eScan extends enterprise DLP with screen watermarking: protecting confidential data against visual threats
eScan has extended its Enterprise DLP solution with Screen Watermarking, addressing a growing threat vector that traditional data protection overlooks: the photograph of a confidential screen.
Modern smartphones have sophisticated cameras. Capturing screen content has become trivial. A bank employee viewing customer account details at an ATM. A financial advisor with P&L statements visible during a client meeting. A remote worker in a coffee shop with confidential designs on screen. A contractor viewing engineering blueprints during a site visit. In each scenario, someone with a phone can photograph the screen and transmit the image instantly. The data is stolen before the user realises it happened.
Traditional DLP prevents data transmission by blocking email attachments, USB transfers, cloud uploads, etc. But DLP cannot prevent a photograph. Once the image leaves the building, it’s gone. The data is compromised.
The screen-sharing vulnerability
The risk intensifies during video meetings. Today, most organisations conduct meetings through Teams, Webex, Google Meet, or Zoom. During these calls, users share screens showing confidential information like financial statements, client portfolios, strategic plans & design documents. Meeting participants can capture screenshots or photograph the shared screen. If a meeting is recorded, the confidential content is permanently captured in the recording. Even if the meeting is internal, recordings can be shared, forwarded, or compromised.
Screen Watermarking protects against this by ensuring any screenshot or photograph of shared confidential content carries clear identification: who was sharing it, when, and from which machine. This attribution deters unauthorised capture and enables rapid detection if confidential screen-shared content appears in unauthorised locations.
How it works
Users activate Screen Watermarking by pressing a simple keyboard shortcut (Win+Y). The watermark instantly appears on screen, overlaying the application they’re working with. The watermark displays the user’s identity, hostname, timestamp, and company name, thereby creating a permanent visual record of who was viewing what confidential information at what time.
The watermark is always visible to anyone viewing the screen, including participants in video calls or someone attempting to photograph it. Users can toggle the watermark on or off as needed, maintaining complete control over when screen content is protected. The feature works seamlessly across Office documents, CAD/CAM design tools, PDF editors, QuickBooks, and other business applications commonly used for confidential work.
If a screen photograph or recording screenshot is captured and leaked, the watermark identifies the exact user and timestamp of the compromise. For security teams, this attribution enables rapid investigation. If watermarked screenshots start appearing in unauthorised locations, the organisation immediately knows which account was compromised and when.
Complementing existing DLP
eScan Enterprise DLP already prevents print-based data theft through printer watermarking, ensuring confidential documents carry attribution if printed. Screen Watermarking extends this principle to visual threats. Together, these features create comprehensive output protection: data leaving through printers, screens, or email all carry identifying metadata that deters theft and enables attribution if compromise occurs.
The reality of data protection
Screen Watermarking is deterrence and attribution, not prevention. A photograph can still be taken. But a watermarked image identifies the source, timestamp, and responsible user immediately. That attribution changes the risk calculus for attackers. Traceable data becomes less attractive to criminal markets. Organisations can see compromised accounts through leaked screenshots. Users understand that unattended screens with sensitive information now carry measurable risk.
In an era where every smartphone is a potential espionage device, and screen-sharing has become routine in business, protecting confidential screens is no longer optional.