Announcing Sensitive Data Masking for logs

[Gatha.Sehgal]

Configure automatic redaction of log message fields or patterns before indexing and storage 

Announcing the release of Sensitive Data Masking capability for logs as a part of Data Security on Cloud Native Application Observability, powered by the Cisco FSO Platform.

Why Sensitive Data Masking for logs? | How does the Cisco FSO Platform power Sensitive Data Masking for logs? | What's coming in the Security Insights FSO, Q1 FY24? | Additional resources

Why Sensitive Data Masking for logs?

Masking sensitive data in logs is crucial for ensuring the protection and privacy of sensitive information. If exposed, personally identifiable information (PII), financial details, and healthcare records pose significant risks. By masking this data in logs, organizations can prevent unauthorized access, comply with data protection regulations, mitigate insider threats, reduce the attack surface for potential breaches, and enable effective auditing and investigation without compromising sensitive information.  

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How does the Cisco FSO Platform power Sensitive Data Masking for logs?

Sensitive data masking capability for logs serves as the first proof point of the Cisco FSO Platform’s tenant-specific configuration, establishing a solid foundation for rapid development and expansion. This capability leverages the robustness of the Platform by using the Logs and Events Processing service to obfuscate the logs data and store the tenant-specific masking configurations in the Orion configuration store. By harnessing the Dashbase store, the Platform ensures that masked log records are securely stored, eliminating the need for raw message storage and ensuring adherence to the security standards within organizations. 

Masking Rules, list view

Masking Expressions, list view

Log Explorer View displaying masked Social Security Number (SSN)

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What's coming in the Security Insights FSO?

The Cisco FSO platform will offer the essential capability for manually configuring masking expressions and rules, and upcoming phases will introduce the Security Insights module providing automated sensitive data masking.  

First unveiled at Cisco Live 2023, the Security Insights FSO platform module will launch in Q1 FY 24, delivering data security (sensitive data leakage) insights prioritized with Business Risk Observability (BRO).  

The data security capability within this module will also expand beyond logs to encompass events and traces. This evolution will significantly bolster the functionality and effectiveness of sensitive data masking, empowering organizations with more comprehensive and automated protection for their sensitive information. 

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Additional resources

• Mask Sensitive Data in the Documentation 
• A Demonstration of Sensitive Data Masking on Logs  in the Knowledge Base
  
• Cisco introduces full-stack observability enhancement: Business Risk Observability in the Blog