Information Security Vulnerability research paper/APA format/8-10 pages/at least 10 references

Introduction

The most important part of any business or organization information is the security infrastructure. All information big or small, sensitive or insensitive must be protected by some degree of information security. "Navigating the multitude of existing security standards, including dedicated standards for information security and frameworks for controlling the implementation of IT, presents a challenge to organizations. Adding to the challenge is the increase in activities of terrorist groups and organized criminal syndicates” (Sipior & Ward, 2008).

Threats and Vulnerabilities

Threats and vulnerabilities are a common occurrence in regards to computer security. Computer networks that are flawed and weak are vulnerable to be exploited. The exploitation of computer networks can be done by terrorist, hackers, and an organizations or business on employee. "Inexperience, improper training, and the making of incorrect assumptions are just a few things that can cause these misadventures" (Whitman & Mattord, 2009, p. 42).

Problem Statement:

What is the protocol if an organization or business most critical information is leaked or hacked that can cause grave damage to an organization, business, or customers account information? What would be the financial situation to recover from such attack with the network? The following questions are a few questions that top management must have in information security policies.

It is most likely that any organization or business profits would decrease and the reputation of each would change. With that comes the legality responsibility of the organization or business. Owning up to a security breach within an organization or business can be detrimental to the overall health of finances throughout the organization or business as well as notifying all parties involved in the breach. Having coverage such as insurance to protect the organization or business is a must and also a great deal to protect the reputation, assets, and continue functioning overall. "Although every state breach notification law covers businesses, there are differences regarding coverage of other entities such as government agencies and third-party storage providers, as well as differences regarding the information each law defines as 'personal'" (Shaw, 2010).

Relevance and Significance:

There will always be some type of glitch with in a computer network that may deter the system from being fully secured unless the computer is not being used. Information security program goals is to deliver a level of security platforms that supports the organization or business security infrastructure at its best by meeting all requirements set forth through the policy and controls and keeping the bad guys out.

Key Concepts

Confidentiality, integrity, and availability are the largest threats of sensitive information. The need to know must be used throughout the organization or business. Having the proper employees with authorized access to confidential information is a major key player in an organization or business information security programs and policies. Those employees must be held to a higher standard of integrity as well. Without integrity from employees with the need to know access threats and vulnerabilities may happen on a daily occurrence. "Through simplistic password guideline changes and employee password security training on the use of mnemonic devices in password development, organizations can better guard against human error while maintaining safe practices for user authentication that guard against external threats." (Carstens, McCauley-Bell, Malone, & DeMara, 2004).

Common Information Security Threats

According to the National Institute of Standards Technology (2009), a survey conducted by the Computer Security Institute revealed that, "50% of small businesses surveyed reported computer viruses as the cause of the breach" (National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2009). Viruses through computer networks come in all types of forms and are becoming a serious problem for organizations and business that have not taken the proper procedures or financial assets for placing security measures throughout their computer networks to protect them. Most common denominator for the cause of viruses is through daily email attachments. Having some type of firewall in place is a must. It must be properly installed and configured to protect the network.

Recommendations

One tool that maybe used to combat viruses through the computer network is anti-virus software products. That is one of the most cost friendly tools to be used and acquire especially for a small organization or business just coming up. A simple definition update through an anti-virus software product can protect your computer network. It may seem irrelevant but it is a great tool that can help protect the network. A security awareness survey by Johnson & Kock (2006) found that most of the viruses came from the viruses’ scanner software. Ninety-two percent of users have antiviruses in their computer’s but only 50% of them keep their software’s updated. A huge ratio doesn’t give priority to such software’s and a negative result goes towards computer security (vol. 6, pp.130b).

References

Carstens, D. S., McCauley-Bell, P. R., Malone, L. C., & DeMara, R. F. (2004). Evaluation of the Human Impact of Password Authentication Practices on Information Security. Informing Science: The International Journal of an Emerging Transdiscipline, 7, 67+. Retrieved from http://www.questia.com

Johnson, D.W., & Kock, H. (2006). Computer Security Risks in the Internet Era: Are Small Business Owners Aware and Proactive? Proceedings of the 39th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (vol. 6, pp.130b).