Google Drive DLP (Data Loss Prevention)

TL;DR: Protect Your Sensitive Information with Google Drive DLP

• Google Drive is a popular cloud-based platform for storing and collaborating on files, but it comes with the risk of data breaches and security incidents.
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP) on Google Drive offers powerful tools and technologies to help organizations protect their sensitive data and prevent unauthorized access.
• Google Workspace Business Plans do not have native DLP support, but organizations can take steps to protect their accounts and sensitive information.
• Strac is a third-party DLP software that integrates with Google Drive and offers redaction technology to improve DLP techniques and protect sensitive data.

Google Drive has become an essential tool for organizations of all sizes, providing a secure and convenient way to store and collaborate on files in the cloud. However, as the use of Google Drive has become more widespread, so too has the risk of data breaches and security incidents. This is where Data Loss Prevention (DLP) on Google Drive comes into play, offering powerful tools and technologies to help organizations protect their sensitive data and prevent unauthorized access.

Understanding the Importance of DLP for Google Drive

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) is part of the overall company's strategy to prevent, protect, and secure against leakage, loss, or misuse of the company’s confidential, sensitive data (API keys, Personally Identifiable Information, credit card numbers, and PHI). DLP control typically works by identifying, monitoring, and controlling the flow of sensitive data across various channels including emails, file sharing, instant messaging, cloud services, and web browsing. DLP is important to protect data wherever it resides, whether in storage, transit, or use.

In the context of Google Drive, DLP refers to a set of security features that help organizations protect their sensitive data stored on the cloud-based platform. Specifically, DLP on Google Drive can help prevent data breaches by detecting and blocking the unauthorized sharing of sensitive data with people who shouldn't have access to it. DLP gives you control over what users can share and prevent unintended exposure of sensitive data such as credit card numbers or identify numbers. Google Drive DLP control scans files for sensitive contents and prevents users from sharing such files.

‎There are several ways that DLP can be implemented on Google Drive, including:

• Set DLP Rules: These rules define which contents are sensitive and should be protected.
• Scanning files and folders for sensitive information: DLP on Google Drive can automatically scan files that violate DLP rules and contain sensitive data such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, or other personally identifiable information. If sensitive data is detected, the system can alert the user and prevent them from sharing the file with others.
• Enforce DLP Rules: DLP on Google Drive can be configured to enforce DLP rules by blocking the sharing of specific types of sensitive data, such as credit card numbers or social security numbers, to prevent accidental or intentional exposure.

What are the advantages of Google Drive DLP for Your Business?

One of the main benefits of DLP on Google Drive is that it can help organizations maintain compliance with data protection regulations. For example, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires organizations to take measures to protect personal data, including implementing appropriate security measures and ensuring that sensitive data is not shared with unauthorized parties. By using DLP on Google Drive, organizations can help ensure that they are meeting these regulatory requirements and avoid expensive data breaches.

Another important benefit of DLP on Google Drive is that it can be customized to meet the specific needs of each organization. For example, an organization may choose to block the sharing of certain types of data, such as credit card numbers or social security numbers, to prevent accidental or intentional exposure.

Additionally, DLP on Google Drive can be configured to provide notifications and alerts to users when they attempt to share sensitive data, helping to educate them about the risks involved and encouraging them to use best practices for protecting their data. DLP on Google Drive can also help organizations protect against internal threats, such as employees' accidental or intentional exposure of sensitive data. By detecting and preventing the unauthorized sharing of sensitive data, DLP can help organizations reduce the risk of data breaches and protect their intellectual property and confidential information.

Avoiding Data Breaches with Google Drive PII Alerts

Google Drive has had several incidents of data breaches due to the lack of DLP. Here are a few of them:

• Wired UK, the tech publication, stumbled upon a UK Government Department of Health-owned public Google Drive. The Drive contained documents labeled: Official Sensitive. This should have been a private document. It contains the NHS Covid-19 contact tracing app.
• A New York City student found a Google Drive containing personal information (Academic records and other data) of over 3,000 students and academic staff members.

