What is a data loss prevention (DLP) concept and where is it applied?

• A. Detects and prevents sensitive data exfiltration; applied at endpoints, networks, and cloud services
• B. Data replication across zones
• C. Data loss is not a concern
• D. Only applies to physical media

Answer: (A)

Data loss prevention focuses on protecting sensitive information by detecting and preventing its unauthorized exfiltration. It is applied across multiple control points: endpoints (laptops, mobile devices) to block or warn on risky actions; networks to inspect data in transit and enforce policies; and cloud services to monitor data stored and shared in SaaS or IaaS environments. DLP works by classifying data (like PII, financial data, or intellectual property) and enforcing actions such as blocking, encrypting, or alerting on policy violations, using content inspection, pattern matching, and contextual analysis.

Other options miss the core idea: data replication across zones is about availability and disaster recovery, not preventing data loss or leaks; data loss being not a concern ignores real security risks; and applying only to physical media ignores the digital channels DLP protects.