Information Security
Information Security: An Overview
Since most IT operations take place on online platforms, such as the cloud, they are susceptible to gaps in security. Security threats lead to financial losses, productivity loss, interrupted functions, and damage to a company’s brand image. To increase safety, information security, or InfoSec, implements methods that spot, eliminate, and prevent IT risks like malware, viruses, and ransomware.
What is Information Security?
InfoSec is a practice that enhances an organization’s network security, IT infrastructure, process maintenance, and auditing. It uses tools and processes to safeguard and protect files, data, personal information, and applications.
This tool creates a framework that protects confidential resources and files by preventing data theft, unauthorized access to sensitive information, and unapproved changes, such as tampering, recording, or destroying files.
Organizations implement InfoSec to maintain critical data security like financial transactions, client information, and intellectual properties.
Information comes in two forms: physical and digital. It could be online transactions, saved passwords, social media profiles, fingerprints, hard drives, or external disks. Keeping the extent and reach of potential information threats in mind, InfoSec covers various points, including cyber research, social media monitoring, and mobile computing.
What is the Difference between Information Security and Cyber Security?
InfoSec and cyber security are in charge of strengthening an organization’s IT security system, but they differ significantly in mechanisms, implementation, and execution. The objective of the two practices might seem similar, but both have different intentions and delivery.
InfoSec is an umbrella term that encompasses all security measures. It is a broad concept spanning multiple fields, such as networking, physical security, data encryption, auditing, and back-end and front-end security.
On the other hand, cyber security falls under InfoSec. In addition to data breaches, InfoSec ensures information security during natural disasters and unplanned outages.
As a part of InfoSec, cyber security mitigates technology-focused risks. It uses tools and software to prevent threats and increase data security to protect sensitive data from unknown and dangerous third-party sources. Cyber security creates a robust security wall that secures computer operations, servers, networks, and applications from potential or existing cyber threats.
Since cyber threats can break geographical boundaries, organizations have begun incorporating cyber security in their risk management protocols. Unlike InfoSec, which blankets every aspect of data security and protection, cyber security focuses on the following.
Social Engineering Attacks:
A social engineering attack uses human conversations and communication to gain hidden, secretive, or unauthorized access to computer networks or systems containing confidential information.
Phishing Attacks
Phishing is one of the most common cyber threats compromising an IT structure and an organization’s security. It extracts and steals personal details like credit card information and passwords through fraud, third-party applications, and fabricated messages.
What are the Three Principles of Information Security?
InfoSec runs on three primary principles: confidentiality, integrity, and availability, or CIA Triad.
1. Confidentiality
Confidentiality ensures the safety of legally binding or protected data that can only be accessed through verified approvals or permissions. Since confidential files contain private data, such as financial details, medical reports, and personal information like address or phone number, they should not be shared with sources or parties without approved access.
Along with private information, business dealings and transactions also fall under confidential files to stop competitors from accessing business strategies.
InfoSec takes confidentiality measures to protect digital information against unknown access, data breaches, and disclosure of sensitive materials.
2. Integrity
The second InfoSec principle is integrity. It maintains honesty, transparency, and moral values required to run business operations and create client loyalty and customer satisfaction.
Integrity ensures datasets contain accurate and relevant information to avoid a lack of awareness, inaccurate reports, and misinformed or uninformed decision-making. This component oversees data status at every stage.
InfoSec implements integrity practices to maintain a dataset’s value and protect it from modification, tampering, or damage.
3. Availability
Organizations must create InfoSec systems that support availability to prevent risk breaches, financial loss, unjustified expenses, breaking regulatory compliance policies, and damage to brand image. Availability enables organizations to acquire and accumulate tools and resources required to comply with regulatory guidelines, secure data, and develop data and system backup and recovery procedures.
What is Information Security Policy?
An information Security Policy, or ISP, is a framework of rules and guidelines organizations must adhere to when using IT resources. ISP allows companies to devise information security mechanisms to maintain and solidify safety measures and protocols. Information Security Policy protects IT infrastructure, systems, and data from unauthorized access and external threats.
Organizations must develop solid and effective security protocols that cater to regulatory compliance, manage risks, and identify and eliminate security dangers.
Additionally, companies should regularly check and upgrade their policies per new IT rules, industry insights, technology evolution, previous data logs, and the latest security threats to keep their tools and applications up-to-date and functional.
Another critical component of ISP is its compatibility with regulatory practices. InfoSec strategies should agree with other system techniques, meet the demands of evolving IT structure, and be compatible with other departments to maintain a streamlined process.
A consistent and suitable InfoSec framework makes limiting access and preparing for emergencies easier.
What Are Some of the Top Information Security Threats?
InfoSec threats range from external breaches to internal security risks. Some common and top InfoSec security threats include :
1. Internal Risks
One of the top InfoSec threats is internal or insider risks. When an individual or team working within an organization accesses files, data, or networks to make unauthorized changes and modifications that threaten the organization’s image and system, it is an internal threat.
Insider threats can be deliberate or accidental, depending on the intention. For instance, deliberate internal attacks include insider trading and intentionally deleting or tampering with data to damage business operations. Unintentional internal threats include carelessness regarding client information and business contracts.
2. Download Threats
Downloading files or data from unconfirmed or third-party sources on web browsers, emails, or external disks can expose the operating system to dangerous codes and viruses. In some cases, specific websites have in-built codes that inject viruses into an IT system to collect sensitive files and corrupt confidential data.
3. Social Media Risks
In today’s day and age, social media plays a vital role in communicating, interacting, and building connections. However, since users share personal information, such as their address, phone number, email address, and locations, on their social media profiles, it compromises their safety. Cyber attackers can obtain their information through direct messaging links and cookies.
Wrapping Up
Information Security is an integral part of an organization’s IT framework. It implements protocols, tools, and software to increase an IT infrastructure’s security and protect data and files from phishing, malware, and external and internal attacks.
