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Owasp Citizen Development
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CD-SEC-04 - Sensitive Data Leakage and Handling Failures

Platforms have no semantic understanding of which fields are sensitive, leading to PII/PHI exposure.

Intent & Description

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🎯 Intent

Prevent sensitive data (PII/PHI) from flowing through misconfigured connectors, public endpoints, unencrypted logs, or AI prompts.

📋 Context

Platforms have no semantic understanding of which fields are sensitive, so PII/PHI flows through misconfigured connectors, public endpoints, unencrypted logs, or AI prompts (e.g., pasting raw support tickets into an AI assistant) without anyone intending it.

💡 Solution

Implement approved-connector allowlists. Restrict custom connector creation to trained personnel. Monitor for data flows that cross organizational boundaries, including multi-hop paths. Require security review for any citizen-built app touching sensitive data stores. Implement data loss prevention (DLP) controls.'

Real-world Use Case

Use when building low-code/no-code applications or AI-assisted code that processes sensitive data or connects to external systems.

Source

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📌 TL;DR

Control sensitive data flows. Use connector allowlists, restrict custom connectors, monitor data flows, and review apps handling sensitive data.

Advantages
  • Prevents data breaches
  • Enables data flow visibility
  • Supports compliance requirements
  • Protects sensitive information
Disadvantages
  • Connector allowlists may limit functionality
  • Data flow monitoring complexity
  • DLP implementation overhead
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