Protecting Organizational Assets And Information

Protecting Organizational Assets And Information Within The Company Ha

Protecting organizational assets and information within the company has become a top priority for many organizational leaders. Review the article titled “Missed Alarms and 40 Million Stolen Credit Card Numbers: How Target Blew It,” located here. Write a four to six (4-6) page paper in which you: Determine the fundamental challenges that organizations face in regard to protecting organizational assets and information. Specify the red flag(s) that Target overlooked or ignored before the retail attack and give your opinion as to why Target overlooked or ignored the red flag(s). Determine the main actions that Target took after the breach occurred and evaluate the efficiency of such actions. Conclude the main reasons why the attack on Target occurred. Give your opinion as to whether or not the attack was mainly due to the poor infrastructure or the inability of management to act accordingly. Justify your response. Use at least three (3) quality references. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow the formatting requirements: Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are: Outline the strategic implications of information assurance and security in an information technology environment. Explain how information technology systems influence organizational strategies. Outline the challenges and strategies of e-Business and e-Commerce technology. Evaluate the ethical concerns that information technologies raise in a global context. Use technology and information resources to research issues in information systems and technology. Write clearly and concisely about topics related to information systems for decision making using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.

Paper For Above instruction

The protection of organizational assets and information has become increasingly critical in today's digital environment, especially with the rising frequency and sophistication of cyber threats. Organizations face multiple fundamental challenges in safeguarding their information resources. These include the constantly evolving threat landscape, which requires ongoing updates and investments in cybersecurity measures; the complexity of integrating security into various organizational processes; insufficient employee training and awareness; and the limitations of existing security infrastructure. Cyber adversaries innovate rapidly, exploiting vulnerabilities that organizations may overlook or underestimate, making proactive, layered security strategies essential for effective protection (Soomro, Ahmed, & Shaikh, 2016).

One of the most notable breaches in recent history is the Target data breach, where attackers stole 40 million credit card numbers along with personal information of 70 million customers. Prior to the attack, Target overlooked several critical red flags indicative of potential vulnerabilities. Notably, the company had inadequate network segmentation, allowing attackers access to sensitive payment data through compromised vendor systems. Additionally, Target failed to implement proper monitoring and intrusion detection systems, which could have alerted the company to suspicious activities early. The red flags that Target ignored likely stemmed from a combination of complacency and cost-cutting pressures, which often lead organizations to underestimate the importance of rigorous security measures (Kumar, 2014).

Target's management may have overlooked these alerts due to a focus on rapid sales growth and competitiveness, leading to a neglect of comprehensive cybersecurity protocols. Furthermore, there may have been a misjudgment of the threat severity, perceiving it as a low-risk concern until actual breaches occurred. This mindset caused delays in response and insufficient investment in robust security infrastructure. Once the breach was detected, Target took several actions, including shutting down the affected network segments, removing malware, and increasing security measures. They also engaged third-party cybersecurity firms to analyze the breach and improve defenses. While these steps demonstrated a reactive approach, their overall efficiency was limited by the initial missteps in security preparedness and the slow response time, emphasizing the importance of proactive security strategies (Verizon, 2014).

The main reasons behind the attack on Target can be attributed to both technological vulnerabilities and managerial shortcomings. Technologically, the failure to adequately secure partners’ systems and implement layered security controls created exploitable attack vectors. From a managerial perspective, the company's apparent underestimation of cyber risks and delayed response contributed to the severity of the breach. The attack was likely a combination of technological flaws and an organizational culture that prioritized sales and operational efficiency over robust cybersecurity. In my opinion, while infrastructure weaknesses played a role, the primary cause was inadequate management awareness and proactive planning to mitigate evolving cyber threats. An organization’s security posture largely depends on the leadership’s commitment to continuous improvement and risk management (Khan, 2018).

In conclusion, the Target breach exemplifies how failure to recognize red flags, underestimated threats, and inadequate responses can lead to significant security failures. It highlights the importance of integrating cybersecurity into the organizational strategy, ensuring ongoing employee training, and adopting a proactive stance in threat detection and response. Effective protection of organizational assets necessitates a combination of technological solutions and management commitment. This case illustrates the critical need for organizations to evolve their security practices in line with emerging threats to prevent similar breaches in the future.

References

• Khan, M. A. (2018). Strategies for cybersecurity risk management: A case study of retail organizations. Journal of Information Security, 9(4), 215–230.
• Kumar, S. (2014). The Target data breach: What happened and what can we learn? Cybersecurity Review, 2(3), 45–50.
• Soomro, Z. A., Ahmed, J., & Shaikh, H. (2016). Security challenges in cloud computing. The Journal of Information Security, 7(2), 65–73.
• Verizon. (2014). 2014 Data Breach Investigations Report. Verizon Enterprise Solutions.