You want to prevent a document stored in Google Drive from being shared externally with a public link.

An API Data Protection policy is the correct mechanism for this use case. This type of policy uses API introspection to connect directly to the cloud application (Google Drive) to scan data at rest. It can be configured to detect files based on their exposure, such as being shared "publicly" or "externally." Upon detection, the policy can trigger an automated remediation action, like revoking the public sharing link, thereby preventing the unintended exposure of the document. This method is effective for both newly shared files and for retroactively securing files that were previously shared improperly.

A. Quarantine: Quarantine is a potential action that a policy can take on a file, not the type of policy itself that identifies the sharing violation.

B. Threat Protection policy: A Threat Protection policy is designed to detect and block malware and other security threats within files, not to manage or control file sharing permissions.

D. Real-time Protection policy: A Real-time Protection policy inspects data in-transit (in-line) as a user performs an action, but it cannot retroactively find and remediate documents already stored and shared in Google Drive.

1. Netskope Official Documentation

"API Data Protection": "Netskope API Data Protection continuously scans your SaaS apps and IaaS public cloud services and resources for sensitive data and malware. When a policy violation is found

Netskope can take an automated action

like quarantining the file

revoking a sharing link

or sending an alert." This source directly confirms that API Data Protection policies can identify and revoke sharing links for data at rest.

2. Netskope Official Documentation

"Create an API Data Protection Policy": In the policy creation wizard

the "Exposure" criteria can be set to conditions like "Public

" "External

" or "Shared via Link." The available actions include "Restrict Access

" which directly addresses the requirement to prevent sharing via a public link. This demonstrates the specific functionality used to solve the problem.

3. Netskope Official Documentation

"About Real-time Protection": "Real-time protection policies protect data in motion... These policies inspect traffic en route to or from a cloud app." This source clarifies that Real-time policies are for data in-transit

contrasting with the data-at-rest focus of API Data Protection needed for a file stored in Google Drive.