Information Security Strategy Development
Ensuring information security begins with designing the information security strategy that is an increasingly sophisticated role for security professionals. The information security strategy must be able to address the growing risks and threats (Conklin, Wm, and Alexander 31). However, the strategy can only be effective if it is tightly integrated within the business goals. If the organization can exploit the information security strategy successfully then it will ensure enhanced operational efficiency, lower cost, maximum benefit to technology investment, and better protection against information, business and users (Karanja, Erastus, and Mark 27). Within this essay, I will address a C-level function that is recommended for the top information security position, his role, how to delegate responsibilities and competencies. Also, I will discuss the impacts of digital forensics on the organization’s security as well as the duties of digital forensic personal.
The chief information security officer, (CISO), is recommended as the top C-level function at the top of the Information security position. The CISO’s primary role is to transform the complicated business matter into information security constraints that are more effective (Maynard, Mazino, and Atif 121). He is regarded as the problem solver and a leader who is involved in every section of the CIA triad, including integrity, confidentiality, and availability. The CISO is responsible for designing the information security program.
The CISO serves three key functions. The one is Technical operations where the CISO is regularly involved in performing penetration tests, web application security assessments, and vulnerability scans. He ensures that each hardware and software configurations comply with the regulatory and company standards. The second function is risk and compliance. The CISO concentrates on the way legal requirements are impacted by the information security and work to ensure compliance with the policies by the company. Thirdly, the CISO is involved in the liaison between various departments in the organization and the vendors (Conklin, Wm, and Alexander 29).
In addition to the above roles, the CISO performs other special functions. They are responsible for protecting, defending, shielding, and preventing. The CISO ensures thee every team member protects and prevents the appearance and reappearance of the incidents and threats to cybersecurity. Secondly, the CISO monitors to detect and hunts to ensure that all risk incidents are identified before they harm the business. Also, CISO responds recovers and sustains whenever there is a security incident (Conklin, Wm, and Alexander 30).
The CISO can delegate some of his responsibilities to the next level management, which is occupied by the Chief information officer, (CIO). The CIO is senior executive tasked with ensuring computer systems and the information technology keeps with the objectives of an organization. In addition to the delegation, the CISO needs to possess several competencies to effectively execute his roles. He should be vast in policy formulating IT policy frameworks that the company adopts to enhance information security. The CISO should have IT security training and awareness. He should be able to be aware of the awareness and strategies that are fundamental in raising employee awareness regarding vital data protection. Also, he should be well vast to train individuals on different data protection approaches to raise their abilities, aptitudes, and insight. Competency in incident management is essential for this position. The CISO should be knowledgeable of the IT framework to notice, prepare, contain, decimate, avert, and recover whenever there is a security incident. Besides, he should have the capacity for relating past incidents and learn from them to heighten the security of an organization.
The strategic security plan is needed for the information security strategy development. This strategic plan will position the company to mitigate, accept, transfer or avert information risk that is related to technologies, processes, and people. Also, the strategy established by the CISO will aid the organization to effectively protect integrity, availability and confidentiality of information. There are significant business benefits from an effective information security strategic plan which gives it a great competitive advantage. Part of these benefits include averting an adverse security incident, compliance with the industry standards, sustaining the business reputation and enhancing commitment to the shareholders, suppliers, customers, and partners.
The information security strategic plan should include definitions of integrated and consistent methodologies for development, design and implementation (Conklin, Wm, and Alexander 38). It should include strategies to detect and resolve security issues and minimize on time to delivery from solution concept via implementation. Besides, the strategic plan defines the actual path towards the achievement of tasks and initiatives. These components would enable the CISO to effectively utilize the strategic plan to manage risks, understand its purpose, visualize where the plan leads, and execution as well as prioritization of critical tasks (Karanja, Erastus, and Mark 43).
