Accident Over the Last Several

¶ … Accident

Over the last several years, the issue of cyber security has been increasingly brought to the forefront. Part of the reason for this, is because technology has improved and more information is being stored electronically. These two factors have caused the number of security breaches to skyrocket, with the amount and scope of these incidents becoming more serious. A recent example of this occurred in March 2011, when it was reported that South Korea's Ministry of Defense's computers were breached by foreign-based hackers. This was part of an effort to steal sensitive information, surrounding the Global Hawk program that South Korea was considering purchasing from the United States. While no sensitive information was lost, the incident is highlighting how the overall threat of security breaches is rising. (Theriaut, 2011) In the case of the retail business we are examining, a strategy will be developed that will deal with the current threats and future issues. Once this occurs, it will provide specific insights about how an organization can adapt to the overall nature of the threats that they are facing.

The Strategy for Dealing with Current and Future Threats

The first thing that must be accomplished is we need to isolate the threat. This means that we must immediately install back up firewalls and possibly new systems that have not been infected with the virus. This will require considerable upfront investment and the use of outside consultants. (Lacey, 2009, pp. 269 -- 310)

Once this has occurred, there needs to be some kind of top to bottom analysis for anomalies in traffic patterns and any other possible breaches. The basic idea it to analyze the overall scope of new threat and look for patterns that took place before the cyber attack. This will help us to identify what kind of issues to be aware of when an attack is taking place. At the same time, we are identifying new threats and isolating them. (Lacey, 2009, pp. 269 -- 310)

Next, you want to begin installing new firewalls and secondary security blocks. In some cases, you may have to take equipment that has been infected with the virus offline (for maintenance) and use a flash drive to remove it / reprogram the operating system. Once this occurs, you would then connect all of the different security protocols together. The basic idea is to be able to use them, to serve as a backup system in the event that there is some kind of breach. This will give the hackers limited access to: certain areas and it will isolate them to select parts of the company's servers. (Lacey, 2009, pp. 269 -- 310)

The final part of the strategy is to ensure effective monitoring of the various systems. This will take place with the company using an outside security consultant. They will have the responsibility of helping to coordinate mock attacks. This will effectively test the strategy and identify for weaknesses. At the same time, they must train employees what to look out for and the possible warning signs of an early attack. This can be accomplished by: having different training modules coordinate with the security consultant. They will help to provide an initial foundation of knowledge. At which point, they can work with employees to adjust to the changing nature of the threat. (Lacey, 2009, pp. 269 -- 310)