Does Google Drive have Native DLP Support?

Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard and Business Plus do not have DLP support.

Google Workspace Enterprise has DLP support.

What to do when Google Workspace Business Plans Lack DLP Support?

Although Google Workspace Business Plans do not have native Data Loss Prevention (DLP) features, there are several steps you can take to protect your account and sensitive information:

1. Use strong, unique passwords: Ensure all users within your organization use strong, unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication (2FA) to add an extra layer of security.
2. Limit sharing permissions: Be cautious about sharing sensitive documents and files. Limit sharing to specific individuals or groups, and restrict the ability to download, copy, or print sensitive documents.
3. Regularly monitor activity: Use Google Workspace's built-in audit and reporting tools to monitor user activity and identify potential data breaches or suspicious behavior.
4. Train employees: Educate your employees on data security best practices, including identifying phishing emails, avoiding suspicious downloads, and safeguarding sensitive information.
5. Use third-party DLP solutions: While Google Workspace Business Plus does not have built-in DLP, you can integrate third-party DLP solutions like Strac Google Drive DLP to add an extra layer of protection.
6. Regularly backup data: Regularly backup your Google Workspace data to protect against data loss due to accidental deletion or ransomware attacks.
7. Configure security settings: Review and configure security settings within your Google Workspace account to ensure maximum protection, such as enabling security alerts, managing API access, and implementing OAuth app whitelisting.

DLP Detections in Google Drive: How to Identify and Mitigate Risks

Google Drive is a hub for collaborative file sharing, but without proper security controls, sensitive data can easily be exposed. DLP detections in Google Drive help organizations identify policy violations in real-time, preventing leaks of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Payment Card Industry (PCI) data, and Protected Health Information (PHI).

How DLP Detections Work in Google Drive

DLP solutions for Google Drive continuously scan files to detect sensitive data based on predefined policies, contextual keywords, and pattern matching (such as regex for credit card numbers or social security numbers). These detections typically involve:

1. Real-Time Scanning: As files are uploaded, shared, or modified, DLP tools analyze the content for sensitive information.
2. Content Inspection: Advanced DLP solutions inspect text within documents, images (via OCR), and metadata to uncover hidden risks.
3. Policy-Based Alerts: If a document contains sensitive data, security teams receive alerts, allowing them to take corrective action.
4. Automated Remediation: Based on the detection rules, actions like blocking sharing, redacting sensitive content, or restricting access can be enforced.

Common DLP Detections in Google Drive

Organizations implementing Google Drive DLP typically focus on detecting:

• PII Exposure: SSNs, driver’s license numbers, passport numbers, and full names associated with other identifiers.
• Financial Data Leakage: Credit card numbers, IBANs, and bank account details.
• Healthcare Data Violations: HIPAA-protected patient records, medical IDs, and prescription details.
• Intellectual Property Risks: Confidential documents, trade secrets, and proprietary source code.

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How to set up Data Loss Prevention rules in Google Drive

Data Loss Prevention (DLP) in Google Drive is important for organizations looking to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access or sharing. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to set up DLP rules and create custom content detectors.

Requirements

• You must have a Google Workspace account with administrative privileges.
• Only super administrators or delegated admins can create and manage DLP rules.

Steps to Set Up DLP Rules

1. Access the Google Admin Console: some text
   • Login to your Google Admin Console with an admin account.
2. Navigate to DLP Settings: some text
   • Click on Security > Data Protection > DLP.
3. Create a New Rule: some text
   • Click on Manage Rules and then select Add Rule.
   • Choose either New Rule or New Rule from Template.
4. Define the Rule: some text
   • Enter a Rule Name and select the scope (e.g., Organizational Unit or Group).
   • Set the conditions that will trigger the rule, such as detecting sensitive information like Social Security numbers or credit card details.
5. Set Actions for Violations: some text
   • Determine what actions should be taken if the rule is violated (e.g., block sharing, send alerts to admins, or apply labels).
6. Review and Activate the Rule: some text
   • Review the settings and click on Create Rule to activate it.

