IT Security As It Relates To Methods Of Communications Channels Chosen
10-29-2017
Communications
Channels, and the
Contemporary Intl
Businesses:
Risks, Vulnerabilities, and Security
Potentials-
What may be possible?
Unit 3 Assignment 1:
MS Degree Capella University:
Miss. Bayo Elizabeth
Cary, AA, BA, MLIS
Professor: Susan
Ferebee
1215 N.W. 4th Street
Gainesville, FL 32601
Email: bayo_caryg1@yahoo.com
10-29-2017
Unit 3 Assignment 1 and Directions, Followed By: Outlined
Response: Due: 10-29-2017
Response From: Miss. Bayo Elizabeth Cary, AA,
BA, MLIS
- Scenario: Your company has experienced a major breach in Internet security. Your CSO has contacted the IAS department to develop a series of IAS security communications that acknowledges the problem, lists the potential impacts, and reminds every one of the policies and procedures for IAS and Internet usage.
For this assignment, you will develop a network security
communication strategy using various message-types. Utilizing the readings in
Chapter 5 (Guffey & Loewy), you will develop a 2–4 page summary of the
following types of communications:
Body of Research Paper:
·
E-mail
for leadership and employees;
·
Text
message for employees;
·
Podcast
information;
·
Blog
creation and content;
·
Social
media tool.
For each type of
communication, you will include:
·
Problems (Unauthorized access by hackers);
·
Types
of vulnerabilities, including risks that exist within the type of communication;
·
Current
IAS policies on unauthorized use of Internet and social media platforms;
·
Describe
the company's access control and Internet policies and procedures;
·
Conclusion.
References
·
Include at least 2
academic and 2 non-academic sources to support your assignment:
Unit 3 Assignment 1: Research Paper:
Communications Channels
and Persisting Security Vulnerabilities
Body of Research Paper:
Introduction:
Remember that
nothing posted online is truly hidden, secure or private--and that doesn't
pertain only to the Internet; information from apps, smartphones and tablets
can also be accessed. Take extra steps to keep financial information,
passwords, e-mail addresses and other personal information secure.
(Don’t Be a Hack, 2016)
Based on the serious nature, of an information breach, for an IT
company-I think, more than the basic written communications channels are
necessary, to address, and to remedy the situation. Various communications
channels, have vulnerabilities, related to clearly imparting the full message,
with no misunderstandings, or room for guessing. Guffey (n.d.), in her text:
Business Communications the 10th Ed., provides a list of various
communications methods, based on the: “Richness or Leaness,” of a message (p.
44).
According to
Guffey (n.d), a “Rich” communications channel, provides the intended
audience-with the complete message, without losing any of the required, and
vital information (p. 44). The Guffey (n.d.) “Rich,” to “Lean,” communications
channel scale-from: “Rich,” to “Lean” (p. 44):
1. Face-to-Face
Communications;
2. Telephone;
3. Video
Chat;
4. Email;
5. IM;
6. Letters;
7. Memo;
8. Blog;
9. Report;
10. Wiki. (Guffey, n.d., p. 44)
·
E-mail
for Leadership and Employees& Problems with Unauthorized Hackers and Other
Vulnerabilities and Risks:
Email
communications, are presently considered, and advantageous and reliable way, to
communicate quickly, and effectively, in an inner office environment:
§ Efficient;
§ Portable;
§ Permanent and Retrievable;
§ Monitored
for Appropriate
Content and Viruses/Worms.
