Document Request and Secure Data Exchange SOP

Document control

Field	Value
Document status	Active SOP
Owner	Security / Operations / Delivery
Approver	Management
Review frequency	Annual or on material change
Classification	Customer-shareable

Purpose

This SOP defines how documents, files, exports, screenshots, credentials, reports, and other information assets are requested, approved, shared, tracked, stored, and removed.

The objective is to prevent unauthorized disclosure, reduce oversharing, ensure traceability, and make sure sensitive customer/company information is handled through approved channels only.

Scope

This SOP applies to requests involving:

• Customer documents, reports, data extracts, and attachments.
• Employee, applicant, contractor, payroll, or HR records.
• Contracts, invoices, financial documents, and commercial records.
• Architecture diagrams, security reports, VAPT reports, compliance evidence, and audit documents.
• Credentials, API keys, tokens, certificates, configuration files, and access details.
• Screenshots, logs, database exports, backups, or other operational evidence.
• Any file containing confidential, restricted, personal, or customer-sensitive information.

This SOP applies to employees, contractors, vendors, customers, auditors, and any third party requesting or receiving documents from Hybrowlabs.

Classification before sharing

Before sharing a document, the owner or requester should classify it using the following guidance:

Classification	Examples	Sharing rule
Public	Published brochures, public website content, approved marketing material	Can be shared externally after confirming it is approved public content.
Internal	Internal process notes, non-sensitive templates, internal meeting notes	Share only with Hybrowlabs personnel or approved recipients.
Confidential	Customer documents, contracts, architecture diagrams, implementation notes, business records	Share only with named authorized recipients through approved channels.
Restricted	Credentials, personal data, payroll data, security reports, incident records, audit evidence, keys/secrets	Share only with explicit approval, strict access controls, and minimum necessary scope.

If classification is unclear, treat the document as Confidential or Restricted until confirmed.

Roles and responsibilities

Role	Responsibility
Requester	Provides business reason, recipient list, required documents, urgency, and intended use.
Document owner	Confirms whether the document can be shared and approves scope.
Data owner / customer owner	Approves sharing of customer or personal data where required.
Security / Operations	Reviews high-risk or restricted sharing requests and recommends controls.
Sender	Shares only approved documents through approved channels and applies access restrictions.
Recipient	Uses documents only for approved purpose and does not reshare without authorization.

Approved request information

Every sensitive document request should capture:

• Requester name and organization.
• Business purpose.
• Document or data requested.
• Classification / sensitivity.
• Recipient names and email addresses.
• Whether external sharing is required.
• Whether personal data or customer confidential data is included.
• Required access duration.
• Approval owner.
• Preferred secure sharing channel.
• Deletion/return requirement, if any.

Standard request workflow

Step 1: Receive and log request

The requester must provide the purpose and exact document requirement. For sensitive requests, avoid vague requests such as “share all files” or “send the full folder.” Ask for the minimum document set needed.

Step 2: Validate business need

Confirm that the request supports a valid business, contractual, support, audit, compliance, implementation, or operational purpose.

Reject or narrow requests that are excessive, unrelated to the engagement, or not supported by a legitimate purpose.

Step 3: Identify document owner

The document owner or data owner must approve the sharing. If the document contains customer data, the relevant project/customer owner may also need to approve.

Step 4: Review sensitivity

Check whether the document contains:

• Personal data.
• Credentials or secrets.
• Customer confidential information.
• Security vulnerabilities or architecture details.
• Financial or legal information.
• Information about another customer or unrelated project.

If any of the above are present, apply stricter handling controls.

Step 5: Minimize and sanitize

Before sharing:

• Remove unrelated records.
• Redact unnecessary personal data.
• Remove credentials, tokens, keys, and secrets.
• Remove unrelated customer names or data.
• Share summaries instead of raw evidence where sufficient.
• Share only the requested document version, not the entire folder.

Step 6: Select approved channel

Use approved business systems with named-user access and auditability.

Preferred channels:

• Company-approved document storage with restricted access.
• Customer-approved secure portal.
• Business email for low/medium sensitivity documents when appropriate.
• Encrypted/password-protected file transfer where required.
• Ticketing or project system with controlled access.

Avoid:

• Public links.
• Personal email accounts.
• Personal cloud drives.
• Open chat groups.
• Unapproved file transfer sites.
• Sharing credentials in plain text.

Step 7: Apply access controls

For Confidential or Restricted documents:

• Share with named recipients, not open groups.
• Disable public access wherever possible.
• Restrict download/copy/reshare if supported.
• Add expiry date for temporary access where supported.
• Use password protection/encryption where appropriate.
• Send passwords through a separate approved channel when needed.

