10. IS Security

The subject of IS Security covers a broad spectrum of issues that cannot be covered comprehensively in a single chapter. However, no book on big data would be complete without recognition of the issues and some of the solutions. In practice, IS security is about balancing the business risks posed by a security failure and the cost of making a system secure. This chapter begins with risk assessment; what constitutes a security threat and what is the scale of those threats? We explore different aspects of hacking such as denial-of-service attacks, viruses, worms, Trojan Horses and the use of spyware. We also examine some of the counter-measures that are available to protect systems and data. In this chapter we also highlight the weakest link in the security ‘chain’; people… Uncontrolled access to server rooms, unattended workstations left logged-on, lap-tops stolen from cars or left on trains and confidential files transmitted over coffee-shop wireless networks etc. Finally, recent developments such as wiki-leaks and the revelations of Edward Snowden have brought the issues of data privacy, ethics and governance to the public’s attention. In this chapter we examine these issues and, more generally, the role of data protection and data protection legislation.