Information Systems
Information system refers to the software that helps individuals or organizations in collecting, organizing, storing, analyzing data and finally communicating the final processed information. The information systems are essential elements of any organization as they are responsible for solving problems by answering vital questions in the process of achieving the organizational mission.
Vulnerabilities of Information Systems
These information systems are susceptible to error, destruction, and abuse since they are one form of digital data. Ordinarily, digital data is vulnerable by nature to software or hardware failure, error, misuse, fraud, and destruction. Unlike data store in a manual form, the data store in electronic form is at a higher risk of being destroyed. Internet was designed to be a system that is open and therefore makes it accessible to anybody. For this reason, the organizational information systems connected to this internet are at risk of destructions and manipulation from outsiders like hackers. Hackers can utilize this opportunities to penetrate or send denial-of-service to company networks hence resulting in severe interferences to the system. Worms and viruses are dangerous to the systems since they can disable it. Disasters like floods, power blackout, fire as well as other natural calamities could disrupt information systems. Similarly, poor management of the information systems could make them vulnerable.
Safety Measures to Prevent Hacking
To prevent incidences of hacking corporate or individual computer information systems, I would advise the system administrators to adopt some safety measures. First, the hard drives should be encrypted to prevent unauthorized people from accessing the stored data even if they manage to hack into your computer. To avoid losing of essential data either due to actions of cyber crimes or system failure, carrying out frequent data backup is necessary. Hackers tend to use unsuspicious emails to lure their victims into their traps. Therefore unsolicited emails should be treated as an attempt by hackers to access your computer. Similarly, hacking can be prevented by having up to date firewall in place, enabling a firmware password, disabling remote access to your computer and updating system software regularly whenever they become available.
Motivations of Hackers
Hackers in most cases are motivated by several factors to carry out their criminal activities. Most hackers just like many criminals financial gains drive them. However, others do it for fun, espionage, revenge or grudge (Calyptix).
Deloitte's Response to a Cyber Incident
Numerous firms have experienced hacking incidences, and each has responded to it differently. Deloitte, one of the best cyber security consultants, had its system compromised in March 2017, and this is how they reacted to the cyber incident (Jones). Immediately the firm became aware of the breach of its data security they contacted the government authority and the affected clients. They went a had to try and determine the kind of information that was at risk by having their comprehensive security protocol implemented as well as initiating a thorough and intensive review.
Work Cited
Calyptix, 2017, What Motivates Hackers? Money, Secrets, and Fun. Calyptix Security. July 11, 2017. https://www.calyptix.com/top-threats/motivates-hackers-money-secrets-fun/
Jones, R. 2017. One of the World's Biggest Accounting Firms Hacked after Basic Security Goof. The Guardian. 9/25/2017 10:50 am https://gizmodo.com/one-of-the-worlds-biggest-accounting-firms-hacked-after-1818722565
