Information Security Challenges

Data security is a broad category of activities that covers all aspects of protecting the integrity of a computer or computer network. Under its most liberal interpretation, data security involves protecting a computer from external threats (from individuals outside the organization), internal threats (from individuals within the organization) and from threats to hardware as well as to software. In this interpretation, disaster recovery can be considered a part of data security as information managers seek to protect data from natural disasters and manmade attacks.

Organizations can improve their security by simply observing fundamental strategies such as using only licensed copies of software (which are unlikely to have viruses installed on them) and by limiting access to computers and files on those computers. Just as physical files have limited access points, so data files should also be limited to those individuals who have a business reason for viewing the files. Passwords and access codes provide rudimentary security at this level, and will prevent access by the merely curious.

However, even small organizations now have computer links with the outside world, which makes them vulnerable to breaches of security from any number of sources. Disgruntled employees (current or former), vendors unsatisfied with payment conditions, advocacy groups who disagree on a political level with the organization's philosophy, competitors and hackers all pose security threats. Whil

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and in national secrets being revealed to enemies of the state. The risks of both types of espionage are unbelievably high. Despite the image of spies as portrayed by Hollywood, most spies are everyday people with various sources of motivation. Without exception, they trade in information. In the past, various types of techniques were developed to assist in the gathering of information: miniature cameras, microphones which could be easily hidden, small radio transmitters. The office copier probably increased the traffic in pilfered information more than any other invention up to that time. But until recently, information espionage was focused on finding and using another group's information. The use of misinformation, or deliberately sabotaging information belonging to someone else, was difficult and rare. In the last 50 years, that situation has changed radically. Today's highly networked computer systems mean that spies can gain access to computers from remote locations. As with traditional spying, information can simply be read and used. Malicious intruders will leave behind viruses which destroy information. Some determined individuals will actually manipulate the information so that it becomes useless, or inaccu

Category: Science - I