MANAGERIAL

ISSUES IN IS
Murugavel R
7
➢ Emerging issues in managing Business Information Systems
✓ Systems Security
✓ Technological Obsolescence
✓ Change Management
✓ IT infrastructure Management
Information System Management
Challenges
Lack of Manage
Digitizing Automating
Unified Best Information
Information Processes
Practices Growth

Reducing Integration Poor Quality

Securing
Information with Legacy Of
Information
Silos Applications Information

Legacy
Regulatory
Systems &
Compliance
Replacement
Security of Information Assets
IT security is the protection of computer systems and networks
from information disclosure, theft of or damage to their
hardware, software, or electronic data, as well as from the
disruption or misdirection of the services they provide.
IT security performs four important functions for an organization:
■ Protects the organization’s ability to function.
■ Enables the safe operation of applications implemented on the
organization’s IT systems.
■ Protects the data the organization collects and uses.
■ Safeguards the technology assets in use at the organization.
IT Security: Features
Confidentiality
➢ Assurance that information is shared
only among authorized persons.
Integrity
➢ Assurance that the information is authentic and complete.
➢ Maintaining and assuring the accuracy and consistency of
data over its entire life-cycle.
Availability
➢ Assurance that the systems responsible for delivering, storing
and processing information are accessible when needed, by
those who need them.
Vulnerabilities
A vulnerability is a weakness which can be exploited by a threat actor,
such as an attacker, to cross privilege boundaries (i.e., perform
unauthorized actions) within a computer system.
Vulnerabilities are classified according to the asset class they are related to:
Hardware: Susceptibility to humidity/dust; Unprotected storage; Over-heating.

Software: Insufficient testing; insecure coding; lack of audit trail; Design flaw.

Network: Unprotected communication lines; Insecure network architecture.

Personnel: Inadequate recruiting process; Inadequate security awareness; insider threat

Physical site: Area subject to natural disasters (e.g. flood, earthquake); interruption to power source

Organizational: Lack of regular audits; lack of continuity plans;

