hidden metadata, or receiving files that may contain viruses or malware is far less risky when data security layers such as MFT and ICAP are applied. With the Secure ICAP Gateway in place organizations can benefit from:
- Data Redaction: The ability to replace sensitive text with a series of asterisks to protect PII, PCI, HIPPA, and other sensitive information from being received or sent out in real-time.
- Document sanitization: The ability to remove metadata from documents, such as track changes, author information, digital signatures, etc.
- Structural sanitization: The ability to detect and remove active code from emails and attachments to help prevent advanced persistent threats.
- Optical character recognition: This feature can detect text in images that can be contained in scanned documents and can redact them.
- Deep Content Inspection: Our deep content inspection engine can fully disassemble the communication flow providing a complete understanding of the critical information being shared. This solution is not limited by file size, zip/encryption, or multiple embedded document layers and provides high detection rates to keep data secure and business operating.
Threat Protection Requires Layered Security
Data security today requires looking at all the potential avenues data can be lost, stolen, manipulated, or accessed by unauthorized individuals intentionally or unintentionally.
With an MFT solution in place, the movement of files in and out of your organization is secure and automated, with advanced collaboration and data tracking functionality. GoAnywhere MFT can ensure the security of your file exchanges, but it does not inspect or redact the content, such as PII, PHI, or PCI, before it sends it. Clearswift’s Secure ICAP Gateway does. However, ICAP does not secure the movement of your files both in and out of your organization, nor does it automate file transfers, provide auditing of file movements, or secure your collaboration.
The SFT Threat Protection bundle of GoAnywhere MFT and Clearswift Secure ICAP Gateway helps ensure each file that crosses your MFT platform has been thoroughly inspected and cleared to continue safely.
To prevent viruses, malware, and other malicious content from entering your organization, GoAnywhere MFT can send files over the Secure ICAP Gateway to inspect the content for sensitive information. ICAP then instructs GoAnywhere MFT on whether to proceed with the file transfer or not. If the file contents are cleared, the transfer occurs as normal. If the file contents are deemed sensitive, content is either redacted or blocked according to your organization’s policy.
Related Reading: 3 Powerful Examples of MFT and DLP Paired in Action
MFT Is Good. Adding Secure ICAP Gateway Is Better.
When MFT is paired with ICAP, organizations gain an extra layer of protection for file transfers. See for yourself with a demo of this data-centric security integration.
