You Have Been Hired As The New Chief Information Security

Pageyou Have Been Hired As The New Chief Information Security Office

You have been hired as the new Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for PostCyberSolutions (PCS) LLC to overhaul the cyber security program. In addition to local PCS information systems, the CISO is responsible for ensuring the various program managers maintain security compliance for customer systems under PCS security cognizance. PCS holds several government contracts in various regulatory environments making CISO a challenging position. One of your first actions to improve the security program is to create a working group between the Information Technology, Engineering, and Security departments to foster better communication, address information system security challenges, and to work off action items.

During this week’s working group meeting, an informative debate breaks out regarding the three core principles of information security and which one is most important: confidentiality, integrity, or availability. The working group debate stemmed from discussions regarding security protections for PCS’s new contract to overhaul the early warning missile detection system for the Ministry of Defense in Istanbogus. Rank each of the three security principles in the order of importance for this system. Explain your rationale for each ranking to include any factors, criteria, and assumptions you made in selecting the order of precedence. Include at least one research reference and associated in-text citation using APA standards. In your replies to your peers discuss their ranking/rationale.

Paper For Above instruction

In evaluating the security priorities for the early warning missile detection system for the Ministry of Defense in Istanbogus, the fundamental principles of information security—confidentiality, integrity, and availability—must be carefully balanced and prioritized. Each principle plays a critical role in safeguarding sensitive defense systems; however, the specific context and security requirements of this project dictate the order of importance. This paper ranks these principles in the context of a missile detection system and provides justifications based on operational needs, security challenges, and risk assessments informed by relevant research.

1. Availability as the Most Critical Principle

The foremost priority for the missile detection system is availability. This system must be operational and accessible at all times, especially during critical periods when missile threats are imminent. Downtime or unavailability of the system could lead to catastrophic failures in early warning capabilities, potentially resulting in a lack of timely response to missile threats. According to Andrews (2017), in defense and military applications, the continuous availability of mission-critical systems is paramount because the consequences of failure—missed threats and compromised national security—are dire. Availability ensures that data is accessible to authorized personnel whenever needed, facilitating timely decision-making and action. Therefore, maintaining system uptime, resilience against cyber-attacks, and rapid recovery capabilities are fundamental to the system’s effectiveness.

2. Integrity as the Second Priority

Integrity is the second most important principle because it guarantees that the data and system functionalities are accurate, trustworthy, and unaltered. In missile defense systems, data integrity ensures that the information used to assess threats and directive outputs are correct, reliable, and consistent. False or manipulated data could lead to false alarms or, worse, missed threats if the system is compromised. Lee et al. (2019) emphasize that in military security systems, the integrity of sensor data and command responses is crucial to prevent adversaries from injecting false data or disrupting the system. Ensuring integrity involves implementing cryptographic measures, secure communication channels, and proper access controls to preserve the fidelity of information, which directly impacts operational decision-making.

3. Confidentiality as the Least Critical, but Still Important

While confidentiality is traditionally viewed as a core component of information security, it ranks third in this specific context. Protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access remains important; however, in a missile warning system, the primary concern is the system’s operational availability and integrity to prevent imminent threats. Unauthorized disclosure of system details is a concern but does not directly affect the system’s operational purpose during an active threat. According to Stallings (2018), confidentiality is vital when protecting intellectual property and sensitive data from espionage. Nonetheless, in defense systems focused on real-time operations, ensuring that the system remains available and accurate takes precedence over data secrecy, assuming proper access controls are in place to prevent unauthorized internal access.

Conclusion

In conclusion, for the early warning missile detection system for the Ministry of Defense in Istanbogus, the order of importance is availability, integrity, and confidentiality. Availability guarantees the system’s operational functionality during critical moments, integrity ensures the accuracy and trustworthiness of threat data, and confidentiality remains essential but less critical in the context of real-time defense operations. This prioritization aligns with the mission-critical nature of missile defense, where unavailability could lead to disastrous consequences, and emphasizes the need for resilient, secure, and reliable systems in national security domains.

References

  • Andrews, M. (2017). Defense Systems Security: Priority in Modern Warfare. Journal of Military Technology, 12(3), 45-59.
  • Lee, K., Kim, S., & Park, J. (2019). Securing Military Sensor Data: Priorities and Challenges. International Journal of Cyber Security and Defense, 5(2), 101-115.
  • Stallings, W. (2018). Computer Security: Principles and Practice (4th ed.). Pearson.
  • Andrews, M. (2017). Defense Systems Security: Priority in Modern Warfare. Journal of Military Technology, 12(3), 45-59.
  • Lee, K., Kim, S., & Park, J. (2019). Securing Military Sensor Data: Priorities and Challenges. International Journal of Cyber Security and Defense, 5(2), 101-115.