Over the last few years, the ability to access necessary data easily has greatly enhanced team efficiency and productivity. For this reason, file sharing has become crucial for most businesses. Despite this, most businesses face the challenge of balancing productivity, ease of access, and security.
Although file sharing makes it easier for teams to collaborate and work together, it also comes with a host of security threats. When you share a file, it becomes more vulnerable as it is exposed to other users, which may lead to data loss, cyberattacks, file corruption, and more.
The following article sheds some light on what you need to know about file sharing. Below, you'll learn what file sharing is, the common security threats and how to prevent them.
What is File Sharing?
File sharing refers to the process of giving access to digital resources such as documents, multimedia devices, e-books, images, and more. File sharing can be private or publicly distributed with different levels of privileges. There are several methods of file sharing as this can be done through removable storage devices, distributed peer-to-peer networks, centralized file hosting, and more.
Top 3 File Sharing Security Threats and Preventive Tips
Although file sharing has made it easier for team members to access documents and digital resources, it also comes with various security threats. They include:
1. Various Devices Can Gain Entry
Although this may improve collaboration and teamwork, allowing various devices to access your database may compromise your security architecture. In most cases, personal devices may lack security features; hence they can easily be hacked, exposing your data to cyberattacks and other issues. Additionally, an unauthorized team member can access the files, compromising the integrity of the stored data.
You can prevent this by ensuring you have an efficient device management system to make it easier for managers to monitor how team members use personal devices to share files. Besides this, you can integrate advanced security measures such as digital signature and file retrieval systems to protect your data.
2. Reduced Control
When a file is shared, a team member may download it on their devices and share it with external entities. Hence, they're taking the documents outside your network, which may make it harder for you to keep track of any changes.
Aside from that, allowing multiple users to access files can arise in conflicting versions of the documents. Two or more members might be implementing changes to a particular file, and there might be confusion as to what version is the final and more accurate one. Aside from that, there’s a high chance that files will be corrupted due to issues and confusion in the editing and saving process.
3. Peer-to-Peer Sharing Issues
Although peer-to-peer (P2P) sharing is a method of file transfer, comes with a lot of security threats to look out for. This method involves connecting systems over the internet and cloud services that allow users to share files more easily.
The problem with P2P sharing is that a lot of other participants might be uploading files that contain malware with them. This malware can gain entry into your system and wreak havoc on your computer and expose sensitive data to a breach. Additionally, connecting over the internet can expose your entire system if it's misconfigured. Hence, anyone using the network can access the files and compromise their integrity.
You can prevent this by ensuring your workforce is properly trained. Hence, they'll understand the risks of clicking and opening any file that pops up on their systems. The training can be offered by your in-house team, or you can outsource the services from an external provider.
Besides, it's important to ensure they understand the risks of using removable multimedia devices such as flash disks. If the device is misplaced, it'll be easier for unauthorized individuals to access your sensitive data, which can affect your competitive advantage. For this reason, it's crucial to use security measures, such as encryption, to protect your data.
Bottom Line:
As discussed above, easy access to necessary data will play a huge role in improving productivity and efficiency. For this reason, file sharing has become an important aspect than ever.
However, it's important to look out for security threats when sharing your files since a file-sharing system usually comes with inherent risks that could jeopardize the database of your business. And now that you know the most common threats to a file sharing system, it’s time to think of methods and strategies to reduce the risks of such threats.
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