In an era where use and dependence of information systems is significantly high, the threat of incidents related to information security that could jeopardize the information held by organizations is more and more serious. Alarming facts within the literature point to inadequacies in information security practices, particularly the evaluation of information security controls in organizations. Research efforts have resulted in various methodologies developed to deal with the information security controls assessment problem. A closer look at these traditional methodologies highlights various weaknesses that can prevent an effective information security controls assessment in organizations. This dissertation develops a methodology that addresses such weaknesses when evaluating information security controls in organizations. The methodology, created using the Fuzzy Logic Toolbox of MATLAB based on fuzzy theory and fuzzy logic, uses fuzzy set theory which allows for a more accurate assessment of imprecise criteria than traditional methodologies. It is argued and evidenced that evaluating information security controls using fuzzy set theory addresses existing weaknesses found in the literature for traditional evaluation methodologies and, thus, leads to a more thorough and precise assessment. This, in turn, results in a more effective selection of information security controls and enhanced information security in organizations. The main contribution of this research to the information security literature is the development of a fuzzy set theory-based assessment methodology that provides for a thorough evaluation of ISC in organizations. The methodology just created addresses the weaknesses or limitations identified in existing information security control assessment methodologies, resulting in an enhanced information security in organizations. The methodology can also be implemented in a spreadsheet or software tool, and promote usage in practical scenarios where highly complex methodologies for ISC selection are impractical. Moreover, the methodology fuses multiple evaluation criteria to provide a holistic view of the overall quality of information security controls, and it is easily extended to include additional evaluation criteria factor not considered within this dissertation. This is one of the most meaningful contributions from this dissertation. Finally, the methodology provides a mechanism to evaluate the quality of information security controls in various domains. Overall, the methodology presented in this dissertation proved to be a feasible technique for evaluating information security controls in organizations.

In the year 2008, world markets suffered a huge economic crisis. The extent of the economic crisis has been so severe and has had a global impact. As a contingency strategy, governments of wealthy nations have resorted to extensive bailouts and rescue packages to stop organisations from going bankrupt. A skyrocketing amount of money has been spent on rescue packages and bailouts for the tumbling organisations. However, this could not stop some of the world’s wealthiest financial institutions e.g. Lehman Brothers, Northern Rock, etc from collapsing. Most of the surviving organisations froze their expenditure, implemented cost-cutting measures and in the process, numerous employees lost their jobs. Executives were compelled to ‘achieve more with less’ in order to save their organisations from going bankrupt. It is on this premise that this research proposed the BC3I (Broad Control Category Cost Indicators) model, which is a step towards ‘achieving more with less’ within information security budgeting. The tumbling world markets and increased requirements for legal and regulatory compliance have made this a timely and relevant research that addressed a current, spot-on and global problem. The BC3I model as the main outcome of this research has indeed come at the right time. The BC3I model as proposed in this research makes a real contribution towards assisting information security managers as they make informed decisions regarding the optimal and cost-effective allocation of financial resources to information security activities. The proposed model can be argued to be a good start towards the selection of appropriate controls to optimally and cost-effectively protect organisations’ information assets and simultaneously achieve compliance with legal and regulatory mandates. As a proof of concept, the practicality of the BC3I model has been demonstrated in three different scenarios. The model has been illustrated for an organisation chosen from the financial sector; being the hardest hit by the economic crisis. Furthermore, the financial sector is chosen because of its high reliance on information security for the most obvious reasons that of dealing with money and confidential customer information. Finally and for acceptance purposes, the model has been discussed and reviewed by industry experts from the financial sector. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Computer Science / unrestricted

