Information Warfare

Government Information Quarterly, 2009

Information protection is of paramount importance in today's world. From information involving the highest level of government administration and national security, to information existing at the level of the private company in the form of trade secrets or personal data, all are under the constant threat of being compromised. In this study, the researchers attempt to evaluate the information security maturity level and provide clear thoughtful analysis of the information security landscapes of the Malaysian Public Service (MPS) organizations. This study uses convenience sampling and the required data collected from 970 targeted individuals through a self-administrated survey. In addition, a survey questionnaire is utilized to gauge the security landscape and to further understand the occurrence of incidents, the sources of attack, and the types of technical safeguard. Findings revealed that the highest security incidents experienced by the MPS were spamming (42%), followed by attacks of malicious codes (41%). Twenty-five percent of incidents originated from within the organizations, 15% originated from outside, and 11% were from a mixture of internal and external sources. Also, it shows that 49% of incidents were from sources unknown to the respondents. The top most deployed safeguards by the MPS were found to be firewalls (95%), followed by anti-virus software (92%), and access control to information system (89%). Findings on the maturity level show that 61% of respondents are at Level 3, followed by 21% at Level 2 where the information security processes are still considered an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) domain. At the higher end of the continuum lies 13% for Level 4 and 1% at Level 5.

Modern corporations depend heavily on information and communication technologies and are becoming increasingly interconnected locally and internationally. This interconnectedness and dependency on information technology make corporations vulnerable to cyber attacks. Corporate managers therefore need to understand the growing cyber war threats and implement appropriate strategies to mitigate the risks. This research work is an attempt to develop a generic and detailed strategy to assist corporations in managing the cyber war security. The implementation of such a strategy will definitely lead to a more secure business environment and as a result will attract foreign investments to the Arab countries in the Middle East. Such a strategy can be considered as a first step toward protecting corporations from cyber war threats in an effective manner.

The Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) promotes the U.S. economy and public welfare by providing technical leadership for the nation's measurement and standards infrastructure. ITL develops tests, test methods, reference data, proof of concept implementations, and technical analysis to advance the development and productive use of information technology. ITL's responsibilities include the development of technical, physical, administrative, and management standards and guidelines for the cost-effective security and privacy of sensitive unclassified information in Federal computer systems. This Special Publication 800-series reports on ITL's research, guidance, and outreach efforts in computer security and its collaborative activities with industry, government, and academic organizations.

The Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) promotes the U.S. economy and public welfare by providing technical leadership for the nation's measurement and standards infrastructure. ITL develops tests, test methods, reference data, proof of concept implementations, and technical analysis to advance the development and productive use of information technology. ITL's responsibilities include the development of technical, physical, administrative, and management standards and guidelines for the cost-effective security and privacy of sensitive unclassified information in Federal computer systems. This Special Publication 800-series reports on ITL's research, guidance, and outreach efforts in computer security and its collaborative activities with industry, government, and academic organizations.

Journal of Systems and Information Technology, 2012