Threats
➢ A threat is a potential negative action or event facilitated by a
vulnerability that results in an unwanted impact to a computer system
or application.
➢ Any circumstance or event with the potential to adversely impact an IS
through unauthorized access, destruction, disclosure, modification of
data, and/or denial of service.
➢ A countermeasure is any step you take to ward off a threat to protect
user, data, or computer from harm.
➢ Various Security threats:-
❖ Users:- Identity Theft; Loss of Privacy; Exposure to Spam; Physical
Injuries.
❖ Hardware:- Power-related problems; theft; vandalism; and natural
disasters.
❖ Data:- Malwares; Hacking; Cybercrime; and Cyber-terrorism.
Threats to Information Security
Threats
❖ Spam:-Unsolicited commercial e-mail/Junk e-mail
❖ Cookie:- Small text file that a Web server put on computer
❖ Web Bugs:-a small gif embedded in webpage/email
❖ Malwares:-Malicious Software
❖ Virus(require Some executables), Worms(Self executables), Spyware, Trojan Horses, Botnet (Robot
Network)
❖ Shoulder Surfing
❖ Hacking:-
❖ Sniffing:- finding user’s password(Password Sharing, Password Guessing or
Password Capture
❖ Social Engineering:- Dumpster Diving, Phishing(Email) & Vishing(Phone Calls)
❖ Spoofing
❖ DDoS:-Distributed Denial of Services.
❖ Cybercrime; and Cyber-terrorism.
Attack Descriptions
■ Denial-of-service (DoS) –
– attacker sends a large number of connection or
information requests to a target
– so many requests are made that the target system cannot
handle them successfully along with other, legitimate
requests for service
– may result in a system crash, or merely an inability to
perform ordinary functions
■ Distributed Denial-of-service (DDoS) - an attack in
which a coordinated stream of requests is launched
against a target from many locations at the same time
Attack Descriptions
■ Spoofing - technique used to gain unauthorized
access whereby the intruder sends messages to a
computer with an IP address indicating that the
message is coming from a trusted host
■ Man-in-the-Middle - an attacker sniffs packets
from the network, modifies them, and inserts
them back into the network
Protective Measures
1. Bolster Access Control
➢ by using a strong password system. You should have a mix of
uppercase and lower case letters, numbers, and special
characters.
➢ Also, always reset all default passwords.
➢ Finally, create a strong access control policy.
2. Keep All Software Updated
➢ From anti-virus software to computer operating systems,
ensure your software is updated.
➢ When a new version of software is released, the version
usually includes fixes for security vulnerabilities.
➢ Manual software updates can be time-consuming. Use
automatic software updates for as many programs as possible.
Protective Measures
3. Standardize Software
➢ Keep your systems protecting by standardizing software like
Operating system, Browser, Media player, Plug-in.
➢ Ensure that users cannot install software onto the system
without approval.
4. Use Network Protection Measures
➢ Install a firewall
➢ Ensure proper access controls
➢ Use IDS/IPS to track potential packet floods
➢ Use network segmentation
➢ Use a virtual private network (VPN)
➢ Conduct proper maintenance
5. Employee Training
➢ Sometimes external threats are successful because of an
insider threat. The weakest link in data protection can be your
own employees.
➢ Ensure your employees understand network security.
➢ Employees should be able to identify threats.
➢ They should also know who to contact to avoid a security
breach
6. Schedule backups
➢ You can schedule backups to external hard drives or in the
cloud in order to keep your data stored safely.
➢ The right frequency is weekly but you can do incremental
backups every few days.
Acts of Human Error or Failure
■ Includes acts done without malicious intent
■ Caused by:
– Inexperience
– Improper training
– Incorrect assumptions
– Other circumstances
■ Employees are the greatest threats to
information security as they are the closest to
the organizational data
■ Employee mistakes can easily lead to the following:
– revelation of classified data
– entry of erroneous data
– accidental deletion or modification of data
– storage of data in unprotected areas
– failure to protect information
■ Many of these threats can be prevented
with controls
Compromises to Intellectual Property
■ Intellectual property is “the ownership of ideas and
control over the tangible or virtual representation of
those ideas”
■ Many organizations are in business to create
intellectual property
– trade secrets
– copyrights
– trademarks
– patents
■ Most common IP breaches involve software piracy
■ Watchdog organizations investigate:
– Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA)
– Business Software Alliance (BSA)
■ Enforcement of copyright has been attempted with technical
security mechanisms
Espionage/Trespass

