Information security guarantees the confidentiality and integrity of the information, avoiding unauthorized actions with it, in particular, its use, disclosure, distortion, alteration, investigation and destruction. The information security provisions are the same for all forms of information storage: physical, digital or any other. With the advent of computerized information systems, data security has come to the fore.
Main objectives of information security
The use of information security systems establishes specific tasks to preserve the key characteristics of the information and provides:
- Data confidentiality, which is a state of availability of information only to authorized users, processes, and devices.
- Integrity is the absence of unauthorized alterations, added or destroyed information. Ensuring integrity is especially important in cases where the information is highly valuable and must not be lost, as well as when the data can be intentionally changed to misinform the recipient. As a general rule, information is protected against erasure by methods that ensure confidentiality, backup, and the absence of distortion is verified by hashing.
- Accessibility is the provision of timely and reliable access to information and information services. Typical cases of an accessibility violation are a software/hardware failure and a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. The information system is protected from failures by eliminating the root causes, and from DDoS attacks by cutting off spurious traffic.
- Authenticity is the ability to uniquely identify the author/source of information. The authenticity of electronic data is often verified by means such as an electronic digital signature.
- No rejection of the authorship of the information, as well as the fact of sending or receiving it. Non-repudiation can be guaranteed by digital signature and other cryptographic means and protocols. Non-repudiation is relevant, for example, in electronic tendering systems, where it guarantees the responsibility of sellers and buyers towards each other.
The main objective of information security systems is to ensure data protection against external and internal threats.
To ensure complete confidentiality in the information system, four methods are applied that are relevant for any information format:
- Restriction or complete closure of access to information
- encryption
- scattered storage
- Hide the fact of the existence of information
Types of information threats
To determine the right information security strategy, it is necessary to determine what data security intimidates. Information security threats: probable events and actions that in the long term can lead to data leaks or loss, unauthorized access to them.
The main property of intimidation to information systems is the origin by which the threats are divided into the following:
- Man-made sources: Threats caused by technical support issues, difficult to predict.
- Anthropogenic sources: the threat of human error. They can be accidental or deliberate attacks. Unintentional threats are a random error, for example, a user unknowingly disabled an antivirus. Man-made problems can usually be predicted with preventative measures. Deliberate security threats lead to information crimes.
- Natural sources are insurmountable circumstances that have a low probability of prognosis, and their prevention is impossible. These are various natural disasters, fires, earthquakes, power outages due to hurricanes.
Threat Classification
Furthermore, based on the location of the source in relation to the information system, threats are classified as external and internal. This division is especially applicable to large-scale systems at the state level.
If the external level is attacks by hackers, competing companies, or hostile states, internal threats are caused by:
- Low level of software and hardware.
- At the state level – poor development of data transfer technology and the IT sector as a whole.
- Low computer literacy of users.
The main objective of network security?systems is the elimination of internal threats. Which generally consist of the following:
- Attackers confiscate data, information packages are destroyed, which disrupts the work of the information environment.
- Employees create backdoors or combine information.
- Spyware imperceptibly affects the working code and system hardware.
Therefore, practically all the work of the information security system is reduced to creating secure communication channels, protecting servers and ensuring the safety of external media and user workstations.
Information security in a computing environment
The question of maintaining the security of information systems is equally serious for ordinary users and companies. The loss of data for companies implies, first of all, the loss of trust and reputation. For a person, at best, a leak results in an intrusive display of targeted advertising, at worst: scammers can use sensitive information (passwords, bank card information, system login information) for personal benefit.
To control the data that circulates in the information environment, various software tools are used:
- Heavy applications whose job is to ensure the security and encryption of financial and banking information records;
- global solutions that operate at the level of the entire information matrix;
- Utilities to solve specific problems.
Information system protection methods
The meaning of information protection is to preserve information in its original form, excluding access by outsiders.
A systematic approach consists of four security components:
- Laws and regulations.
- Distribution of tasks between information security departments.
- Information security policy.
- hardware and software
All methods of protection in the enterprise are characterized by:
- The use of technical means, the actual use of which is growing as the information space and the number of workstations expand.
- Continuous monitoring of databases.
- Continuous development of new computer systems with improved encryption methods and continuous encryption with existing methods.
- Restriction of access to information in the company.
The most serious threat to information systems are computer viruses. They bring the most damage to the information infrastructure. The main problem is that antivirus software cannot completely prevent the appearance of new threats. As a result of this, one way or another, information packages are damaged and information systems do not work correctly. The solution to the problem is only possible after finding a malicious intervention. It is also worth mentioning the physical methods of information protection – devices that instantly recognize third-party interference in the system.
To protect a specific object from external and internal threats, it is necessary to create an Information Security Management System (ISMS).
To build an effective and efficient system they are guided by a rough plan:
- Identify the degree of protection required for this object.
- Correlate them with the provisions of the laws and regulations in force in the country in this area of ??activity.
- Refer to previous developments.
- Designate responsible units and distribute responsibility among them.
- Determine the information security policy of a given facility and use the software and technical methods necessary for its implementation.
As the editor of the blog, She curate insightful content that sparks curiosity and fosters learning. With a passion for storytelling and a keen eye for detail, she strive to bring diverse perspectives and engaging narratives to readers, ensuring every piece informs, inspires, and enriches.
