With most employees in Engineering Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) now having access to their own personal workstations, the need for information security management to safeguard against loss/alteration or theft of the firms’ important information has increased. These Engineering SMEs tend to be more concerned with vulnerabilities from external threats, although industry research suggests that a substantial proportion of security incidents originate from insiders within the firm. Hence, technical preventative measures such as antivirus software and firewalls are proving to solve only part of the problem as the employees controlling them lack adequate information security knowledge. This tends to expose a firm to risk and costly mistakes made by naïve/uninformed employees. This dissertation presents an information security awareness process that seeks to cultivate positive security behaviours using a behavioural intention model based on the Theory of Reasoned Action, Protection Motivation Theory and the Behaviourism Theory. The process and model have been refined and verified using expert review and tested through action research at an Engineering SME in South Africa. The main finding was information security levels of employees within the firm were low, but the proposed information security awareness process increased their knowledge thereby positively altering their behaviour.

This diploma thesis deals with a suggestions to improve the current state of education information and cyber security in the Czech Republic. These suggestions are from a comparison of education at the Brno University of Technology - Faculty of Business and Hallym University in South Korea. Another part is the analysis of trends in the field of cyber attacks and comparison of this area between the Czech Republic and South Korea.

This diploma thesis deals with methods of management of information security in the small company. The thesis is divided into two main parts. The first part of this thesis is focused on theoretical aspects of information security and contains description of standards ČSN ISO/IEC 27000:2006. The practical part of this work is about the project of implementation of the information security management system in the small company. The implementation is divided into three separate parts with the first part of implementation being described in detail.

Information security is an important focus area in our business climate, where cyberattacks pose a growing threat. To address the increasing threat landscape, it is crucial for companies to establish guidelines and regulations on how employees and companies should act to maintain information security. Therefore, many companies are working on implementing an Information Security Management System (ISMS), where information security policies (ISP) are considered the cornerstone. However, research has shown that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face specific obstacles and challenges when it comes to implementing and complying with an ISP. The purpose of this study is to provide recommendations for Swedish SMEs to achieve better implementation and compliance levels of ISPs. The empirical data for this study is based on data collected through semi-structured interviews with Swedish SMEs. The collected data was then analyzed using thematic analysis. The results of the empirical data indicate that a lack of competence is the primary issue for Swedish SMEs in their information security efforts. The study’s conclusions discuss the recommendations based on the collected empirical data and the reviewed literature. Among the recommendations, the authors emphasize the importance of education to increase information security awareness, as well as the importance of engagement from top management. The authors have chosen to limit the scope of the study to businesses in Sweden. Furthermore, no consideration has been given to industry-specific characteristics since the study’s respondents operate in diverse business sectors. / Informationssäkerhet är ett viktigt fokusområde inom dagens företagsklimat, där cyberattacker utgör ett växande hot. För att möta den ökande hotbilden lyfts värdet av att företag etablerar riktlinjer och bestämmelser över hur anställda och verksamheten ska agera för att bibehålla informationssäkerheten. Många företag jobbar därmed för att etablera ett ledningssystem för informationssäkerhet (LIS), där informationssäkerhetspolicyer (ISP) anses utgöra grundpelaren för ett LIS. Forskning pekar däremot på att små och medelstora företag (SMF) upplever särskilda hinder och utmaningar när det kommer till att implementera och efterleva en ISP. Studiens syfte är således att framföra rekommendationer för hur svenska SMF kan åstadkomma en bättre implementations- och efterlevnadsgrad av informationssäkerhetspolicyer.Studiens empiri bygger på datainsamling som erhållits från semistrukturerade intervjuer med svenska SMF. Insamlade data har sedan analyserats med hjälp av en tematisk analysmetod. Resultatet av empirin indikerar på att kompetensbristen är den primära faktorn som hindrar svenska SMF i sitt informationssäkerhetsarbete. Studiens slutsatser avhandlar rekommendationer utifrån insamlad empiri och granskad litteratur. Bland rekommendationerna ser studiens författare att utbildning i syfte att höja informationssäkerhetsmedvetenheten och engagemang från företagsledningen är av största vikt för att lyckas. Författarna har valt att begränsa studiens omfång till den svenska företagsmarknaden. Vidare har ingen hänsyn tagits till industrispecifika karaktärsdrag, då studiens respondenter verkar inom spridda sektorer.

