Forcepoint DLP Admin key terms

A set of technologies and policies that detect, monitor, and block the movement of sensitive data outside approved boundaries, whether in email, web traffic, endpoints, or cloud services.

The core component that evaluates traffic and content against configured rules, applies conditions and exceptions, and decides whether to allow, block, encrypt, or quarantine a transaction.

A single configured instruction combining a source, destination, content classifier, and action. Rules are ordered and evaluated in sequence, with the first matching rule typically determining the outcome.

The enforcement step a policy applies when its conditions match: allow the transaction, block it, encrypt or redact content, quarantine it for review, or simply log it for visibility.

A recorded event where a policy condition matched. Incidents store the triggering rule, user, destination, and a captured content sample, and serve as the unit of investigation and reporting.

The administrative console area where analysts triage, annotate, escalate, and close incidents. It supports filtering by severity, user, and policy, and drives workflow routing to reviewers.

A technique that builds a signature from a protected document or dataset so that partial copies, excerpts, or reformatted versions can be recognized when they appear in outbound traffic.

A matching method that hashes specific field values from a structured dataset, such as account numbers or patient IDs, so only genuine records trigger a policy rather than look-alike patterns.

A reusable definition of what sensitive content looks like, built from keywords, regular expressions, dictionaries, document properties, or fingerprints, and referenced by one or more policy rules.

A pattern language for describing text formats such as national ID numbers or card numbers. DLP classifiers use regex plus validation checks to reduce false positives from random digit strings.

A match that the policy flags but which is not actually sensitive, such as a test card number in documentation. High false positive rates erode trust and cause analysts to ignore real incidents.

Sensitive content that passes through undetected because no classifier matched it. Reducing false negatives usually means broadening classifiers, adding fingerprints, or extending coverage to new channels.

The iterative process of adjusting classifiers, thresholds, exceptions, and rule order so that detection catches real risk while keeping noise manageable for reviewers.

The storage of a copy of the content that triggered an incident, enabling reviewers to see exactly what was sent. Retention periods and privacy rules govern how long captures are kept.

Software installed on user devices that inspects local activity such as file copies to removable media, print jobs, clipboard use, and uploads, enforcing policy even when the device is offline.

Inspection of traffic at the network perimeter or proxy, covering email, web uploads, and other protocols. It sees data leaving the organization but cannot inspect activity that never crosses the boundary.

Policy enforcement applied to outbound and internal mail, checking recipients, attachments, and message bodies, and often integrating with encryption or quarantine when a violation is detected.

Rules that govern copying files to USB drives, optical media, or other portable storage, including options to block writes, allow only encrypted devices, or permit specific approved serial numbers.

Transforming content so only authorized parties can read it. DLP policies may trigger encryption automatically when sensitive data is sent to an external recipient over an approved channel.

A tag such as Public, Internal, Confidential, or Restricted applied to content or documents, which policies can use as a condition and which travels with the file across channels.

A cumulative measure of how much risky behavior or how many violations a user has generated, used to prioritize investigations and to escalate enforcement for repeat offenders.

The routing logic that assigns incidents to reviewers, sets response deadlines, and escalates unresolved or severe cases to managers or security teams.

A channel, protocol, or data store that policy does not currently inspect, leaving a path for sensitive data to leave unnoticed. Identifying gaps is a core part of DLP program review.

A discipline focused on discovering where sensitive data lives across cloud and on-premises stores, classifying it, and identifying exposure, misconfiguration, and excessive access rights.

Automated scanning of repositories to locate sensitive data. Discovery produces an inventory of where data resides, how much exists, and which stores or owners need remediation.

Any repository holding data, such as a database, file share, object storage bucket, or SaaS application. DSPM inventories stores and rates each by sensitivity and exposure.

Sensitive data copies that exist outside official systems of record, for example stale exports, test datasets, or forgotten backups, creating exposure that no application owner tracks.

The route by which a data store can be reached by unauthorized parties, such as public bucket permissions, overly broad identities, or unpatched services. DSPM maps these paths to prioritize fixes.

Access rights granted more broadly than needed, such as a group with read access to an entire repository. Reducing these entitlements limits blast radius if an identity is compromised.

Documenting how sensitive data moves between systems, users, and third parties. The resulting map supports risk assessment and shows where controls must be placed.

A proxy-based control point that inspects web requests, enforces acceptable use policy, blocks malicious sites, and applies data controls to uploads and form submissions.

Categorizing websites and applying allow, block, or quota rules by category. Categories are maintained by a threat intelligence service and updated as sites change.

Decrypting TLS traffic at the proxy so content can be examined, then re-encrypting it toward the destination. Certificate trust and privacy exceptions must be planned carefully.

The organization's stated rules for how employees may use internet and cloud resources. Web filtering and CASB policies translate these rules into enforceable technical controls.

Identifying users to the web gateway via directory integration, agent, or explicit credentials so that policy, reporting, and quotas can be applied per user or group rather than per IP address.

A control layer between users and cloud services that discovers sanctioned and unsanctioned apps, enforces usage policy, and applies data controls such as blocking downloads of sensitive files.

Cloud services adopted by employees without IT approval. CASB discovery identifies these apps, their risk ratings, and the volume of corporate data flowing to them.

A score assigned to a cloud service based on factors such as security certifications, data residency, encryption support, and breach history, used to decide whether to sanction or block it.

A CASB connection to a cloud provider's API that scans stored data and activity out of band, giving visibility into content at rest and historical events that inline proxies cannot see.

A deployment where traffic passes through the CASB in real time, allowing immediate blocking of uploads or downloads. Forward proxies serve managed devices; reverse proxies protect sanctioned apps.

The authenticated user or service account a policy evaluates. Accurate identity mapping is essential because DLP and CASB actions, exceptions, and reporting all depend on knowing who is acting.