2 pages apa style answer the question
Security Program and Policies Principles and Practices
by Sari Stern Greene
Chapter 6: Human Resources Security
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Objectives
Define the relationship between information security and personnel practices
Recognize the stages of the employee lifecycle
Describe the purpose of confidentiality and acceptable use agreements
Understand appropriate security education, training, and awareness programs
Create personnel-related security policies and procedures
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The Employee Lifecycle
Represents stages in the employee’s career
Lifecycle models can vary but most include the following stages
Recruitment
Onboarding
User provisioning
Orientation
Career development
Termination
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What Does Recruitment Have to Do with Security?
Risks and rewards of posting online employment ads:
A company can reach a wider audience
A company can publish an ad that gives too much information:
About the network infrastructure and therefore allow a hacker to footprint the internal network easily and stealthily
About the company itself, inviting social engineering attacks
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Job Postings
Job descriptions are supposed to:
Convey the mission of the organization
Describe the position in general terms
Outline the responsibilities attached to said position
Outline the company’s commitment to security via the use of such terms as non-disclosure agreement
Job descriptions are NOT supposed to:
Include information about specific systems, software versions, security configurations, or access controls
It’s harder to hack a network if one doesn’t know what hardware & software
If the above information is deemed necessary, two versions of the position can be created. The second, more detailed version should be posted internally and shared with candidates that have made the “first cut”
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Candidate Application Data
Companies are responsible for protecting the data and privacy of the job seeker
Non-public personal information (NPPI) should not be collected if possible
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The Interview
Job Interview:
The interviewer should be concerned about revealing too much about the company during the interview
Job candidates should never gain access to secured areas
A job interview is a perfect foot-printing opportunity for hackers and social engineers
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Screening Prospective Employees
An organization should protect itself by running extensive background checks on potential employees at all levels of the hierarchy
Some higher level positions may require even more in-depth checks
Many U.S. government jobs require prospective employees have the requisite clearance level
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Types of Background Checks
The company should have a basic background check level to which all employees are subjected
Information owners may require more in-depth checks for specific roles
Workers also have a right to privacy: Not all information is fair game to gather – only information relevant to the actual work they perform
Companies should seek consent from employees before launching a background check
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Types of Background Checks Cont.
Educational records fall under FERPA. Schools must first have written authorization before they can provide student-related information
Motor vehicle records fall under DPPA, which means that the DMV – or its employees – are not allowed to disclose information obtained by the department
The FTC allows the use of credit reports prior to hiring employees as long as companies do so in accordance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act
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Types of Background Checks Cont.
Bankruptcies may not be used as the SOLE reason to not hire someone according to Title 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code
Criminal history: The use of this sort of information varies from state to state
Worker’s compensation records: In most states, these records are public records, but their use may not violate the Americans with Disabilities Act
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What Happens in the Onboarding Phase?
The new hire is added to the organization’s payroll and benefit systems
New employees must provide
Proof of identity
Work authorization
Tax identification
Two forms that must be completed
Form I-9
Form W-4
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What Is User Provisioning?
The process of:
Creating user accounts and group memberships
Providing company identification
Assigning access rights and permissions
Assigning access devices such as tokens and/or smartcards
The user should be provided with and acknowledge the terms and conditions of the Acceptable Use Agreement before being granted access
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What Should an Employee Learn During Orientation?
His responsibilities
Information handling standards and privacy protocols
Ask questions
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The Importance of Employee Agreements
Confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements
Agreement between employees and organization
Defines what information may not be disclosed by employees
Goal: To protect sensitive information
Especially important in these situations:
When an employee is terminated or leaves
When a third-party contractor was employed
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The Importance of Employee Agreements cont.
Acceptable Use Agreement
A policy contract between the company and information systems user
Components of an Acceptable Use Agreement
Introduction
Data classifications
Applicable policy statement
Handling standards
Contacts
Sanctions for violations
acknowledgment
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The Importance of Security Education and Training
Training employees
According to NIST: “Federal agencies […] cannot protect […] information […] without ensuring that all people involved […]:
Understand their role and responsibilities related to the organization’s mission
Understand the organization’s IT security policy, procedures and practices
Have at least adequate knowledge of the various management, operational and technical controls required and available to protect the IT resources for which they are responsible”
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The Importance of Security Education and Training cont.
Hackers adapt: If it is easier to use social engineering – i.e., targeting users – rather than hack a network device, that is the road they will take
Only securing network devices and neglecting to train users on information security topics is ignoring half of the threats against the company
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What Is the SETA Model?
What is SETA?
Security Education Training and Awareness
Awareness is not training: It is focusing the attention of employees on security topics to change their behavior
Security awareness campaigns should be scheduled regularly
Security training “seeks to teach skills” (per NIST)
Security training should NOT be dispensed only to the technical staff but to all employees
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Summary
A security policy that does not include personnel as a permanent threat to the data owned by the company is incomplete. Social engineering is more virulent than ever.
Failing to train users on security topics is a bad mistake and may result in a lack of compliance for some federal mandates.
All users should sign the Acceptable Use Agreement before receiving access to company’s systems and equipment
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