Classification levels
Data at Volkis is classified according to the following classification levels:
- Client Confidential: Client data that is entrusted to Volkis, including:
- Testing data
- Data supplied confidentially to Volkis by clients
- Reports and other outputs of Volkis work for clients, including report generation files
- Exploitation information
- Credentials for client systems including testing credentials
- Internal: Data that is considered confidential to Volkis including payroll, financial data, operational data.
- Open: Any other data.
Authorised storage locations
Below is a table for allowed storage locations for data of each classification level. Note that even if there’s a tick there, it doesn’t necessarily mean you can store all data of that classification level. For instance, don’t go storing payroll in Privbook. Exceptions may be allowed on a case-by-case basis.
✘: Must not store this data here. ✔: May be allowed to store this data.
| Storage location | Client Confidential | Internal | Open |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharepoint - project folders | ✔ | ✘ | ✔ |
| Sharepoint - Operational folder | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Onedrive folders | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ |
| User systems outside of above folders | Temporarily during projects | ✘ | ✔ |
| Xero | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Trello | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Qwilr | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Pipedrive | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Resource Guru | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Volkis Handbook | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ |
| Volkis Privbook | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Physical media inc paper and USB sticks | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ |
Security controls that must be applied
The following general guidelines must be followed for all Client confidential and Internal data:
- Storage of this data must be minimised. Data must be removed when it is no longer in use.
- Data must be encrypted when at rest.
- Data must be encrypted in transit.
- Data must only be accessible to those with a business need.
- Appropriate labelling must be applied. This could be through:
- Headers or footers
- Including them in project folders
- Sensitive data should be masked where prudent, for instance when being displayed in public user interfaces.
Redacting sensitive data for open usage
When reclassifying data as Open, all sensitive data must be redacted. The following guidelines must be followed when redacting data:
- Do not simply hide text by changing its highlight color to black. This method only obscures the text visually; selecting the text can reveal the information.
- Avoid changing the font color to match the background color. This technique also fails to fully secure the information, as the text can still be revealed by selecting it.
- Do not use graphical elements, such as black boxes, to cover sensitive text. These elements can often be moved or deleted, and the underlying text can sometimes be selected or revealed.
- Prevent sharing documents with reversible history. Ensure that redactions cannot be reverted or undone by others. Use secure redaction methods that permanently remove the information.
- Avoid blurring images. Image recovery software can sometimes restore blurred content. Use proper redaction methods to ensure that sensitive information is completely and permanently removed.
Personally Identifiable Information
The storage and transmission of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) must be minimised at Volkis. This should include:
- Meeting the requirements of the Australian Privacy Act.
- Removing PII that is not needed for business purposes.
- Ensuring screenshots that contain PII are redacted prior to putting them in reports.
- Scrubbing PII from testing data where possible.