Career Outlook
by Editors
editors@ccgmag.com
COMPUTER SECURITY
Information Security is the capability of preserving the confi- dentiality, integrity and availability of information.
Confidentiality ensures that information is accessible only to those authorized to have access.
Integrity safeguards the accuracy and completeness of information and processing methods.
Availability ensures that authorized users have access to information and associated assets when required.
Information Security Threats:
Information security refers to the protection of data and to those threats to which information is subject.
Information Security Policy:
An information security policy is an essential element in ensur- ing continued security and accuracy within an organization. Such a strategy encompasses the following:
Staff education and training; Restricted access levels and need-to-know guidelines; Asset classification and control.
An information security policy needs to be comprehensive and should ideally encompass the following security issues:
Organizational and procedural security, which is con- cerned with policies, standards, controls and monitoring.
Physical security, which refers to the control over physical access to hardware environmental control and contingen- cy planning.
Logical security, which refers to the control over a user’s interaction with an application possibly through a network.
Cyber Security Attacks:
Information security within an organization can be compro- mised by cyber security attacks, which include unauthorized access, malicious software, denial of service, publishing and URL spoofing.
Unauthorized Access: Hacking is the process of gaining access to electronic data by tapping into a company’s computer system. Information can be subject to unauthor- ized modification or sold to other parties.
Malicious Software: Malicious software threatens the avail- ability and integrity of IT systems. Specifically targeted software may also threaten the privacy and confidentiality of stored information.
Denial of Service: Denial of service attacks are used to render a system unusable by denying service to individual victims or by blocking all users at once.
Phishing: A technique to fraudulently obtain private infor- 50 HISPANIC ENGINEER & Information Technology | 2011
mation by sending an email which appears to come from a legitimate organization requesting personal information.
URL Spoofing: Related to phishing, a legitimate website is reproduced which is under control of the attacker to obtain personal information.
Cyber Security Measures:
These measures prevent the loss of information, which in- cludes ensuring that security policies to protect the organiza- tion’s information are in place. There should be policies that cover the use of security measures such as an antivirus policy and port locking.
Antivirus software should be running at all times to protect all systems from potentially harmful software. It is the user’s responsibility to ensure that the antivirus software and definitions are up-to-date to detect the latest viruses. All storage media brought into the organization should be scanned by a virus-checking program.
Port locking prevents unauthorized devices from accessing the network, which increases security.
Computer Misuse:
Computer misuse refers to the unauthorized use of all types of computer resources and includes the following:
Unlawful access to information; Unlawful use of information; Misuse of computer hardware; Misrepresentation of another person;
Unauthorized copy of software and supporting documentation.
These threats can be controlled by introducing security proce- dures that are adhered to by all members in the organization. These can include user authentication, a password policy, and desktop locking directives.
User Authentication and Levels of Access: Types of access allow access to a range of resources designated to belong to a specified individual or group.
Password Policy: Passwords are to be kept secret and se- cure at all times and authorized users are to avoid writing down and storing a password or sharing passwords with other users. In addition, passwords should be changed on a regular basis.
Desktop Locking: Securing one’s desktop ensures that un- attended computers cannot be accessed by unauthorized users.
Data Backup:
Computer hardware is not failsafe. Essential information should always be stored on the server, which is backed up on a daily basis.
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