Information security in the form of IT governance is part of corporate governance. Corporate governance requires that structures and processes are in place with appropriate checks and balances to enable directors to discharge their responsibilities. Accordingly, information security must be treated in the same way as all the other components of corporate governance. This includes making information security a core part of executive and board responsibilities. Critically, corporate governance requires proper checks and balances to be established in an organisation; consequently, these must be in place for all information security implementations. In order to achieve this, it is important to have the involvement of three key role players, namely information security professionals, ICT security auditors and regulatory officials (from now on these will be referred to collectively as the ‘role players’). These three role players must ensure that any information security controls implemented are properly checked and evaluated against the organisation’s strategic objectives and regulatory requirements. While maintaining their individual independence, the three role players must work together to achieve their individual goals with a view to, as a collective, contributing positively to the overall information security of an organisation. Working together requires that each role player must clearly understand its individual role, as well the role of the other players at different points in an information security programme. In a nutshell, the role players must be aligned such that their involvement will deliver maximum value to the organisation. This alignment must be based on a common framework which is understood and accepted by all three role players. This study proposes a South African Information Security Alignment (SAISA) framework to ensure the alignment of the role players in the implementation and evaluation of information security controls. The structure of the SAISA framework is based on that of the COBIT 4.1 (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technology). Hence, the SAISA framework comprises four domains, namely, Plan and Organise Information Security (PO-IS), Acquire and Implement Information Security (AI-IS), Deliver and Support Information Security (DS-IS) and Monitor and Evaluate Information Security (ME-IS). The SAISA framework brings together the three role players with a view to assisting them to understand their respective roles, as well as those of the other role players, as they implement and evaluate information security controls. The framework is intended to improve cooperation among the role players by ensuring that they view each other as partners in this process. Through the life cycle structure it adopts, the SAISA framework provides an effective and efficient tool for rolling out an information security programme in an organisation / Computer Science / M. Sc. (Computer Science)

With widespread of harmful attacks against enterprises' electronic services, information security readiness of these enterprises is becoming of increasing importance for establishing the required safe environment for such services. Various approaches are proposed to manage enterprise information security risks and to assess its information security readiness. These approaches are, however, not adequate to manage information security risks, as all required information security components of its structural and procedural dimensions have not considered. In addition, current assessment approaches lack numerical indicators in assessing enterprise information security readiness. Furthermore, there is no standard approach for analysing cost versus benefit in selecting recommended protection measures. This thesis aims at contributing to the knowledge by developing comprehensive Enterprise Information Security Risk Management (EISRM) framework that integrates typical approaches for information security risk management, and incorporates main components of key risk management methodologies. In addition, for supporting phases of the proposed EISRM framework, analytical models for enterprise information security readiness assessment and cost-benefit analysis are developed. The practical evaluation, using the proposed enterprise information security readiness assessment model has been performed depending on a developed investigation form that used to investigate nine enterprises inside Saudi Arabia. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the model in assessing and comparing enterprises information security readiness at all levels of the model, using numerical indicators and graphical representations. The EISRM framework and the analytical models presented in this research can be used by enterprises as single point of reference for assessing and cost effectively improving their information security readiness.