Step 8: Notify recipient

The sender should state:

• Purpose of sharing.
• Confidentiality expectation.
• Any restrictions on forwarding or reuse.
• Access expiry, if applicable.
• Contact point for questions.

Step 9: Track completion

For sensitive sharing, maintain evidence of:

• What was shared.
• With whom.
• When.
• Approval reference.
• Access restrictions used.
• Expiry/revocation date.

Step 10: Revoke or delete when complete

When access is no longer required:

• Revoke shared link or recipient access.
• Delete temporary copies.
• Confirm return/deletion if required by customer or contract.
• Update request record as closed.

Handling credentials and secrets

Credentials, API keys, tokens, SSH keys, certificates, and passwords are Restricted information.

Requirements:

• Do not share secrets in plain email/chat unless no safer option exists and management/security approves.
• Prefer secure secret-sharing or credential-management mechanisms.
• Use time-bound or single-use credentials where feasible.
• Rotate temporary credentials after use.
• Never include secrets in screenshots, tickets, documents, source code, or logs.
• If a secret is accidentally shared in an insecure channel, rotate/revoke it and record the incident or security event.

Handling personal data

When documents contain personal data:

• Share only the minimum fields required.
• Mask or redact unnecessary fields.
• Avoid broad recipient groups.
• Confirm recipient authorization.
• Use secure channels and access expiry where possible.
• Delete local extracts after use.
• Follow applicable data retention and disposal requirements.

Examples of personal data include names, phone numbers, email addresses, employee IDs, payroll information, attendance records, addresses, identity documents, and user activity logs.

Handling security evidence

Security evidence may include VAPT reports, access reviews, architecture diagrams, logs, screenshots, audit findings, and remediation details.

Before sharing security evidence:

• Confirm the recipient is authorized.
• Remove exploit details that are not required.
• Remove unrelated system/customer information.
• Share an executive summary instead of raw technical evidence where sufficient.
• Avoid exposing credentials, internal paths, private IP details, or sensitive operational data unless explicitly required and approved.

Handling document versions

Only the latest approved version should be shared externally unless an older version is specifically requested for audit history.

Version-controlled documents should include:

• Document title.
• Version or date.
• Owner.
• Approval status.
• Classification.
• Review date.

Drafts should be clearly marked and should not be externally shared as final policies.

Emergency sharing

In urgent operational or incident situations, documents may need to be shared quickly.

Emergency sharing must still follow these minimum controls:

• Share only with named authorized recipients.
• Use the safest available channel.
• Do not share credentials unnecessarily.
• Record what was shared and why.
• Review and clean up access after the emergency.
• Rotate credentials if shared during the emergency.

External sharing checklist

Before sending a sensitive document externally, confirm:

• Is there a valid business purpose?
• Is the recipient authorized?
• Has the owner approved sharing?
• Does the file contain personal data, credentials, or unrelated customer data?
• Has unnecessary data been redacted?
• Is the channel approved and access-controlled?
• Is access limited to named recipients?
• Should expiry or password protection be applied?
• Is the shared document the correct approved version?
• Is evidence of sharing recorded if required?

Prohibited practices

The following are not permitted without explicit approval and compensating controls:

• Sharing folders containing unrelated documents.
• Creating public links for confidential or restricted files.
• Sending credentials and secrets in plain text.
• Sharing customer data with unapproved third parties.
• Uploading customer/personal data to unapproved tools.
• Keeping local copies after the purpose is complete.
• Forwarding restricted documents to broad groups.
• Sharing draft policies as final approved documents.

Exceptions

Exceptions must be documented and approved. The exception should include:

• Reason.
• Document/data involved.
• Recipient.
• Risk.
• Compensating controls.
• Approval owner.
• Expiry/review date.

Examples of compensating controls include password protection, short-lived access, restricted recipient list, redaction, watermarking, or post-sharing revocation.

Incident handling

If a document is shared incorrectly or a sensitive file is exposed:

1. Revoke access immediately if possible.
2. Notify security/operations or the responsible manager.
3. Identify what was shared and who accessed it.
4. Rotate any exposed credentials or keys.
5. Notify customer/legal/management where required.
6. Record corrective actions.
7. Update process controls if needed.

Records and evidence to maintain

For sensitive document sharing, maintain:

• Request record.
• Approval record.
• Document name/version/classification.
• Recipient list.
• Sharing channel.
• Access restrictions used.
• Date shared.
• Expiry/revocation record.
• Redaction/sanitization notes where applicable.
• Deletion/return confirmation where required.

Review and improvement

This SOP must be reviewed at least annually or after:

• A document-sharing incident.
• A customer audit finding.
• A change in approved tools/channels.
• A material change in privacy/security requirements.
• Repeated exceptions or process failures.