Dynamic Data Masking

Mask Sensitive Data in Real Time.
Maintain operational workflow

Protegrity’s Dynamic Data Masking solution dynamically obscures sensitive data in real time, ensuring unauthorized users only view masked values—allowing operational workflows to continue uninterrupted while sensitive information remains protected.
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What You Need
TO Know

What It Is

Dynamic data masking (DDM) hides or redacts sensitive data in real time based on user roles or access permissions, ensuring that only authorized users see cleartext information.

When to Use It

DDM is ideal for frequently accessed, highly sensitive data—common in customer service or call center operations, healthcare systems, or fraud detection workflows.

Why It Matters

DDM allows organizations to deliver sensitive data securely in real time, maintaining operational efficiency while supporting compliance efforts with privacy regulations like HIPAA, PCI DSS, and GDPR.

The Protegrity Advantage

Our Unique Approach to Dynamic Data Masking

Protegrity’s Dynamic Data Masking delivers real-time data protection that balances stringent security with critical operational needs.
01
Real-Time, Role-Based Masking
Dynamically masks sensitive data based on user roles and access permissions, ensuring unauthorized users only see masked or obfuscated values.
02
Operational Continuity
Masks data in real-time for production systems without disrupting workflows, SQL queries, or applications.
03
Granular Control
Configurable policies allow you to define masking formats based on roles and access levels, providing precise control over data exposure.
04
Bridging Architect Priorities
DDM, coupled with monitoring and audit capabilities, offers transparency through policy-based controls and audit logs, allowing security architects to track data usage while ensuring operational workflows remain uninterrupted.
05
Centralized Policy Enforcement:
Policies are defined and managed centrally within the Protegrity Enterprise Security Administrator (ESA), ensuring consistent application across diverse environments.
06
Flexible Application
Protegrity enables the application of DDM via flexible enforcement points, securing data while keeping it usable across your environment.
07
Vendor-Agnostic Integration
Designed for broad compatibility across cloud platforms, AI/ML pipelines, and SaaS applications.
08
Aligned to Compliance and Data Privacy Frameworks
Accelerates adherence to PCI DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR by reducing sensitive data exposure.

    How Dynamic Data Masking Works

    Dynamic data masking operates at enforcement points in the data access layer, applying masking at runtime without altering the data at rest.
    Policy-Driven Rules
    Masking rules are configured based on user roles, application contexts, or other criteria.
    Real-Time Masking
    When data is accessed, the masking engine applies the defined rules dynamically, presenting a masked view to unauthorized users.
    Transparent to Applications
    The masking happens transparently, so applications continue to function without requiring code changes.

      Why Use Dynamic Data Masking?

      Dynamic data masking provides immediate, real-time protection for sensitive data in operational environments, ensuring privacy without impeding critical business functions.

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      Real-time data protection

      Protects data directly in use, ideal for live operational systems where sensitive information is frequently viewed.

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      Reduced data exposure

      Limits exposure of sensitive data to only what is necessary for a specific user’s role, supporting least privilege principles.

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      No data alteration

      The underlying sensitive data remains intact and unaltered, with full access granted to authorized users per policy

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      Operational efficiency

      Avoids altering original data or schemas, enabling applications and reports to continue functioning seamlessly without disruption.

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      Compliance support

      Helps meet compliance requirements by controlling who can see sensitive data in cleartext form during day-to-day operations.

      When Should You Use Dynamic Data Masking?

      Dynamic data masking is ideal for highly sensitive data that is frequently accessed, making it critical for operational environments where real-time usability is paramount.
      01
      Call Centers
      Agents require immediate access to sensitive customer information, such as partial credit card details or Social Security numbers, where masking reveals only necessary data, reducing risk while maintaining efficiency.
      02
      Healthcare Monitoring:
      Real-time patient monitoring systems allow healthcare providers to make critical decisions. Masking protects sensitive identifiers like patient IDs while enabling full operational usability.
      03
      Fraud Detection Systems
      Financial institutions analyze transactions in real time to detect anomalies. Masking protects sensitive account details during processing.
      04
      Application Testing/Developer Sandboxes
      For testing environments, Protegrity recommends data anonymization or de-identification rather than dynamic masking.
      05
      Customer Service Data
      Protecting personal information in customer service data accessed by support staff.
        Choosing the Right Prtection Method

        HOW DYNAMIC DATA MASKING COMPARES TO OTHER METHODS 

        Not all data requires the same level—or type—of protection. While tokenization, encryption, and other techniques each play a role in a modern data protection strategy, dynamic data masking offers unique advantages for high-risk, high-consumption data. Explore how DDM stacks up against other methods—and when each is the right fit. 

        Unstructured Data Protection

        Vaultless Tokenization

        Data Anonymization

        Dynamic Data Masking

        Format-Preserving Encryption

        Data Pseudonymization

        The Protegrity Data Protection Platform

        Explore Data-Centric Data Protection

        The Protegrity Platform delivers comprehensive governance and field-level data protection within a modular framework that fits your data environment, enabling a fit-for-purpose approach to data security and privacy. 

        Discovery

        Identify sensitive data (PII, PHI, PCI, IP) across structured and unstructured sources using ML and rule-based classification.

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        Governance

        Define and manage access and protection policies based on role, region, or data type—centrally enforced and audited across systems.

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        Protection

        Apply field-level protection methods—like tokenization, encryption, or masking—through enforcement points such as native integrations, proxies, or SDKs.

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        Privacy

        Support analytics and AI by removing or transforming identifiers using anonymization, pseudonymization, or synthetic data generation—balancing privacy with utility.

        Learn More

        Frequently Asked Question

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        See how Protegrity’s fine grain data protection solutions can enable your data security, compliance, sharing, and analytics.

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