(Ackmann, Email, Slide 5)
There are specific guidelines, for the use of
professional email communications, in the workplace. The notification, of an
inner office crisis-such as a: security breach, is a sensitive matter, that
must be addressed formally-formatting and message:
§ Subject line:
Summarize the main idea in condensed form;
§ Opening:
Reveal the main idea immediately but in expanded form;
§ Body: Explain and justify the main idea using headings, bulleted
lists, and other high-skim techniques
when appropriate;
§ Closing: Include (a) action information, dates, or
deadlines; (b) a summary of the message; or (c) a closing thought. (Guffey,
n.d., p. 120)
Following formal rules, and etiquette-helps to
shape the easy to read format, and appropriate inner office communications,
that will both: effectively share information, and protect against liabilities,
and unwanted litigations. Email communications, are regulated by several
agencies, in the US, to support US laws and regulations, and to combat the
spread, of unwanted: viruses, worms, and other cyber security risks:
·
NSA
·
FERPA
·
HIPAA
·
FTC
·
SEC
·
OSHA (Ackmann, Email, Slide 20).
Monitoring online email communications, is just
the beginning-when it comes to protecting vulnerable data stored, on office
computers and servers. Email accounts can be hacked. Employees should be
reminded, to keep passwords private, to use passwords that are difficult to
discover, and, to change their passwords, on a regular basis.
·
Text
Message for Employees& Problems with Unauthorized Hackers and Other
Vulnerabilities:
Text messaging and IM communications, in an inner office setting, are
generally less formal than an office email, or memo, and are utilized for
quick, real-time communications-to deliver information, as fast as possible. There
are a number, of popular, and frequently used, inner-office Text, and IM Apps
and programs-that, are currently being exploited, in the US, for example:
|
Popular Text/and IM Apps.:
|
Popular Text/and IM Programs:
|
|
·
Cloud
Collaboration;
·
Software
as Service Applications;
·
Freemium
Enterprises Networking Services;
·
Twitter
for the Office. (Ackmann, Social Networks, Slide 2)
|
·
Slack;
·
Yammer;
·
Unison;
·
Skype
(For Business);
·
High;
·
Desk
Away. (Ackmann, Social Networks, Slide 3)
|
Although, text messaging and IM, are less
formal way, of communicating-in a professional environment, there are still etiquette
guidelines-that must be followed, for: safe, and appropriate
communications-between professional co-workers. The most readily used IM apps,
free, and available as downloads from: Google Play Store, are as follows:
·
Skype;
·
Facebook Messenger;
·
WhatsApp;
·
Hangouts. (Guffey, n.d., p. 120)
Text messaging and IM, have changed the face,
of the modern Intl business market, with fast interactivity, and immediate
response. There are, however, risks and vulnerabilities, associated with all
communications channels, and Text messaging and IM-are no exception. “IT directors worried
about security risks posed by free consumer IM services, with loss of sensitive
business data a primary concern” (Guffey, n.d., p. 120). IT companies, will
always have to worry, about serious breach problems, that could cause-massive
information loss, and exposure, from:
·
Phishing (fraudulent schemes);
·
Viruses;
·
Malware, and;
·
Spim. (Guffey, n.d., p. 120)
·
Podcast
Information& Problems with Unauthorized Hackers and Other Vulnerabilities:
Podcasts, are easy to create, and even easier to protect, with
a: creative commons copyright tool-which are available online, to protect your
original creation, for the work place, or for your own personal enjoyment (Creative Commons, n.d.). There
do not seem to be, any major security risks, with Podcasts. As-long-as you
copyright your work-you are legally endowed with required accurate attribution,
for your work. The Podcast, is not an on-going conversation, like an: email, or
Text messaging, and an IM-it is a finished and final product.
