Secutiry issues in information technology

Information systems are most vulnerable to attack by intruders, hackers, fraudsters, etc. In recent years, systems have become more susceptible to these threats because computers have become more interconnected and, thus, more interdependent and accessible to a larger number of individuals as brought out by some case studies. In addition, the number of individuals with computer skills is increasing, and intrusion, or “hacking,” techniques are becoming more widely known via the Internet and other media. Numerous government reports published over the last few years indicate that governmental automated operations and electronic data are inadequately protected against these risks. These reports show that poor security programme management is one of the major underlying problems. A principal challenge many agencies face is in identifying and ranking the information security risks to their operations, which is the first step in developing and managing an effective security programme. Taking this step helps ensure that organizations identify the most significant risks and determine the most appropriate actions to mitigate them. The paper reviews information on the recent happenings involving risks in information technology and suggests methods of preventing such heinous cyber crimes. This article presents a general overview of issues relating to information security.