Lab 1 unveils secure file preview tool for data breach risks

Lab 1 has introduced a new capability allowing businesses to preview individual files exposed in data breaches.

Lab 1's new feature, termed "File Previews", enables organisations to safely access and review files that have appeared in breached datasets as a result of cyberattacks, supplier compromises, employee errors, and cloud misconfigurations.

The platform uses artificial intelligence agents to scan and analyse data from the surface, deep and dark web. To date, it has processed over 150 million files found in breached datasets, according to company details. The system alerts companies to files containing information that could put them at risk, such as customer personally identifiable information (PII), bank account numbers, and IBAN codes.

The analytical capabilities extend to categorising and summarising exposed files, matching them to specific organisations based on various data points, including domains, emails, IP addresses, and other identifying details. The launch of File Previews now allows users to preview these files within the Lab 1 platform, without downloading potentially dangerous data to local systems.

Assessing data exposure

This capability is positioned as an extension of Lab 1's AI summary function, which uses large language model technology to generate high-level descriptions of the sensitive information within leaked documents, such as financial statements, databases of customer details, email correspondence, or supplier invoices.

Lab 1's system, referred to as Exposed Data Intelligence (EDI), is intended to help organisations "review and assess every relevant file in a breach, taking a content-aware response to information leaked into the public domain, where the nature of what is leaked and not just how much information, is a determinant of damage and regulatory exposure."

Robin Brattel, Co-founder and CEO, Lab 1 said: "Until now, businesses that wanted to find out whether their information is in exposed data sets would have to take on the security risks of downloading files to manually analyse or pay a Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) company to conduct the assessment, both were highly manual, time consuming and expensive. The launch of File Previews means that companies can not only be notified of their exposure in breaches they weren't aware of, but they can also safely see the exposed files for themselves. This, in turn, means a faster, more accurate risk assessment takes place and enables them to take steps to mitigate the risk."

The process is designed to eliminate the need for intermediary cybersecurity firms, giving businesses direct insight into potentially harmful exposures, which may include both security and compliance risks.

Range of file types

Lab 1's platform supports the analysis and preview of a broad array of file types. This covers standard document formats, metadata from image and video files, various code and data files, as well as executable files.

The types of data most frequently flagged include personal and account information relating to customers, suppliers, and staff. This may range from names, email addresses, and passport details to US Social Security Numbers. Technical data such as IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, CVE codes, HTTP Basic Auth URLs, AWS S3 file paths, and RSA and SSH private keys may also be extracted and highlighted when pertinent.

Lab 1's technology is focused on allowing businesses to quickly and securely determine the extent of their exposure to leaked data, and to respond appropriately to breaches that may impact security, compliance, or commercial relationships.