Management Information Systems By Effy Oz & Andy Jones

Use with Management Information Systems 1e

By Effy Oz & Andy Jones ISBN 9781844807581 © 2008 Cengage Learning

Management Information SystemsBy Effy Oz & Andy Jones

www.cengage.co.uk/oz

Chapter 13: Risks, Security and Disaster Recovery



Objectives• Describe the primary goals of information

security

• Enumerate the main types of risks to information systems

• List the various types of attacks on networked systems

• Describe the types of controls required to ensure the integrity of data entry and processing and uninterrupted e-commerce



Objectives (continued)

• Describe the various kinds of security measures that can be taken to protect data and ISs

• Outline the principles of developing a recovery plan

• Explain the economic aspects of information security



Goals of Information Security

• Protecting IT resources is a primary concern

• Securing corporate ISs increasingly challenging

• Major goals of information security– Reduce risk of systems ceasing operation– Maintain information confidentiality– Ensure integrity of data resources– Ensure uninterrupted availability of resources– Ensure compliance with policies



Risks to Information Systems

• Downtime: time when IS is not available

• Extremely expensive

• Pan-European survey by data centre provider, Global Switch, found IT downtime cost businesses €400,000 per hour



Risks to Hardware• Major causes of damage to machine

– Natural disasters• Fire

• Flood

• Storms

– Blackouts and brownouts• Blackout: total loss of electricity

• Brownout: partial loss of electricity

• Uninterruptible power supply (UPS): backup power

– Vandalism• Deliberate destruction



Risks to Data and Applications• Data primary concern because unique• Susceptible to

– Disruption– Damage– Theft

• Keystroke logging: record individual keystrokes• Social engineering: con artists pretending to be

service people• Identity theft: pretending to be another person



Risks to Data and Applications (continued)

• Risk to data– Alteration

– Destruction

– Web defacement

• Deliberate alteration or destruction is a prank

• Target may be Web site

• Honeytoken: bogus record in networked database– Used to combat hackers




• Honeypot: server containing mirrored copy of database– Educated security officers of vulnerable points

• Virus: spread from computer to computer• Worm: spread in network without human

intervention• Antivirus software: protect against viruses• Trojan horse: virus disguised as legitimate

software




• Logic bomb: cause damage at specific time

• Unintentional damage– Human error– Lack of adherence to backup procedures– Poor training– Unauthorized downloading may cause damage



Risks to Online Operations

• Many hackers try to interrupt business daily

• Attacks– Unauthorized access– Data theft– Defacing of Web pages– Denial-of-service– Hijacking



Denial of Service

• Denial of service (DoS): launch large number of information requests– Slow down legitimate traffic to site

• Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS): launch DoS attack from multiple computers– No definitive cure– Can filter illegitimate traffic



Computer Hijacking

• Hijacking: linking computer to public network without consent– Done for DDoS– Done by installing bot on computer– Hijackers usually send SPAM

• Bot planted by exploiting security holes– Install e-mail forwarding software



Controls

• Controls: constraints on user or system– Can secure against risks– Ensure nonsensical data is not entered– Can reduce damage



Controls (continued)



Program Robustness and Data Entry Controls

• Computer free of bugs is robust

• Handle situations well

• Resist inappropriate usage

• Provide clear messages

• Translate business policies into system features



Backup• Backup: duplication of all data

• Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks (RAID): set of disks programmed to replicate stored data

• Data must be routinely transported off-site

• Some companies specialize in data backup



Access Controls• Access controls: require authorized access

– Physical locks– Software locks

• Three types of access controls– What you know

• User ID and password

– What you have• Require special devices

– What you are• Physical characteristics



Access Controls (continued)

• Passwords stored in OS or database

• Security card more secure than password– Allows two-factor access

• Biometric: unique physical characteristic– Fingerprints– Retinal pictures– Voiceprints