Podcasts, are most readily used, in the
contemporary business environment, as instructional videos, for training
employees. Podcasts can be used, on a variety of electronic devices, for quick
fast access, and stored or later, as a series of downloads-for an employee to
watch later, when they have more free time. Podcasts can be: funny,
interesting, entertaining, and at the same time educational-without losing a
professional edge. Major media, in the US: ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, etc. and
Internationally: BBC, France 24/7, etc., take advantage-and back-log
programming, as podcast files, that can be accessed as archived news, on
YouTube, Vimeo, etc (Guffey, n.d., 120):
·
TED (Technology, Education, and Design)
·
Apple’s iTunes;
·
NPR (National Public Radio). (Guffey, n.d., p. 120)
·
Blog
Creation and Content& Problems with Unauthorized Hackers and Other
Vulnerabilities:
US
businesses use Bloggs, to advertise the benefits of their products, and to
market, their philanthropic contributions. Bloggs, are a vital portion, of how
major International businesses, project a: clean, positive, working image, to
the rest of the world. Bloggs, can also be used at a company-internally, for
posting long messages, reports, or summary findings-regarding various aspects
of the businesses, progression, through: inspections, accreditations,
International expansions, Outsourcing processes, etc.:
§ Public
Relations;
§ Customer
Relations;
§ Crisis
Communication;
§ Market
Research;
§ Viral
marketing;
§ Internal
communication, and;
§ Recruiting, etc. (Guffey, n.d., p. 120)
A Blog, requires the maintenance, by an
author, or by a series of authors-who are well educated-not just in the English
language-for America, also in what capabilities, and features, a Blog can be
activated, to perform. In other words, actively managing a successful Blog, for
a multinational corporation, requires formal education, training, and practice.
There is room, to respond, to most Bloggs posted online.
The response, in an office setting, will
differ a great deal-from what is said, by someone outside the company, who is
reading what is posted. I think the biggest security risk, for a Blog, is related
to the nature, of what is being discussed-when people are easily offended, the
negative feedback, from the general audience, can be scary, and offensive. A
business, has-to-be concerned, about the public image, that is being projected.
To maintain a strong bottom line, and to attack and retain investors, a
business should try to evoke, a positive response, from a: general-public.
·
Social
Media Tools Online& Problems with Unauthorized Hackers and Other
Vulnerabilities:
Social media, and online communications, are vulnerable to
hackers. Firewall, and encryption technologies are improved, and then-there is
another serious information breach, and software protecting IT information,
must be improved, and upgraded on computer hardware systems again. It is
important to know, that: “privacy,” is a theory, and a concept to be:
appreciated, reflected upon, worked towards, and respected-and not a reality.
Information shared online, will never be perfectly safe.
Hackers have the ability, to
work against the improvements, and advantages, added to the newest and most
advanced security software programs. Information is money, therefore, the US
government, is not the only country-that illegally tries, to: manipulate, own,
and control-the constant flow, of online information. While, IT companies, have
a legal obligation, to enact reasonable measures, to protect the data and IT
information, of: employees, customers, clients, and other professional business
contacts-nothing posted online, will ever be safe enough.
Companies, who choose to engage in online
social networking, knowing accept the risks, of associated with: hackers,
information loss, security breach, and other dangers inherent, with the use,
and participation, of online social networking services. Most International
companies, have decided, that the benefits, of logging online, to participate,
in social networking companies like:
|
Internal Online Social Networking:
|
External Online Social Networking:
|
|
·
Yammer;
·
Salesforce;
·
Chatter;
·
Jive;
·
Facebook
for Business;
·
Twitter
for Business. (Guffey, n.d., p. 120)
|
·
Facebook;
·
Twitter;
·
Linkdin;
·
Instagram;
·
YouTube;
·
Google+.
|
. . .outweighs, the risks-of any possible
vulnerabilities, that online social networking presents.
