Management Science And Information Systems

Author: Diana Betances

Challenges of Securing Information

Technology has permitted us to improve in many things making them more secure, faster and efficient. Our personal and sensitive data is stored in many of the devices we utilize to make our lives easier. How should our private information and data privacy be managed by corporations like apple? As a 2009 study by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) indicates, “That recent governmental legislations, competition among companies, and database thefts mandate companies to use secure and privacy preserving data management” (Database Management as a Service: Challenges and Opportunities). Although the companies we utilize for our devices are responsible for our information privacy, there are also challenges to secure our information. We as consumers should be aware of those challenges by being well informed of the technology devices we choose to purchase.

To a casual observer it may seem that there should be a straightforward and easy solution to securing computers and devices, in reality there is no single simple solution. This can be seen through the different types of attacks that computer users face today as well as the difficulties in defending against these attacks. As technology reporters, Brian X. Chen and Steve Lohr points out, the Apple corporation being questioned about the company’s ability to protect the customers private information: “Against that background, Apple faces two threats to its new services: one from hackers always looking for clever ways to steal financial information, and another from regulators increasingly interested in ensuring that information gleaned from health monitoring devices stays private” (With Apple Pay and Smartwatch, A Privacy Challenge).

I am totally convinced that the Apple Company or any other is responsible and reliable for our sensitive data storage and privacy if we use their services. There is not a contract given to the consumer where they tell them of the risks of utilizing these apple products. As much as we all personally have to secure our information, it is the company’s responsibility to safeguard our data and privacy. In general security can be defined as the necessary steps to protect a person or property from harm. This harm comes from one of two sources, from a direct action that it is intended to inflict damage or from an indirect and unintentional action.

The attacks are not just physical, our computers and technology devices are an especially frequent target of attacks. These attacks are directed at individuals, schools, businesses, and governments through desktop computers, laptops, smartphones, and tablet computers. Michael E. Whitman and Herbert J. Mattord points out, that from the year 2000 until present:

The internet brings millions of unsecured computer networks into continuous communication with each other. The security of each computer’s stored information is now contingent on the level of security of every other computer to which it is connected. Recent years have seen a growing awareness of the need to improve information security, as well as a realization that information security is important to national defense. (Principles of Information Technology 7).

According to Norton Cybercrime Report: cybercrime has affected 431 million adults around the world in one year and cost $388 billion in time and money losses. That means that 14 adults are becoming victims of cybercrime each second, or over one million affected each day”. (“Norton Cybercrime Report”). In reality there is no way to determine if an application we utilize in our devices is good or bad. Just make sure you read policies and agreements before downloading something. Be careful with those applications that require to have access to your location without needing it. However there is that side of policy versus law in information

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