■ Broad category of activities that breach confidentiality

– Unauthorized accessing of information
– Competitive intelligence vs espionage
– Shoulder surfing can occur any place while a person is
accessing confidential information
■ Controls implemented to mark the boundaries of an
organization’s virtual territory giving notice to trespassers that
they are encroaching on the organization’s cyberspace.
■ Hackers uses skill, guile, or fraud to steal the property of
someone else.
Espionage/Trespass
■ Generally two skill levels among hackers:
– Expert hacker
■ develops software scripts and codes exploits
■ usually a master of many skills
■ will often create attack software and share with others
– Script kiddies
■ hackers of limited skill
■ use expert-written software to exploit a system
■ do not usually fully understand the systems they hack
■ Other terms for system rule breakers:
– Cracker - an individual who “cracks” or removes protection
designed to prevent unauthorized duplication
– Phreaker - hacks the public telephone network
Information Extortion
■ Information extortion is
an attacker or formerly
trusted insider stealing
information from a
computer system and
demanding compensation
for its return or non-use
■ Extortion found in credit
card number theft
Sabotage or Vandalism
■ Individual or group who want to deliberately
sabotage the operations of a computer
system or business, or perform acts of
vandalism to either destroy an asset or
damage the image of the organization
■ These threats can range from petty
vandalism to organized sabotage
■ Organizations rely on image so Web
defacing can lead to dropping consumer
confidence and sales
■ Rising threat of hacktivist or cyber-activist
operations – the most extreme version is
cyber-terrorism
Deliberate Acts of Theft
■ Illegal taking of another’s property - physical, electronic, or
intellectual
■ The value of information suffers when it is copied and taken
away without the owner’s knowledge
■ Physical theft can be controlled - a wide variety of measures
used from locked doors to guards or alarm systems
■ Electronic theft is a more complex problem to manage and
control - organizations may not even know it has occurred
Internet Service Issues
■ Loss of Internet service can lead to considerable loss in
the availability of information
– organizations have sales staff and telecommuters working
at remote locations
■ When an organization outsources its web servers, the
outsourcer assumes responsibility for
– All Internet Services
– The hardware and operating system software used to
operate the web site
Communications and Other Services
■ Other utility services have potential impact
■ Among these are
– telephone
– water & wastewater
– trash pickup
– cable television
– natural or propane gas
– custodial services
■ The threat of loss of services can lead to inability to function
properly
Power Irregularities
Voltage levels can increase, decrease, or cease:
– spike – momentary increase
– surge – prolonged increase
– sag – momentary low voltage
– brownout – prolonged drop
– fault – momentary loss of power
– blackout – prolonged loss
■ Electronic equipment is susceptible to fluctuations,
controls can be applied to manage power quality
 Deliberate Software Attacks
■ When an individual or group designs
software to attack systems, they create
malicious code/software called malware
– Designed to damage, destroy, or deny
service to the target systems Trojan
Horse
■ Includes: M
– macro virus R
O
– boot virus W Virus
– worms
– Trojan horses
– logic bombs Bomb
– back door or trap door
– denial-of-service attacks
– polymorphic
– hoaxes Slide 31
 Deliberate Software Attacks
■ Virus is a computer program that attaches itself to an
executable file or application.
■ It can replicate itself, usually through an executable
program attached to an e-mail.
■ The keyword is “attaches”. A virus can not stand on its
own.
■ You must prevent viruses from being installed on
computers in your organizations.

Slide 32
 Deliberate Software Attacks
■ There is no foolproof method of preventing them from
attaching themselves to your computer
■ Antivirus software compares virus signature files
against the programming code of know viruses.
■ Regularly update virus signature files is crucial.

Slide 33
 Deliberate Software Attacks
■ A worm is a computer program that replicates and
propagates itself without having to attach itself to a
host.
■ Most infamous worms are Code Red and Nimda.
■ Cost businesses millions of dollars in damage as a
result of lost productivity
■ Computer downtime and the time spent recovering lost
data, reinstalling programming's, operating systems,
and hiring or contracting IT personnel.
Slide 34
 Deliberate Software Attacks
■ Trojan Programs disguise themselves as useful
computer programs or applications and can
install a backdoor or rootkit on a computer.
■ Backdoors or rootkits are computer programs that
give attackers a means of regaining access to the
attacked computer later.

Slide 35
Slide 36
 Deliberate Software Attacks
■ Challenges:
– Trojan programs that use common ports, such as TCP 80,
or UPD 53, are more difficult to detect.
– Many software firewalls can recognize port-scanning
program or information leaving a questionable port.
– However, they prompt user to allow or disallow, and users
are not aware.
– Educate your network users.
– Many Trajan programs use standard ports to conduct their
exploits.
Slide 37
 Deliberate Software Attacks
■ Spyware
– A Spyware program sends info from the infected computer to the
person who initiated the spyware program on your computer
– Spyware program can register each keystroke entered.
– www.spywareguide.com
■ Adware
– Main purpose is to determine a user’s purchasing habits so that
Web browsers can display advertisements tailored to that user.
– Slow down the computer it’s running on.
– Adware sometimes displays a banner that notifies the user of its
presence
■ Both programs can be installed without the user being aware
of their presence Slide 38
 Protecting against Deliberate Software Attacks
■ Educating Your Users
– Many U.S. government organizations make security awareness
programs mandatory, and many private-sector companies are
following their example.
– Email monthly security updates to all employees.
– Update virus signature files as soon as possible.
– Protect a network by implementing a firewall.
■ Avoiding Fear Tactics
– Your approach to users or potential customers should be promoting
awareness rather than instilling fear.
– When training users, be sure to build on the knowledge they
already have. Slide 39
 Forces of Nature
■ Forces of nature, force majeure, or acts of God are dangerous because
they are unexpected and can occur with very little warning
■ Can disrupt not only the lives of individuals, but also the storage,
transmission, and use of information
• Include fire, flood, earthquake,
and lightning as well as volcanic
eruption and insect infestation Windstorms
Floods Earthquakes
Thunderstorms
• Since it is not possible to avoid Humidity Tornadoes
many of these threats, Avalanche Volcanoes

