Case Study - Assignment Example

Case Study Assignment Information security is not something that gets a lot of executive attention though it should. Mostpeople do not give it much thought until there is an incident then the company starts dealing with stolen customer data, disclosure of confidential financial information or worse. One of the most dangerous growing cyber threats is hacking for financial gain by hackers. There has been an emergence of a sophisticated criminal ecosystem that functions like any business, management structure, offshoring, and quality control (Plant 1).

This type of hacking is beyond stealing customer credit card information or passwords. Hackers might focus on a company’s financial data to obtain its earnings before being publicly released. Such knowledge might enable their profit by acquiring or dumping stock.Another threat to data security of a corporate firm is known as the advanced persistent threat. It predominantly involves stealing intellectual property and associates itself with state-sponsored espionage. The gains are not strictly financial because what is at risk is not only the intellectual property of the corporate entity but possibly the national security.

APT targets organisations and nations for economic and political motives. The Stuxnet worm case in 2010 is an example of such a case (Plant 1). The Stuxnet worm infiltrated industrial control systems like those that manage water or power plants. Industries at risk include defence industries, financial industries and technology industries.Another potentially dangerous threat is hacktivism. The goal of the hackers in this type is creating or altering the public perception of the brand. For instance, the hackers might hack and get sensitive information about the company and disclose it the whole world especially if the company belongs to the private sector.

An example of such a type of threat is WikiLeaks or the digital equivalent of Occupy Wall Street. Works CitedPlant, Robert. “Does Your CEO Really Get Data Security?” Harvard Business Review, 4 June. 2013. Web. 2 March 2015.