📖 What is Sensitive Information Types (SITs)?
Sensitive Information Types (SITs) are pattern-based classifiers used by Microsoft Purview to identify specific types of sensitive data, such as credit card numbers. They utilize regular expressions and checksums to automatically detect and label content for protection and compliance.
"Student, SITs are the building blocks for both DLP and Sensitivity Labels. If you need to find a specific kind of data, you must configure an SIT."
📚 Certification: Microsoft 365 Administrator (MS-102)
🔑 What are the Key Concepts of Sensitive Information Types (SITs)?
- ▸ SITs use regular expressions for pattern matching, checksums for mathematical validation, and supporting keywords to increase detection accuracy and reduce false positives.
- ▸ Confidence levels define the certainty of a match; high confidence requires both a pattern and supporting evidence, while low confidence relies on the pattern alone.
- ▸ SITs act as the primary detection engine for Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies and the auto-labeling process within Microsoft Purview Information Protection.
- ▸ Custom SITs allow organizations to define unique patterns, such as proprietary employee IDs or project codes, that are not covered by built-in templates.
- ▸ Microsoft provides hundreds of pre-defined SITs tailored to global compliance standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS to simplify regulatory data discovery.
🎯 How does Sensitive Information Types (SITs) appear on the MS-102 Exam?
You may be asked to identify the correct mechanism to automatically detect and protect Social Security numbers across Exchange and SharePoint using a DLP policy.
A scenario might describe a need to identify a unique company employee ID format; you must determine if a built-in SIT exists or if a custom SIT is required.
Expect questions about reducing false positives in a DLP alert, where you must adjust the confidence level or add supporting keywords to the SIT configuration.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an SIT and a Sensitivity Label?
An SIT is a detection tool used to find specific data patterns, whereas a Sensitivity Label is a tag applied to a file to enforce protection and encryption policies.
How do checksums help in SIT detection?
Checksums are mathematical formulas used to verify that a number, such as a credit card, is valid, preventing random strings of numbers from triggering false positives.
Can I use SITs for auto-labeling?
Yes, SITs are the primary trigger for auto-labeling. When a file contains an SIT that meets the defined confidence threshold, Purview can automatically apply a sensitivity label.