management must implement Landslides Hurricanes

controls to limit damage and also Fire Snowstorms

prepare contingency plans for

continued operations
Slide 40
Deviations in Quality of Service, by Service
Providers
■ Situations of product or services not delivered as
expected
■ Information system depends on many inter-
dependent support systems
■ Three sets of service issues that dramatically affect
the availability of information and systems are
– Internet service
– Communications
– Power irregularities
Slide 41
 Technical Hardware Failures or Errors
■ Technical hardware failures or errors occur when a
manufacturer distributes to users equipment
containing flaws
■ These defects can cause the system to perform
outside of expected parameters, resulting in unreliable
service or lack of availability
■ Some errors are terminal, in that they result in the
unrecoverable loss of the equipment
■ Some errors are intermittent, in that they only
periodically manifest themselves, resulting in faults
that are not easily repeated
Slide 42
 Technical Hardware Failures or Errors
■ This category of threats comes from purchasing software
with unrevealed faults
■ Large quantities of computer code are written, debugged,
published, and sold only to determine that not all bugs were
resolved
■ Sometimes, unique combinations of certain software and
hardware reveal new bugs
■ Sometimes, these items aren’t errors, but are purposeful
shortcuts left by programmers for honest or dishonest
reasons
Slide 43
 Technological Obsolescence
■ When the infrastructure becomes antiquated or
outdated, it leads to unreliable and untrustworthy
systems
■ Management must recognize that when technology
becomes outdated, there is a risk of loss of data
integrity to threats and attacks
■ Ideally, proper planning by management should
prevent the risks from technology obsolesce, but
when obsolescence is identified, management must
take action
Slide 44
 Attacks
■ An attack is the deliberate act that exploits vulnerability
■ It is accomplished by a threat-agent to damage or steal
an organization’s information or physical asset
– An exploit is a technique to compromise a system
– A vulnerability is an identified weakness of a controlled
system whose controls are not present or are no longer
effective
– An attack is then the use of an exploit to achieve the
compromise of a controlled system

Slide 45
 Malicious Code
■ This kind of attack includes the
execution of viruses, worms,
Trojan horses, and active web
scripts with the intent to destroy
or steal information
■ The state of the art in attacking
systems in 2002 is the multi-
vector worm using up to six
attack vectors to exploit a
variety of vulnerabilities in
commonly found information
system devices
Slide 46
Slide 47
 Attack Descriptions
■ IP Scan and Attack – Compromised system scans random or
local range of IP addresses and targets any of several
vulnerabilities known to hackers or left over from previous
exploits
■ Web Browsing - If the infected system has write access to any
Web pages, it makes all Web content files infectious, so that
users who browse to those pages become infected
■ Virus - Each infected machine infects certain common
executable or script files on all computers to which it can write
with virus code that can cause infection