Possible Solutions:
·
Tools,
Techniques, and Methods-that can be Utilized, to Resolve Communications
Channels Issues Related To: Clarity, Reception, and Breach of Security-Hacker
Attacks-Cyber Security:
Many US companies, has
strict: Email, Online, Texting/IM policies, related to how much access, and
employee may have, for personal use, during the work day, and through official
work-related communications channels. A business, must be concerned, about
their, professional reputation. When personnel access the Internet, and: social
network, and email for personal reasons, from a place of employment-the
communications, are not ever private, and what is being said, could very
easily, mis-represent and embarrass the business-to such an extent, that it
could become, a legal liability. The following, is a list of: “safe practices,”
related to online communications:
·
Follow company policies:
netiquette rules, code of conduct, ethics guidelines, as well as harassment and
discrimination policies;
·
Don’t disclose sensitive
financial, company, customer, employee, or executive data;
·
Don’t forward or link to
inappropriate photos, videos, and art;
·
Don’t text or IM while
driving a car; pull over if you must read or send a message;
·
Separate business contacts
from family and friends;
·
Avoid unnecessary chitchat
and know when to say goodbye;
·
Keep your presence
status up-to-date, and make yourself unavailable when you need to meet a
deadline;
·
Use good grammar and
correct spelling;
·
Shun jargon, slang, and
abbreviations, which can be confusing and appear unprofessional. (Guffey, n.d.,
p. 120)
·
Current
IAS Policies on Unauthorized use of Internet and Social Media Platforms:
At present, there are
almost no rules, laws, or regulations, in the US-related to the Internet, and
data conservation. While, in theory, there are US government agencies,
concerned about serious security breaches, and the consequences thereof. In
reality-there is very little, that can be done, to: “Police,” the Internet-or
online activities. The information transfer online is vast. People jump on and
offline, from almost anywhere in the world, uploading, downloading, and
transferring information.
A computer’s Ping, can be refracted, to over a dozen different endpoint
servers. GPS trackers-are not always accurate. Professionals, who deal on the:
Intl “Black markets,” and who travel afar, to trade stolen information-become
specialized, in their trade, and in their thefts. The Business Communications
Text Book, by: Guffey (n.d.), provided a little support, and only a little
evidence, that the US government, intends to regulate traffic, on the Internet
(p. 120):
US Rules and Regulators/Regulations-Related
To: Texting and IM Communications Channels:
§ NASD
§ SEC
§ NYSE
Wall Street regulatory agencies NASD, SEC, and NYSE
require that IM exchanged between brokers and clients be retained for three
years, much like e-mail and printed documents. Businesses must track and
store messaging conversations to comply with legal requirements. Finally, IM
and texting have been implicated in inappropriate uses such as bullying and the
notorious sexting.
(Guffey, n.d., p. 120)
·
Describe
the Company's Access Control and Internet Policies and Procedures:
Access control, and
information flow policies, are based on encryption techniques, and the related
security measures, and theories. Any given IT company, and or Intl entity, must
choose, for themselves-which access controls, for management, and the
mitigation of: risks and vulnerabilities, are best suited, for their specific
needs-there is some choice. Data safety and security, begins with analyzing,
the security: software, and programming, that already exists, and testing-then,
re-testing, for weaknesses-IT vulnerabilities and risks, have to be
pro-actively, and defensively managed (Backes& Shunter, 2003, p. 67):
Numerous
frameworks for managing risks to information and technology resources abound,
ranging from:
1)
ISO-series on risk management
[ISO 31000, ISO 31010] and information security management [ISO 27000 series];
2)
COSO-The Committee of
Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission;
3)
CoBiT;
4)
NIST-standards for
risk management and information security, and others.
These
standards and frameworks share many similarities in that information risks must
be identified, assessed, and managed. (Patterson, et. al., 2014, p. 5:2)
According
to: Patterson, et. al. (2014)-there will always be risks, and vulnerabilities,
with the IT world, and the goal, is to manage the risk, by: controlling, and
mitigating vulnerabilities-a constant battle (p. 5:2). A company can choose, to
handle some of the risks themselves, by micro-managing: computer, software, and
server services-constant monitoring, to double-check, for any unusual
activities, that may indicate, a security breach. Many IT companies, choose, to
outsource, some of the responsibilities, associated, with protecting, and
securing confidential data, and, to purchase computer software, and
applications, that are automated-that scan, and search through large pools of
information-looking for any outliers (Patterson, et. al., 2014, p. 5:2).
