Information Security
Introduction
Contemporary organizations collect, store, and transmit a tremendous amount of highly sensitive data.
Despite the many benefits that information technology offers, these systems are not completely secure.
Proper controls must be put in place to mitigate security risks and protect vital business information.
Scenario
Fullsoft, Inc. is a software development company based in New York City. Fullsoft’s software product
development code is kept confidential in an effort to safeguard the company’s competitive advantage in
the marketplace. Fullsoft recently experienced a malware attack; as a result, proprietary information
seems to have been leaked. The company is now in the process of recovering from this breach.
You are a security professional who reports to Fullsoft’s infrastructure operations team. The Chief
Technology Officer asks you and your colleagues to participate in a team meeting to discuss the incident
and its potential impact on the company.
Tasks
Prepare for the meeting by deliberating on the following questions:
How would you assess the risks, threats, and/or vulnerabilities that may have allowed this
incident to occur, or could allow a similar incident to occur in the future?
What insights about risks, threats, and/or vulnerabilities can you glean from reports of similar
incidents that have occurred in other organizations?
What potential outcomes should the company anticipate as a result of the malware attack and
possible exposure of intellectual property?
Which countermeasures would you recommend the company implement to detect current
vulnerabilities, respond to the effects of this and other successful attacks, and prevent future
incidents?
Write an outline of key points (related the questions above) that the team should discuss at the meeting.
As a reminder, you may use the book for this course and the Internet to conduct research. You are
encouraged to respond creatively, but you must cite credible sources to support your work.