Slide 48
 Attack Descriptions
■ Unprotected Shares - using file shares to copy viral
component to all reachable locations
■ Mass Mail - sending e-mail infections to addresses
found in address book
■ Simple Network Management Protocol - SNMP
vulnerabilities used to compromise and infect
■ Hoaxes - A more devious approach to attacking
computer systems is the transmission of a virus
hoax, with a real virus attached
Slide 49
 Attack Descriptions
■ Back Doors - Using a known or previously unknown and
newly discovered access mechanism, an attacker can gain
access to a system or network resource
■ Password Crack - Attempting to reverse calculate a
password
■ Brute Force - The application of computing and network
resources to try every possible combination of options of a
password
■ Dictionary - The dictionary password attack narrows the
field by selecting specific accounts to attack and uses a list
of commonly used passwords (the dictionary) to guide
guesses
Slide 50
 Attack Descriptions
■ Denial-of-service (DoS) –
– attacker sends a large number of connection or
information requests to a target
– so many requests are made that the target system
cannot handle them successfully along with other,
legitimate requests for service
– may result in a system crash, or merely an inability to
perform ordinary functions
■ Distributed Denial-of-service (DDoS) - an attack in
which a coordinated stream of requests is launched
against a target from many locations at the same
time
Slide 51
 Attack Descriptions
■ Spoofing - technique used to gain unauthorized access
whereby the intruder sends messages to a computer with
an IP address indicating that the message is coming from
a trusted host
■ Man-in-the-Middle - an attacker sniffs packets from the
network, modifies them, and inserts them back into the
network
■ Spam - unsolicited commercial e-mail - while many
consider spam a nuisance rather than an attack, it is
emerging as a vector for some attacks
Slide 52
 Attack Descriptions
■ Mail-bombing - another form of e-mail attack that is also a
DoS, in which an attacker routes large quantities of e-mail
to the target
■ Sniffers - a program and/or device that can monitor data
traveling over a network. Sniffers can be used both for
legitimate network management functions and for stealing
information from a network
■ Social Engineering - within the context of information
security, the process of using social skills to convince
people to reveal access credentials or other valuable
information to the attacker
Slide 53
 Attack Descriptions
■ “People are the weakest link. You can have the
best technology; firewalls, intrusion-detection
systems, biometric devices ... and somebody can
call an unsuspecting employee. That's all she
wrote, baby. They got everything.”
■ “brick attack” – the best configured firewall in the
world can’t stand up to a well-placed brick.

Slide 54
 Attack Descriptions
■ Buffer Overflow –
– application error occurs when more data is sent
to a buffer than it can handle
– when the buffer overflows, the attacker can
make the target system execute instructions, or
the attacker can take advantage of some other
unintended consequence of the failure
– Usually the attacker fill the overflow buffer with
executable program code to elevate the
attacker’s permission to that of an administrator.

Slide 55
 Attack Descriptions
■ Ping of Death Attacks --
– A type of DoS attack
– Attacker creates an ICMP packet that is larger than
the maximum allowed 65,535 bytes.
– The large packet is fragmented into smaller packets
and reassembled at its destination.
– Destination user cannot handle the reassembled
oversized packet, thereby causing the system to
crash or freeze.
Slide 56
 Attack Descriptions
■Timing Attack –
– relatively new
– works by exploring the contents of a web browser’s
cache
– can allow collection of information on access to
password-protected sites
– another attack by the same name involves
attempting to intercept cryptographic elements to
determine keys and encryption algorithms

Slide 57
 The solution to the pressing problems of
managing information security lies in
shifting emphasis from technology to
organizational and social process.
■ Managing the
– informal aspects of IS security
– formal aspects of IS security
– technical aspects of IS security
Education, training and awareness,
although important, are not sufficient for
Responsibility, integrity, trust, and
managing information security. A focus on
ethicality are the cornerstones for
developing a security culture goes a long
maintaining a secure environment.
way in developing and sustaining a secure
environment.

Establishing a boundary between

what can be formalized and what Rules for managing information
should be norm based is the security have little relevance
basis for establishing appropriate unless they are contextualized.
control measures.

Formal models for maintaining the

In managing the security of technical confidentiality, integrity and availability
systems, a rationally planned grandiose (CIA) of information cannot be applied to
strategy will fall short of achieving the commercial organizations on a grand
purpose scale. Micro-management for achieving
CIA is the way forward.
CHANGE Management
Methods and manners in which a company describes and implements
change within both its internal and external processes. This includes
• preparing and supporting employees
• establishing the necessary steps for change
• monitoring pre & post-change activities to ensure successful implementation
Main Challenges of IT Change Management
IT change management can be a difficult process due to the complexity and
interdependence of IT systems, the diversity and dynamism of the IT
environment, and the resistance and reluctance of some stakeholders.
Additionally, the lack of resources, skills, or tools to support the change
management process can add to the challenge. These factors can make changes
difficult to predict, coordinate, and communicate, while also requiring frequent
and urgent changes in order to respond to new opportunities, threats, or
regulations.