Security systems, theories, and new
software programming, related to: preventing, reducing, and mitigating the
risks, of IT networking, and information preservation, are ever evolving. The
US NIST initially set standards, to cryptography languages, related to
encryption, and variations on coded computer languages, for protecting IT data,
within the US, such as, online: medical records, banking, Internet purchases,
etc. (NIST, 2014, p. 31):
1.
DES-Data Encryption
Standard;
2.
AES-Advanced
Encryption Standard;
3.
SHA-Secure Hash
Algorithm;
4.
RBAC-Roles Based
Access Control;
5.
Roles
Based Access Controls Evolve;
6.
SCAP-Security Content
Automation Protocol. (NIST, 2014, p. 31-37)
Computer
encryption languages-codes designed to protect America’s most sensitive
information, must: grow, change, evolve, and continue to face the challenges,
of an International market, and growing world, of IT business, and commerce.
The United States, maintains, a national database, of security risks and
vulnerabilities data: NVD (National Vulnerabilities Database, related to
permutations, of: software, and computer programming (NIST, 2014, p. 36) IT
professionals, are challenged, to access the files stored there, and to build
stronger, and more defensive encryption codes-to continue to protect America
Intl IT networks (NIST, 2014, p. 36).
·
Conclusion:
In conclusion, there are a
variety of communications tools, at the disposal, of any given business entity,
in the US. Communications channels, are important, because of constant needs,
for: reliability, validity, speed, responsiveness, professional presentation,
information and security risks, possible security breaches, company ethos and,
overall company reputation, etc. The communications channel that is chosen,
must be specific to the need, that is being met. The choice, of: how, when, and
what method of communications to utilize, needs to be, decided, on a
case-by-case basis. Critical thinking, is always required, for an IT working
environment.
There are no communication channels, that are perfectly private, and
there are no communications channels, that are perfect for every occasion.
There are there are security risks, vulnerabilities, and possibilities for
information loss, and breach of confidential data-any time, businesses chose to
communicate, through: electronic, and digital communications channels, based on
computer software, and or-the Internet. US companies, are required, to remain
updated, with the latest government regulations, regarding: storing, and
protecting-IT data, and other, personal, private, and confidential information.
References
Ackmann, Allen. (). Slide
Show: Interacting Via Email. Writing Rhetoric, and Discourse.
DePaul University. Slide 1-36. Retrieved from www.alanackmann.com
Ackmann, Alan. ().
Slide Show: Internal Social Networks. Writing Rhetoric, and Discourse.
DePaul University. Slide 1-17. Retrieved
from www.alanackmann.com
Backes, Michael&
Shunter, Matthias. (2003). From Absence from Certain Vulnerabilities
Towards Security Proofs: Pushing the Limits of
Formal Verification. IBM Zurich Research
Lab: New Security Paradigms Workshop. p. 67-74.
Burr, William, Hildegard,
Ferraiolo& Waltermire, David. (2014). NIST Contributions to IT:
NIST and Computer Security. US
National Institutes of Standards and Technology: IEEE
Computer Society. p. 31-37.
Retrieved from
Creative Commons.
(2016). Discover State of The Commons 2016. Creative Commons Online
Copyright Resources. Retrieved from https://creativecommons.org/
Don't Be A hack: Cybersecurity expert provides tips to
prevent social media hacking.
(2016, Feb 13). University Wire Retrieved from http://library.capella.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.library.capella.edu/docview/1764913906?accountid=27965
Guffey, Mary E. (n.d.) Essentials of Business Communication,
10th Edition. Cengage Learning, 20150101. VitalBook file. Retrieved from www.cengage.com
Patterson, Raymond A., Rolland, Erik, Ulmer, Jackie Rees& Yeo,
Lisa M. (2014). Risk Mitigation Decisions for IT Security. ACM Transactions on
Management Information Systems, 5, 1. p. 5:1-5:21.
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