O cenário tecnológico é um fator importante a ser considerado ao se trabalhar com Sistemas de Gestão de Segurança da Informação (SGSI). No entanto, nos últimos anos esse cenário se alterou profundamente, aumentando em complexidade de maneira até antes não vista. Caracterizado principalmente por tendências tecnológicas como a terceirização de infraestrutura de TIC, a computação em nuvem e a mobilidade, o cenário externo atual gera grandes novos desafios de segurança. A abordagem típica para tratar com mudanças de cenário em SGSIs é uma revisão da análise de riscos e a implantação de novos controles de segurança. No entanto, frente a um cenário tão disruptivo, riscos podem passar despercebidos, devido à falta de conhecimento sobre os novos elementos introduzidos por esse cenário. Por causa disso, adaptações mais profundas, durante o próprio planejamento do SGSI, são necessárias. Usando a norma de segurança ISO/IEC 27001 como referência, esse trabalho introduz um modelo de suporte que permite a identificação dessas adaptações. Para construir esse modelo, foram inicialmente levantados os riscos referentes a cada uma das três tendências tecnológicas listadas. Esses riscos foram compilados e analisados em conjunto, buscando a identificação de temas de preocupação recorrentes entre eles. Para endereçar cada um dos temas dentro do modelo de suporte, foram levantadas adaptações do SGSI sugeridas na literatura e na prática de segurança. Essas adaptações foram transformadas em pontos de checagem a serem observados durante a execução das duas atividades principais da fase de Planejamento do SGSI da ISO/IEC 27001: definição de políticas de segurança e gestão de riscos. A contribuição principal do trabalho é um modelo de suporte de segurança com o qual as organizações podem adaptar o seu SGSI e assim melhor protegerem suas informações frente ao cenário tecnológico externo descrito. Como contribuição secundária está a sugestão de uma análise unificada com foco em segurança das tendências tecnológicas desse cenário. / The technological scenario is an important factor to be considered while working with Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). However, in the latter years this scenario has changed deeply, increasing in complexity in a way not seen so far. Characterized mainly by the heavy use of ITC infrastructure outsourcing, cloud computing and mobility, the current external scenario creates big new security challenges. The typical approach to handle changes of scenarios in ISMSs is a risk assessment review and deployment of new security controls. However, when considering such a disruptive scenario, some risks may go unnoticed, due to the lack of knowledge of the elements introduced by this scenario. Because of that, deeper adaptations are needed, during the actual ISMS planning. Using the ISO/IEC 27001 as a reference, this research introduces a framework for the identification of these adaptations. To build this framework, risks related to each of the three technological trends mentioned were identified. These risks were compiled and analyzed together, searching for recurring themes of concern among them. To address each of these themes in the framework, ISMS adaptations suggested in the security literature and practice were identified. These adaptations were transformed in checkpoints to be verified during the execution of the two main activities of the ISO/IEC 27001 ISMS Plan phase: security policies definition and risk management. The main contribution of this research is a framework which can help organizations adapt their ISMSs and better protect their information in the technological scenario described. As a secondary contribution is the proposal of a unified security analysis of the distinct security trends of the external scenario.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-04T18:36:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Claudete Aurora da Silva.pdf: 1031678 bytes, checksum: bdfa6d499e859240a0c9c4fd8e401725 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-02-18 / The information has been identified as the main source of power in organizations and therefore is necessary to be protected. For that NBR ISO/ IEC 27001 defines guidelines for implementation of a Management System of Information Security, dirty the objective is to safeguard the assets of the organization, ensuring continuity of business and provide confidence in stakeholders. This study aimed to characterize the theoretical and methodological aspects used in the processing of information can help in implementing a safety management system the necessary information. The methods used for this research was qualitative, based on a literature review to contribute to the theoretical foundation on the topic and readings of works for reasons of research. From the discussion of concepts, tried to explain how the management of information in view of information science can provide evidence to suggest the safety management system of information. As the main result is a conceptual model of information system that is effective to support the managers in the implementation process of SGSI. / A informa??o tem sido apontada como a principal fonte de poder nas organiza??es e, portanto faz necess?rio ser protegida. Para isso NBR ISO/ IEC 27001 define diretrizes para implementa??o de um Sistema de Gest?o de Seguran?a da Informa??o, sujo o objetivo ? salvaguardar os ativos da organiza??o, garantir a continuidade dos neg?cios e propiciar confian?as nas partes interessadas. O objetivo deste estudo foi caracterizar os aspectos te?rico-metodol?gicos utilizada no tratamento da informa??o pode ajudar na implementa??o de um sistema de gest?o de seguran?a da informa??o necess?ria. Os m?todos utilizados para essa pesquisa foram qualitativos, partindo-se de um levantamento bibliogr?fico visando contribuir com a fundamenta??o te?rica sobre o tema e leituras de obras para fundamenta??o da pesquisa. A partir da discuss?o dos conceitos, pretendeu-se explicitar como a gest?o da informa??o na perspectiva da ci?ncia da informa??o pode fornecer elementos para propor o sistema de gest?o de seguran?a da Informa??o. Como principal resultado ? um modelo conceitual de sistema de informa??o que seja eficaz ao apoiar os gestores no processo de implementa??o do SGSI.

