In information security, what can constitute a loss? Read this study to have more knowledge about this title. As a result, it can help you to learn more.
In Information Security, What Can Constitute a Loss?
Information security is also known as “data security” and “information assurance”. This field of study is about protecting information and knowing its risks and how to avoid them.
Information security is the key to the success of any company, enterprise, or government institution. The sad truth is that we cannot completely protect ourselves from vulnerabilities and losses, but we can minimize potential problems.
In this article, we will try to approach what can constitute a loss in information security and how it can be prevented, as well as the measures to take if it occurs.
Types of Losses:
A loss in information security may be the violation of security policies and procedures of the system, the network, or the information itself, which may result in: loss of confidentiality, availability, and integrity.
These losses can be classified in:
- loss of confidentiality
- unauthorized disclosure of information
- loss of integrity
- unauthorized modification of information
- loss of availability: the temporary or permanent unavailability of information
- loss of accountability
- the inability to identify the users that have accessed a system or a specific resource
- loss of audit
- lack of logs, audit trails, and other related tools needed to trace actions performed on the system.
Drawbacks
Some of the main problems that can cause security breaches are:
- The absence or negligence of the necessary tools.
- Lack of commitment of employees.
- The lack of security training.
- The use of weak passwords or default passwords.
- Phishing attacks, social engineering, Trojan horses, and other social attacks.
- Attacks by hackers.
- Malware infections, spyware, adware, and other malicious software.
- The lack of physical security measures.
- Unprotected wireless networks.
Benefits
The benefits of maintaining security are the following:
- Better chances of avoiding cyber attacks.
- The possibility of defending against intrusion attempts.
- The possibility of having greater control over the security of information.
- A better comprehension of information risks.
- Knowledge of vulnerabilities and their impacts on the organization.
- The possibility of identifying recurring problems.
- A better understanding of how to protect against them.
- The possibility of identifying possible improvements that can be made to the security policy.
- Better understanding about threats that may affect the information and mitigate them, as well as those that have already affected it.
- Better control over the security policy and compliance with it.
Objectives
Any organization, enterprise, or government agency that uses the internet, the network, or any type of computer system should have a security policy.
This policy defines the rules that every employee should follow when accessing information so that the information can be from attacks, theft, or loss. Thus, all employees should be aware of the importance of security policies and comply with them.
Furthermore, it is very important to have a security policy for each company division, which defines what actions are allowed and what are not. This policy must be enforced to prevent possible losses.
Conclusion
Every day we are with information security issues, both in the professional and personal spheres. It is vital to maintain data security to avoid losses, whether they are material or intangible.
