Cybersecurity is currently an important and relevant issue, as more and more industries are taking advantage of the accessibility of storing information online. To create a secure system one must know the potential risks and attacks on that system, making risk analysis a very potent tool. In this study, we performed such an analysis using the risk analysis method OCTAVE Allegro on a company providing a cloud-based service to find out what risks a cloud service provider might be exposed to, and the usefulness of said risk analysis method in this circumstance. We found that OCTAVE Allegro is suitable to use on smaller companies and applicable to cloud services, and the most severe risks identified were connected to leakage of client data with a consequence of damaging the company's reputation. Common areas of concern for these risks were third parties hacking the cloud server or other company systems to gain access to sensitive information. Such risks will likely be found at any company providing a cloud service that manages sensitive data, increasing the importance of risk analysis at these companies.

An information system (IS) risk assessment is an important part of any successful security management strategy. Risk assessments help organizations to identify mission-critical IS assets and prioritize risk mitigation efforts. Many risk assessment methodologies, however, are complex and can only be completed successfully by highly qualified and experienced security experts. Small-sized organizations, including small-sized colleges and universities, due to their financial constraints and lack of IS security expertise, are challenged to conduct a risk assessment. Therefore, most small-sized colleges and universities do not perform IS risk assessments, which leaves the institution's data vulnerable to security incursions. The negative consequences of a security breach at these institutions can include a decline in the institution's reputation, loss of financial revenue, and exposure to lawsuits. The goal of this research is to address the challenge of conducting IS risk assessments in small-sized colleges and universities by validating the use of the Operationally Critical Threat, Asset, and Vulnerability Evaluation (OCTAVE) Allegro risk assessment methodology at a small-sized university. OCTAVE Allegro is a streamlined risk assessment method created by Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute. OCTAVE Allegro has the ability to provide robust risk assessment results, with a relatively small investment in time and resources, even for those organizations that do not have extensive risk management expertise. The successful use of OCTAVE Allegro was validated using a case study that documented the process and outcome of conducting a risk assessment at George Fox University (GFU), a small-sized, private university located in Newberg, Oregon. GFU has the typical constraints of other small-sized universities; it has a relatively small information technology staff with limited expertise in conducting IS risk assessments and lacks a dedicated IS risk manager. Nevertheless, OCTAVE Allegro was relatively easy for GFU staff to understand, provided GFU with the ability to document the security requirements of their IS assets, helped to identify and evaluate IS security concerns, and provided an objective way to prioritize IS security projects. Thus, this research validates that OCTAVE Allegro is an appropriate and effective IS risk assessment method for small-sized colleges and universities.

Our society is dependent on information and the different technologies and artifacts that gives us access to it. However, the technologies we have come to depend on in different aspects of our lives are imperfect and during the past decade, these imperfections have been the target of identity thieves, cyber criminals and malicious persons within and outside the organization. These malicious persons often target networks of organizations such as hospitals, banks and other financial organizations. Access to these networks are often gained by sidestepping security mechanisms of computer-systems connected to the organization’s network. Often, the goal of computer-systems security mechanisms is to prevent or detect threats; or recover from an eventual attack. However, despite huge investments in IT-security infrastructure and Information security, over 95% of banks, hospitals and government agencies have at least 10 malicious infections bypass existing security mechanisms and enter their network without being detected. This has resulted in the loss of valuable information and substantial sums of money from banks and other organizations across the globe. From early research in this area, it has been discovered that the reason why security mechanisms fail is because it is often used incorrectly or not used at all.  Specifically, most users find the security mechanisms on their computers too complicated and they would rather not use it. Therefore, previous research have focused on making computer-systems security usable or simplifying security technology so that they are “less complicated” for all types users, instead of designing computers that are both usable and secure. The problem with this traditional approach is that security is treated as an “add-on” to a finished computer-system design. This study is an attempt to change the traditional approach by adjusting two phases of a computer-system design model to incorporate the collection of usability as well as security requirements. Guided by the exploratory case study research design, I gained new insights into a situation that has shocked security specialists and organizational actors alike. This study resulted in the creation of a methodology for designing usable and secure computer-systems. Although this method is in its rudimentary stage, it was tested using an online questionnaire. Data from the literature study was sorted using a synthesis matrix; and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Some prominent design and security models and methodologies discussed in this report include User-Centered System Design (UCSD), Appropriate and Effective Guidance for Information Security (AEGIS) and Octave Allegro. / Vårt samhälle är beroende av information och olika tekniker och artefakter som ger oss tillgång till den. Men tekniken vi förlitar oss på i olika aspekter av våra liv är ofullkomliga och under det senaste decenniet, har dessa brister varit föremål för identitetstjuvar, cyberbrottslingar och illvilliga personer inom och utanför organisationen. Dessa illvilliga personer riktar ofta sig till nätverk av organisationer såsom sjukhus, banker och andra finansiella organisationer. Tillgång till dessa nätverk uppnås genom att kringgå säkerhetsmekanismer av datorsystem anslutna till organisationens nätverk.   Målet med datorsystemsäkerhet är att förhindra eller upptäcka hot; eller återhämta sig från eventuella attacker. Trots stora investeringar i IT-säkerhet infrastruktur och informationssäkerhet, över 95 % av banker, sjukhus och myndigheter har minst 10 skadliga infektioner kringgå befintliga säkerhetsmekanismer och träda in i sitt nätverk utan att upptäckas. Detta har lett till förlust av värdefulla informationer och stora summor av pengar från banker och andra organisationer över hela världen. Från tidigare forskning inom detta område, har det visat sig att anledningen till att säkerhetsmekanismer misslyckas beror ofta på att den används på ett felaktigt sätt eller används inte alls. I synnerhet menar de flesta användare att säkerhetsmekanismer på sina datorer är alltför komplicerat. Därför har tidigare forskning fokuserat på att göra datorsystemsäkerhet användbar så att den är "mindre komplicerat" för alla typer av användare, i stället för att designa datorer som både är användbara och säkra. Problemet med detta traditionella synsätt är att säkerheten behandlas som ett "tillägg" till en färdig datorsystemdesign.   Denna studie är ett försök att ändra det traditionella synsättet genom att justera två faser av en datorsystemdesign modell för att integrera insamlingen av användbarhets- samt säkerhetskrav. Styrd av den explorativ fallstudie forskningsdesignen, fick jag nya insikter i en situation som har gäckat säkerhetsspecialister och organisatoriska aktörer. Denna studie resulterade i skapande av en designmetodik för användbara och säkra datorsystem. Även om denna metod är ännu i sin rudimentära fas, testades den med hjälp av en webbenkät. Data från litteraturstudien sorterades med hjälp av en syntesmatris; och analyserades med kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Några framstående design- och säkerhetsmodeller samt metoder som diskuterades i denna uppsats inkludera Användarcentrerad System Design (UCSD), Ändamålsenligt och Effektivt Vägledning för Informationssäkerhet (AEGIS) och Octave Allegro.