O cenário tecnológico é um fator importante a ser considerado ao se trabalhar com Sistemas de Gestão de Segurança da Informação (SGSI). No entanto, nos últimos anos esse cenário se alterou profundamente, aumentando em complexidade de maneira até antes não vista. Caracterizado principalmente por tendências tecnológicas como a terceirização de infraestrutura de TIC, a computação em nuvem e a mobilidade, o cenário externo atual gera grandes novos desafios de segurança. A abordagem típica para tratar com mudanças de cenário em SGSIs é uma revisão da análise de riscos e a implantação de novos controles de segurança. No entanto, frente a um cenário tão disruptivo, riscos podem passar despercebidos, devido à falta de conhecimento sobre os novos elementos introduzidos por esse cenário. Por causa disso, adaptações mais profundas, durante o próprio planejamento do SGSI, são necessárias. Usando a norma de segurança ISO/IEC 27001 como referência, esse trabalho introduz um modelo de suporte que permite a identificação dessas adaptações. Para construir esse modelo, foram inicialmente levantados os riscos referentes a cada uma das três tendências tecnológicas listadas. Esses riscos foram compilados e analisados em conjunto, buscando a identificação de temas de preocupação recorrentes entre eles. Para endereçar cada um dos temas dentro do modelo de suporte, foram levantadas adaptações do SGSI sugeridas na literatura e na prática de segurança. Essas adaptações foram transformadas em pontos de checagem a serem observados durante a execução das duas atividades principais da fase de Planejamento do SGSI da ISO/IEC 27001: definição de políticas de segurança e gestão de riscos. A contribuição principal do trabalho é um modelo de suporte de segurança com o qual as organizações podem adaptar o seu SGSI e assim melhor protegerem suas informações frente ao cenário tecnológico externo descrito. Como contribuição secundária está a sugestão de uma análise unificada com foco em segurança das tendências tecnológicas desse cenário. / The technological scenario is an important factor to be considered while working with Information Security Management Systems (ISMS). However, in the latter years this scenario has changed deeply, increasing in complexity in a way not seen so far. Characterized mainly by the heavy use of ITC infrastructure outsourcing, cloud computing and mobility, the current external scenario creates big new security challenges. The typical approach to handle changes of scenarios in ISMSs is a risk assessment review and deployment of new security controls. However, when considering such a disruptive scenario, some risks may go unnoticed, due to the lack of knowledge of the elements introduced by this scenario. Because of that, deeper adaptations are needed, during the actual ISMS planning. Using the ISO/IEC 27001 as a reference, this research introduces a framework for the identification of these adaptations. To build this framework, risks related to each of the three technological trends mentioned were identified. These risks were compiled and analyzed together, searching for recurring themes of concern among them. To address each of these themes in the framework, ISMS adaptations suggested in the security literature and practice were identified. These adaptations were transformed in checkpoints to be verified during the execution of the two main activities of the ISO/IEC 27001 ISMS Plan phase: security policies definition and risk management. The main contribution of this research is a framework which can help organizations adapt their ISMSs and better protect their information in the technological scenario described. As a secondary contribution is the proposal of a unified security analysis of the distinct security trends of the external scenario.

Information is a significant asset to organizations, and a data breach from a cyberattack harms reputations and may result in a massive financial loss. Many senior managers lack the competencies to implement an enterprise risk management system and align organizational resources such as people, processes, and technology to prevent cyberattacks on enterprise assets. The purpose of this Delphi study was to explore how the managerial competencies for information security and risk management senior managers help in managing security objectives and practices to mitigate security risks. The National Institute of Standards and Technology framework served as the foundation for this study. The sample was made up of 12 information security practitioners, information security experts, and managers responsible for the enterprise information security management. Participants were from Fortune 500 companies in the United States. Selection was based on their level of experience and knowledge of the topic being studied. Data were collected using a 3 round Delphi study of 12 experts in information security and risk management. Statistical analysis was performed on the collected data during a 3 round Delphi study. The mean, standard deviation, majority agreement, and ranges were used to determine the final concensus for this research study. Findings of this study included the need for managerial support, risk management strategies, and developling the managerial and technical talent to mitigate and respond to cyberattacks. Findings may result in a positive social change by providing information that helps managers to reduce the number of data breaches from cyberattacks, which benefits companies, employees, and customers.