How to create DLP for Drive rules and custom content detectors

Custom content detectors allow you to tailor DLP rules to your organization's specific needs. 

1. Access Custom Detectors: some text
   • In the Admin Console, go to Security > Data Protection > Manage Detectors.
2. Add a New Detector: some text
   • Click on Add Detector, then choose between using a Regular Expression or a Wordlist, depending on your requirements.
3. Configure the Detector: Name your detector and specify the patterns or keywords it should look for.
4. Integrate with DLP Rules: When creating or editing a DLP rule, you can include this custom detector in the conditions section to enhance data protection.
5. Test Your Detectors and Rules: It’s advisable to test your detectors and rules in a controlled environment before rolling them out organization-wide.

Monitoring and Adjusting DLP Policies

• Use the Data Protection Insights Dashboard to monitor DLP incidents and adjust policies as necessary.
• Regularly review DLP alerts and incidents to refine your rules and ensure they are effectively protecting sensitive data.

By following these steps, organizations can effectively implement Data Loss Prevention rules in Google Drive, enhancing their overall data security posture while ensuring compliance with relevant regulations.

Monitoring and Adjusting DLP Policies

• Use the Data Protection Insights Dashboard to monitor DLP incidents and adjust policies as necessary.
• Regularly review DLP alerts and incidents to refine your rules and ensure they are effectively protecting sensitive data.

By following these steps, organizations can effectively implement Data Loss Prevention rules in Google Drive, enhancing their overall data security posture while ensuring compliance with relevant regulations.

What are the drawbacks of creating Your own DLP Solution for Google Drive?

The major downsides of implementing the above section are:

1. Lack of Sensitive File Visibility: From security risk standpoint, you don't know what you don't know. Visibility is critical to know how many sensitive files exist in google drive, how many files are shared externally - both sensitive and not sensitive.
2. Lack of File Downloads Visibility: Business and Security Leaders won't know who is downloading or sharing files
3. Manual: Regularly monitoring any activity requires employees and their intelligence to find patterns on suspicious activity.
4. Time-Consuming: Training employees, making them aware of what is suspicious and not requires huge investment of time and money from organizations.
5. Error Prone: Even if employees are trained, actually detecting what is sensitive and not (at scale) is extremely error prone. Humans make mistakes. It is costly to let them go unnoticed.
6. Non-Comprehensive: New patterns emerge all the time. No one human can be trained to know all attack patterns.

What are the Google Workspace Enterprise DLP Limitations?

Although Google Workspace Business Plans do not have DLP support, Enterprise plan does have the DLP Support.

Even for Enterprises, Google's native DLP is not enough. It does not do the following:

1. Google Workspace Enterprise DLP will not prevent file sharing for  users: All DLPs today are all-or-none, i.e., either they will block configured sensitive files OR they will allow them. The blanket block or allow does not work in the practical world. For example: it is OK to share sensitive files between certain team members (e.g., customer success) and the end-user (e.g., customer); however, not all team members have the permission to send.
2. Google Workspace Enterprise DLP will not redact sensitive data elements in Google Drive files: Not everyone needs to see customer PII or sensitive information in files; however, it is perfectly valid for users to see files without the sensitive information
3. Google Workspace Enterprise DLP will not redact sensitive data in email bodies and attachments: Gmail DLP does not do any kind of redaction or masking within Google Workspace Enterprise DLP
4. Google Workspace Enterprise DLP will not have approval workflow in Google Drive: There is no customization on who can share with whom what file. Teams would want to share sensitive files with external parties only if a team admin grants permissions.
5. Google Workspace Enterprise DLP will not scan files after 1MB of content: See the Google Workspace Admin FAQ on 1MB Content.
6. Google Workspace Enterprise DLP will not scan audio and video files: See the Google Workspace Admin FAQ on Audio/Video.