• Many people forget passwords



Atomic Transactions

• Atomic transaction: set of indivisible transactions– All executed or none– Ensure only full entry occurs– Control against malfunction and fraud



Atomic Transactions (continued)



Audit Trail

• Audit trail: documented facts that help detect who recorded transactions

• Sometimes automatically created

• Certain policies on audit trail controls required in some countries

• Information systems auditor: find and investigate fraudulent cases



Security Measures

• Organizations can protect against attacks– Firewalls– Authentication– Encryption– Digital signatures– Digital certificates



Firewalls and Proxy Servers• Firewall: best defense

– Hardware and software– Blocks access to computing resources– Routinely integrated into routers

• DMZ: demilitarized zone approach– One end of network connected to trusted network

other end to public network

• Proxy server: represent another server– Employs firewall



Firewalls and Proxy Servers (continued)



Authentication and Encryption• Encrypt and authenticate messages to ensure

security• Message may not be text

– Image– Sound

• Authentication: process of ensuring sender is valid

• Encryption: coding message to unreadable form



Authentication and Encryption (continued)




• Encryption programs– Plaintext: original message

– Ciphertext: coded message

– Uses mathematical algorithm and key• Key is combination of bits that deciphers ciphertext

• Symmetric encryption: sender and recipient use same key

• Asymmetric encryption: public and private key used







• Transport Layer Security (TLS): protocol for transactions on Web

• Uses combination of public and symmetric key encryption

• HTTPS: secure version of HTTP

• Digital signature: way to authenticate online messages

• Message digest: unique fingerprint of file







• Digital certificates: identify identity with public key– Issued by certificate authority

• Certificate authority (CA): trusted third party– Contains

• Name

• Serial number

• Expiration dates

• Copy of holder’s public key






The Downside of Security Measures

• Single sign-on (SSO): user name/password entered only once

• Saves time

• Encryption slows down communication

• IT specialists must clearly explain implications of security measures



Recovery Measures

• Uncontrolled disasters need recovery measures

• Redundancy may be used– Expensive– Alternatives must be taken



The Business Recovery Plan• Business recovery plans: plan to recover from

disaster– Nine steps

• Obtain management’s commitment

• Establish planning committee

• Perform risk assessment and impact analysis

• Prioritize recovery needs

• Select recovery plan

• Select vendors

• Develop and implement plan

• Test plan

• Continually test and evaluate



Recovery Planning and Hot Site Providers

• Can outsource recovery plans

• Hot sites: alternative sites– Backup sites to continue operation



The Economics of Information Security

• Security analogous to insurance

• Spending should be proportional to potential damage

• Access minimum rate of system downtime



How Much Security Is Enough Security?

• Two costs to consider– Cost of potential damage– Cost of implementing preventative measure

• Companies try to find optimal point

• Need to define what needs to be protected

• Never exceed value of protected system



How Much Security Is Enough Security? (continued)



Calculating Downtime

• Try to minimize downtime

• Mission-critical systems must be connected to alternative source of power

• More ISs interfaced with other systems

• Interdependent systems have greater downtime

• Redundancy reduces downtime



Summary

• Purpose of controls and security measures is to maintain functionality of ISs

• Risks to IS include risks to hardware, data, and networks, and natural disaster and vandalism

• Risks to data include theft, data alteration, data destruction, defacement of Web sites, and viruses

• Risk to online systems include denial of service and hijacking



Summary (continued)

• Controls used to minimize disruption

• Access controls require information to be entered before resources are made available

• Atomic transactions ensures data integrity

• Firewalls protect against Internet attacks

• Encryption schemes protect messaging on Internet



Summary (continued)• TLS and HTTPS are encryption standards designed

for Web• Keys and digital certificates purchased from

certificate authority• Many organizations have business recovery plans

which may be outsourced• Careful evaluation of amount spent on security

measures is necessary• Government is obliged to protect citizens against

crime and terrorism

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Management Information Systems By Effy Oz & Andy Jones

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