Federal and National Governments: 2023 Sensitive Content Communications Privacy and Compliance

Security Findings on File and Email Communications

In today's digital landscape, federal and national governments are prime targets for cyberattacks. One of the reasons is they rely on a disproportionate number of communication tools for sending and sharing sensitive content, with over 85% admitting they rely on five or more tools. This need for multiple communication tools requires more budget allocation and resources to manage, making it crucial for governments to find a unified solution for sensitive content communications.

Having disaggregated communication channels that lack unified security, compliance, and governance also translates into higher risk. Kiteworks' 2023 Sensitive Content Communications Privacy and Compliance Report found that almost 80% of federal and national governments experienced a sensitive content communication exploit this past year. File and email data exchange with third parties is a big concern. One-third of respondents said they either require a new approach or significant improvement when it comes to managing third-party communication risk. Of different communication channels, web forms were listed as having the highest risk, followed by file sharing and email.

Kiteworks for Federal and National Government Agencies

Kiteworks is an ideal solution for federal and national governments seeking to unify sensitive content communications and institute zero-trust policy management with digital rights management (DRM) and implement advanced security capabilities. The platform is easy to use for internal government users as well as third-party contractors and provides a secure platform for sharing large data sets, which is often a requirement in government operations.

Compliance With NIST 800-171

Organizations that process, share, or store controlled unclassified information (CUI) must adhere to specific standards and regulations to ensure the security and integrity of this information. One such standard is the National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication (NIST SP 800-171), which provides guidelines for protecting CUI in non-federal systems. Sensitive content communications, in the context of CUI, refers to the exchange of unclassified information that requires safeguarding or protection due to its sensitive nature.

Growing Cyber Threat Landscape

Federal and national governments are facing an increasing number of cyber threats, targeting sensitive information such as personally identifiable information (PII), business information, and defense sector information. The Kiteworks platform provides organizations a Private Content Network that delivers content governance, compliance, and protection, unifying, tracking, controlling, and securing sensitive content moving within, into, and out of their organization. This significantly improves risk management and ensures regulatory compliance on all sensitive content communications.

Assessing Key Findings and Takeaways

Federal and national governments must prioritize the protection of sensitive content communications to mitigate the risks associated with cyber threats. The Kiteworks Private Content Network offers a comprehensive solution that addresses the challenges of managing multiple communication tools and ensures compliance with relevant standards and regulations. By adopting such a solution, governments can significantly improve their risk management and safeguard sensitive information from unauthorized access and cyberattacks.

Kiteworks is an ideal secure communication and content collaboration platform for government agencies. As a FedRAMP Authorized and SOC 2 certified solution for six consecutive years, Kiteworks meets the most stringent security and compliance standards including ISO 27001, 27017, and 27018, IRAP Assessed to PROTECTED level in Australia, and Cyber Essentials Plus in the UK. Importantly, Kiteworks uses a single-tenant architecture, making it resilient against multitenant breaches. For maximum data security, Kiteworks provides end-to-end encryption for all communications and granular access controls to restrict data access. Detailed audit logs and real-time monitoring give agencies transparency into operations while demonstrating regulatory compliance. Kiteworks enables seamless, secure collaboration for sharing large data sets and files across teams and with external partners. With its robust security capabilities and governance tools, Kiteworks allows government agencies to protect sensitive information and maintain regulatory compliance while improving productivity and collaboration.