Will Strac Google Drive DLP give us visibility and alerts on Downloads?

Yes, Strac Google Drive DLP will give you visibility and alerts to Slack, Teams or your SIEM service if anyone downloads any file OR any sensitive file. Check out https://www.strac.io/blog/how-to-prevent-downloads-in-google-drive

Will Strac Google Drive DLP alert and prevent excessive file downloads?

Yes, Strac Google Drive DLP will give you visibility and even prevent excessive file downloads. Excessive file downloads could be any number of downloads in a given time frame. Also, you can configure alert on sensitive file downloads only. Sensitivity is any data elements that is configured from our Sensitive Data Catalog. Check out https://www.strac.io/blog/how-to-prevent-downloads-in-google-drive

Will Strac Google Drive DLP alert and block external file sharing?

Yes, Strac Google Drive DLP will give you visibility and even block external file sharing

Introducing Strac DLP for Google Drive: The Ultimate Solution for Sensitive Data

Strac is a data loss prevention software that detects and redacts sensitive data across all communication channels. It has no-code integrations with Google Drive, Gmail, Slack, Zendesk, Intercom, Office 365, etc. 

A business using the Strac Google Drive DLP application can configure a list of sensitive data elements to mask or redact. The list below shows a list of sensitive data that can be redacted using the Strac Google Drive DLP application:

• Identity: Drivers License, Passport, SSN (Social Security Number), National Identification Number, etc.
• PII: Name, Address, Email, Phone, DoB, Age, Gender, Ethnicity, etc.
• PHI: PII data, Medical Record Number (MRN), Insurance ID, Health Plan Beneficiary Number, Biometric, Medical Notes, etc.
• Payments: Bank Account, Routing Numbers, Credit Card, Debit Card, IBAN, etc.
• Secrets: API Keys, Passwords, Passphrases, etc.
• Vehicle: License Plate, Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), etc.
• Physical Network: IP Addresses, MAC Address, etc.
• Crypto Secrets: Seed Phrase, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin Addresses, etc.
• Profanity: Curse words, abuse words, etc.
• Custom: Create your own rules or use regex

Now, let’s get down to how Strac protects your Google Drive workspace.

The following steps show how the Strac Google Drive DLP application protects your team's Google Drive workspace and saves your organization from data loss or leakage.

• Strac Google Drive DLP application detects or discovers sensitive files. When integrated and turned on, the Strac Google Drive DLP application detects sensitive files shared.

• Strac prevents file sharing. Teams can build workflows around file sharing. E.g., send a file only if an owner approves it. If the owner rejects it, that file to an external party won't be sent.
• Strac masks or redacts sensitive files or files containing sensitive data while giving authorized users access to those redacted contents in the Strac UI vault.

• Strac will send sensitive data (PII) alerts to configured users or security teams or SIEM integration
• Businesses can configure a list of sensitive data elements (SSN, DoB, DL, Passport, CC#, Debit Card, API Keys, etc.). Full catalog‍
• Compliance, Risk, and Security officers will get audit reports of who accessed what messages.

Sensitive Data Types for Google Drive DLP

Strac offers comprehensive support for a diverse range of sensitive data types, including global identity documents, healthcare and financial identifiers, intellectual property, and confidential files. With powerful detection and remediation capabilities, Strac maintains data security and compliance across SaaS, cloud databases, AI applications, and endpoint devices. This broad coverage allows organizations to protect crucial information effectively. For a detailed list, visit Strac's blog on sensitive data elements.

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Get Started with Google Drive DLP and Protect Your Data Today

Click here to book a demo session and learn how to integrate Strac into your Google Drive workspace. Strac's unique redaction technology will improve your DLP techniques, and help you protect sensitive data while eliminating compliance risks. Read more here to learn how Strac integrates with other SaS apps. Additionally, Strac can send Google Drive PII alerts to configured users.

Learn more about:

‍Strac Google Drive DLP

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