Common Information Security Threats

Information security is the protection of information as well as information systems for unauthorized access, modification, use, or destruction. In today's business environment, there are many threats to information security that businesses face. It is very important for businesses to learn how to identify risks, and utilize risk management techniques to protect the business from futures vulnerabilities. Avid Technology faces the same information security threats in today's environment. Avid Technology is a world leader in the creation of digital audio and video technology products that consumers and professional use daily. The three major information security threats they face include insider attacks, hackers, and fraud.

The first major information security threat comes from inside the company and the employees that work for Avid. With their employees, companies instill a certain trust that will follow set security policies and measures set in place, but unfortunately some employees take advantage of their access to data and company property. Avid is always focused on creating new products and software; so employees will have access to the company's intellectual property. Employees can steal or copy prototypes and source code to leak to the public or sell to a competing company.

Employees also have access to customer and other employee data that can be accessed through various applications. Based on user rights and access, employees can obtain basic information such as name and address to credit card and social security numbers.

The second major information security threat is hackers. Hackers create a high risk for attacks on a company's security and data. Hackers can break into the databases to steal digital products, steal customer and employee data to use for malicious acts. They also have the ability to disable systems, databases, websites, and the webstore. Hackers can attack a company in many different forms. These types of forms include email spam, phishing, and malware. Malware is software that can be installed on a users computer from visiting an unsafe website or clicking on a link from an unknown email address that can steal user ID's, intellectual property, customer data, employee data and spy on the user actions.

Another major information security threat is fraud. The company's webstore places thousands of order a month. Many of these orders can be created using bad or stolen credit card or banking information that has been stolen without a customer's knowledge. These orders will be placed and sent to an unknown address that has no relation to customer credit card information. Fraudulent orders such as these can cost a company millions of dollars of lost revenue and lost product each year.

There are many ways an organization can protect itself and its data. For protection against malware, viruses, and spam there needs to virus and