Digital forensics functions
Digital forensics is concerned identification, collection, analysis, and reporting of valuable digital data or information in the digital devices that relate to the computer crimes to inform the investigation process (Cosic et al. 127). The digital forensics functions augment the general security operations in an organization in different ways. Digital investigations are usually employed t gain, approve, and investigate the digital data to establish the occasion they are linked to that particular security occurrence. The digital criminological experts employ forensics to recover the information such as messages, records, and pictures from digital devices including the hard drives, flash drives, and zip drives which has been deleted, manipulated or damaged. Digital forensics, through the use of digital forensic techniques and tools, can recover the most crucial data in the investigation of and data security breach. However, it is employed only in investigations that are meant for law or legal enforcement issues and the evidence solicited is often presented in court. Additionally, it gives satisfactory workspaces which often takes into account thermal, acoustic, electrical, and security concerns as well as security prerequisites of personnel and equipment to offer satisfactory administrative territories and report writing. Lastly, digital forensics offer audit information to the relevant law enforcers to integrate corporate security components ((Dezfoli et al., 66).
Operations duties of digital forensic personnel
Computer forensic personnel utilize forensic tools as well as other investigative methods to identify certain electronic data such as internet use history, documents and other files. They employ technical skills in hunt for information and files that have been erased, hidden or lost and thus aiding detectives to evaluate and analyze data to establish its relevance to the case under investigation. This particular function is performed by the aid of various digital forensic tools including Volatility Framework, SANS SIFT, Xplico, CAINE, X-Ways Forensics, The Sleuth Kit, and ProDiscover Forensic among others (Cosic, Jasmin, et al. 128). Using tools such as custom scripts and Splunk, forensic analysis can search and put together large amounts of log data. They dice and slice network traffic by employing different valuable tools to extract valuable information out of a valuable location of the network-related digital evidence. Also, the forensic analysts convert the evidence into an easily understood format to be used in the legal process, and they often give testimonies in the court.
Technical resources for digital forensics professionals
There is a wider range of resources available and assets for the digital forensic analysts available online. Part of these resources is the acquisition tools that are utilized by the analysts to review audit examination. This particular role is essential or any criminological investigator for accumulation and safeguarding the digital evidence. The commonly used acquisition resources are NTI’s SafeBack ((Dezfoli et al., 52). The next category of resources is the analysis tools that are employed in the analysis of accumulated information and figure out the part the comprises a real proof. Most often, the expert uses the digital proof for vital hints using analysis tools. File recovery resources are another category of tools are crucial for tracing already erased or hidden resources. The erased data can then be used to investigate the security breach within the organization (Cosic, Jasmin, et al. 128).
In conclusion, information security development strategy is a complex undertaking that demands more investment in the personnel as well as technical tools and resources to prevent and avert risks. The CISO is the top-level executive who ensures the company information and data is secure. A well-designed information security strategic plan must be developed to guide the identification, reporting, and response to issues that concern information security in an organization. Lastly, the information security strategies laid down by the CISO can be complemented by data forensics who aid in the investigations by identifying and recovering of lost, hidden, and deleted information crucial for responding to a security incident.
Works cited
Conklin, Wm Arthur, and Alexander McLeod. “Introducing the information technology security essential body of knowledge framework.” Journal of Information Privacy and Security 5.2 (2009): 27-41.
Karanja, Erastus, and Mark A. Rosso. “The chief information security officer: An exploratory study.” Journal of International Technology and Information Management 26.2 (2017): 23-47.
Cosic, Jasmin, et al. “Chain of custody and life cycle of digital evidence.” Computer Technology and Applications 3 (2012): 126-129.
Dezfoli, Farhood Norouzizadeh, et al. “Digital forensic trends and future.” International Journal of Cyber-Security and Digital Forensics 2.2 (2013): 48-77.
Maynard, Sean B., Mazino Onibere, and Atif Ahmad. “Defining the Strategic Role of the Chief Information Security Officer.” Pacific Asia Journal of the Association for Information Systems 10.3 (2018).