Information security risk is the probability of a negative event that will cause damage to an organization or individual. In relation to the field of information security (IS), the following consequences are distinguished:
- Leakage of confidential data in the organization
- External attacks on the company’s information systems
- Actions of unreliable employees (human factor)
- Access to potentially dangerous objects on the external network
- Obtaining information using technical means
- Malware (Trojans, backdoors, blockers, encoders, etc.)
- The use of unlicensed software solutions, often containing undeclared features
Information security audit
Data leakage in most cases is associated with employees’ misunderstanding of the possible consequences of violating the rules of information security. Example: sending commercial information through an unsecured communication channel.
Network attacks are usually carried out for the purpose of stealing trade secrets, spying on competitors, disabling resources critical to the victim, etc.
The human factor includes not only employee mistakes, but also deliberate actions that lead to the dissemination of confidential information.
Dangerous objects include sites containing phishing scripts, malicious software or other means that violate the information security of an individual or legal entity. For example, an employee logged into a web resource created by scammers and left authentication data that will later be used for blackmail.
One of the most dangerous types of virus software is cryptographers. For example, they can encrypt all important business data on employees’ computers. Attackers usually demand a ransom for decryption. Not all antivirus products are able to detect an encryptor and even more so decrypt infected files.
Information security incidents can severely damage the budget and reputation of a company, up to bankruptcy. In order to minimize the likelihood of incidents, a set of preventive measures aimed at reducing risks is carried out — an information security audit.
An audit involves analyzing the current situation in the company and identifying vulnerabilities in the IT infrastructure. The concept of information security of the facility is being developed. It includes regulatory documents, information security policy, and risk prioritization. Organizational and technical means are used to increase the level of information security.