Jan 23 2013

How public distrust is affecting cyber security strategies

Category: cyber securityDISC @ 11:44 am

According to this article published in SC magazine ’80 per cent of the UK public implicitly do not trust organisations to keep their data safe; with nearly half (41 per cent) feeling that it has become inevitable their data will be compromised by hackers.’ Do your stakeholders trust you?

Consumer confidence in cyber security has clearly eroded over the past couple of years, and there is an urgent need for organisations of all industries, whether public or private, to reassure consumers they are capable of…
How public distrust is affecting cyber security strategies

Cyber Cecurity Strategy Titles

Tags: Computer security, Fire and Security, Government Communications Headquarters, Government of the United Kingdom, Minister for the Cabinet Office


Dec 10 2009

What is a risk assessment framework

Category: Information Security,Risk AssessmentDISC @ 5:46 pm

Computer security is an ongoing threat?!?
Image by Adam Melancon via Flickr

The Security Risk Assessment Handbook: A Complete Guide for Performing Security Risk Assessments

Definition – A risk assessment framework (RAF) is a strategy for prioritizing and sharing information about the security risks to an information technology (IT) infrastructure.

A good RAF organizes and presents information in a way that both technical and non-technical personnel can understand. It has three important components: a shared vocabulary, consistent assessment methods and a reporting system.

The common view an RAF provides helps an organization see which of its systems are at low risk for abuse or attack and which are at high risk. The data an RAF provides is useful for addressing potential threats pro-actively, planning budgets and creating a culture in which the value of data is understood and appreciated.

There are several risk assessment frameworks that are accepted as industry standards including:

Risk Management Guide for Information Technology Systems (NIST guide) from the National Institute of Standards.

Operationally Critical Threat, Asset, and Vulnerability Evaluation (OCTAVE) from the Computer Emergency Readiness Team.

Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (COBIT) from the Information Systems Audit and Control Association.

To create a risk management framework, an organization can use or modify the NIST guide, OCTAVE or COBIT or create a framework inhouse that fits the organization’s business requirements. However the framework is built, it should:

1. Inventory and categorize all IT assets.
Assets include hardware, software, data, processes and interfaces to external systems.

2. Identify threats.
Natural disasters or power outages should be considered in addition to threats such as malicious access to systems or malware attacks.

3. Identify corresponding vulnerabilities.
Data about vulnerabilities can be obtained from security testing and system scans. Anecdotal information about known software and/or vendor issues should also be considered.

4. Prioritize potential risks.
Prioritization has three sub-phases: evaluating existing security controls, determining the likelihood and impact of a breach based on those controls, and assigning risk levels.

5. Document risks and determine action.
This is an on-going process, with a pre-determined schedule for issuing reports. The report should document the risk level for all IT assests, define what level of risk an organization is willing to tolerate and accept and identify procedures at each risk level for implementing and maintaining security controls.

Tags: Business, COBIT, Computer security, Data, Fire and Security, Information Technology, iso 27001, iso 27002, National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, OCTAVE, Risk management, Security, security controls, Technology


Feb 18 2009

Economic turmoil and BCP

Category: BCP,Information SecurityDISC @ 6:42 pm

information
Due to economic insecurity all the warning signs are pointing that this year is going to top the record for information security and privacy incidents. Organizations may not be in a position to take business limiting risk and bypass security fundamental like Business Continuity Planning (BCP). During this economic uncertainty organizations have to pay more attention to liability, regulatory penalties and negative PR which might cause an irrecoverable damage to business in today’s market.


“BCP is the creation and validation of a practiced logistical plan for how organization will recover and restore partially or completely interrupted critical functions within a predetermine time after a disaster or extended disruption”

The first step in business continuity process is to consider the potential impact of each disaster or disruption. Next step is to determine the likelihood of the disruption or how likely this disruption will occur within a year and how many times. Both impact and likelihood will determine the risk to the organization critical asset in a sense if impact of the disruption is high the risk is high or if likelihood of the incident is high the risk is high. High risk disruption will attract more attention during planning process.

Risk Analysis:
• Understand the function of probabilities and risk reduction
• Identify potential risks to the organization
• Identify outside expertise required
• Identify vulnerabilities / threats / exposures
• Identify risk reduction / mitigation alternatives
• Identify credible information sources
• Interface with management to determine acceptable risk levels
• Document and present findings

BCP Plan:
• Understand clear objectives, available alternatives, their advantages, disadvantages, and cost ranges, including mitigation as a recovery strategy
• Identify viable recovery strategies with business functional areas
• Consolidate strategies
• Identify off-site storage requirements and alternative facilities
• Develop business unit consensus
• Present strategies to management to obtain commitment

Assessing the Effectiveness of a BCP Plan for an Individual Business Unit:
Business unit contingency planning was never more important than now. The success of BCP planning depends upon the feasibility and appropriateness of the plan. However, only comprehensive TESTING of the contingency plans could validate that and everyone hates testing. It is important that the Contingency Plan clearly identify those responsible for declaring a disaster and executing the plan. BS 25999-2:2007 is the specification for implementing, establishing, and improving a business continuity management system (BCMS) within an organization.

The requirements in the standard are generic and are intended to be applicable to all organizations, regardless of type, size and nature of business. The extent of application of these requirements depends on the organization’s operating environment and complexity. BS 25999-2 can be used by internal and external parties, including certification bodies, to assess an organization’s ability to meet its own business continuity needs, as well as any customer, legal or regulatory needs.

Purchase BS25999-2:2007 online today and prove business resilience to customers and partners.

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BSI – What is Business Continuity Management?
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkQsmSg1PFU&NR=1

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Tags: Business, Business continuity planning, Business Services, Contingency plan, Emergency Management, Fire and Security, Information Security, Risk management