Information är idag en värdefull resurs i organisationer som blir mer och mer beroende av sina informationssystem. Information utsätts för olika hot och den behöver skyddas för att organisationer effektivt ska kunna driva sin verksamhet. Ett systematiskt informationssäkerhetsarbete hjälper organisationer att uppnå och upprätthålla en tillräcklig nivå av informationssäkerhet.   Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur informationssäkerhet hanteras inom organisationer i allmänhet i nuläget. En fallstudie har genomförts på Folktandvården, Region Jönköpings län för att undersöka hur Folktandvårdens medarbetare hanterar informationssäkerheten. Dessutom syftar studien till att utvärdera medvetenhet om informationssäkerhet hos medarbetarna på Folktandvården och att presentera förslag på hur hanteringen av personuppgifter kan förbättras i organisationer.  Blandade tekniker har använts för att samla information.  Litteraturstudier inom området informationssäkerhet har genomförts. Empirisk data har samlats in genom en enkätundersökning, intervjuer och skriftliga frågor som har skickats via e-post till utvalda ansvariga som jobbar specifikt med frågor som berör informationssäkerhet inom Folktandvården. Denna studie använder de svenska standarderna SS-ISO/IEC 27001:2014 och SS-ISO/IEC 27002:2014 för att utvärdera informationssäkerhet på Folktandvården, Region Jönköpings län samt att få en bild av hur informationssäkerhet hanteras inom organisationer. Organisationer kan upprätthålla säkerhet i sin informationshantering genom att tillämpa ett ledningssystem för informationssäkerhet (LIS) som bevarar konfidentialitet, riktighet (integritet) och tillgänglighet av information.  Informationssäkerhetsarbetet och införandet av LIS skiljer sig mellan organisationer eftersom de kan påverkas av organisationens behov och mål, storlek och struktur. Fallstudiens resultat visar att Folktandvården, Region Jönköpings län genomför en aktiv hantering av informationssäkerhet. Folktandvården klarar de flesta kraven som ställdes i standarderna. Däremot föreslås det i studien att fler utbildningsprogram ordnas för att öka medvetenheten kring informationssäkerhet. Dessa utbildningsprogram bör uppdateras regelbundet för att det fortsätter att vara i linje med organisatoriska policy och rutiner. Det rekommenderas även att organisationen utför informationsklassning fullt ut enligt den modellen som Folktandvården har. Dessutom rekommenderas att utveckla planeringen av kontinuitet för informationssäkerhet. Resultatet från enkätundersökningen visar att medarbetarna är medvetna om hur de hanterar informationssäkerhetsincidenter och upplever att systemen är tillgängliga för de behöriga. Flera av de förslag som presenterades av denna studie har hörsammats och kommer att leda till vidare arbete inom Folktandvården. Organisationers personuppgifter bör skyddas genom att tillämpa regler enligt gällande författningar. En ansvarig person i organisationen bör ge vägledning till de anställda om sitt ansvar för hantering av personuppgifter. / Information today is a valuable resource for organizations which become more and more dependent on their information systems. Information subject to various threats and the need to be protected in order that organizations can effectively run their business. A systematic information security helps organizations to achieve and maintain a sufficient level of information security. The study aims to investigate how information is managed within organizations in general. A case study has been performed in Folktandvården (the Public Dental Service), Region Jönköping County to investigate how the organization handle information security. In addition, the study aims to evaluate awareness of information security among employees at the business and to present proposals on how to improve handling of personal data. Mixed techniques have been used to gather information. Literature studies in the field of information security has been implemented. The empirical data collected through a questionnaire, interviews and written questions sent by e-mail to managers in Folktandvården. This study uses the standards SS-ISO / IEC 27001:2014 and SS-ISO / IEC 27002:2014 to evaluate the information in Folktandvården, Region Jönköping County and to get a picture of how information is managed within organizations. Organizations can maintain the security of their information by implementing an information security management system (ISMS) that preserves the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information. Information security and ISMS application differs between organizations, which could be affected by the organization's needs and goals, size and structure. Case study results show that Folktandvården, Region Jönköping County implements an active management of information. The organization manages most of the specifications in the standards. However this study proposes to organize more training programs for information security awareness. These programs should be updated regularly in order to continue to be in line with organizational policies and procedures. It is recommended that the organization performs information classification fully in accordance with the model it has. Additionally, it is recommended to develop the planning of continuity for information. The results from the questionnaire show that the employees are aware of how they handle information security incidents and they think that the systems are available for authorized access. Several of the proposals presented by this study have been heeded and will lead to further work in Folktandvården. Organizations' personal information should be protected by applying the rules in accordance with applicable regulations. A responsible person in the organization should provide guidance to employees about their responsibility for the handling of personal data.