How can I track data loss in Microsoft Purview?

Francesco Russo 195 Reputation points
2023-06-21T13:38:18.8866667+00:00

Good morning,

I'm testing Microsoft Purview for my company in a Microsoft 365 tenant with a trial E5 license. I have created a policy to track data loss, but the result is not what I expected. When I go to the Activity Explorer, I only see the application of the label and the match of the policy, but it doesn't show me if a file was opened/copied or if the content of an email was copied. Am I looking in the wrong section?
I recently started working on this project and I haven't used Purview before.

Microsoft Security | Microsoft Purview
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  1. PRADEEPCHEEKATLA 90,646 Reputation points Moderator
    2023-06-22T06:47:59.51+00:00

    @Francesco Russo - Thanks for the question and using MS Q&A platform.

    It sounds like you are trying to track data loss in Microsoft Purview, but you are not seeing the expected results in the Activity Explorer.

    The Activity Explorer in Purview provides a view of the activities that have occurred in your organization, including the application of labels and the match of policies. However, it does not provide detailed information about file access or email content copying.

    To track file access and email content copying, you may need to use other tools in the Microsoft 365 suite, such as Microsoft Cloud App Security or Microsoft Information Protection. These tools can help you monitor and protect your data across different applications and services, including email and file sharing.

    Here are some steps you can take to track data loss in Microsoft Purview:

    • Define your data loss prevention (DLP) policies. Use the Purview Policy Manager to define policies that help you identify and protect sensitive data in your organization. You can create policies that look for specific types of data, such as credit card numbers or social security numbers, and apply labels or take other actions when the data is found.
    • Monitor policy matches in the Activity Explorer. Use the Purview Activity Explorer to monitor policy matches and label applications in your organization. This can help you identify areas where sensitive data may be at risk and take steps to protect it.
    • Use other Microsoft 365 tools to track file access and email content copying. Use tools such as Microsoft Cloud App Security or Microsoft Information Protection to monitor file access and email content copying across different applications and services. These tools can help you identify potential data loss events and take steps to prevent them.

    Hope this helps. Do let us know if you any further queries.


    If this answers your query, do click Accept Answer and Yes for was this answer helpful. And, if you have any further query do let us know.

    1 person found this answer helpful.

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