Research Proposal of Challenges in Cyber Security in Business

Question: Discuss about the Challenges in Cyber Security in Business. Answer: Project Objective The main objective of the project is- To assess the challenges faced by the business organizations regarding cyber security. There are number of challenges faced by the business organizations which not only disrupts the business activities but also cause harm to overall business( Gabel, et al., 2015) Project Scope This project has wider scope for the business organizations. As the outcomes of the research will provide benefits to the business organizations. In the research the issues found ion the cyber security will be explored and the impact of the challenges on the business activities will also be identified. These exploration would be used by the business organizations to develop a plan for the privacy or security against cybercrimes or threats(Akhgar Brewster, 2016). As maintenance of security against the cyber threats is requisite for the business organization as these issues or challenges can have negative impact on the operations of business organization such as- disclosure of important data or information. Therefore this research project will be helpful for the business organizations. Literature Review The term cyber security can be defined as an act to protect the systems and content of information and communication technology. Challenges in the cyber security in the business organizations are the cyber-attacks. Cyber-attacks arises risks for the business organizations. Main aspects of the cyber - security risks are- threats, impacts and vulnerabilities. According to( Jahankhani, et al., 2015),risk management in context to information systems is determined as essential aspect for effective cyber-security. According to ( Li Clark, 2015), cyber risk raises fears of security failures and hack attacks which can endanger the global economy. In year 2015, a report in context to global risk was published by the WEF i.e. World Economic Forum, that stated, 90% of companies globally recognize they are not sufficiently prepared to defend themselves against the cyber - attacks. Due to cyber-attack companies are losing their customer data as well as information related to credit cards. Accord ing to ( Gabel, et al., 2015), in many business organizations, cyber criminals has stolen money from accounts and also hacked the system of company and to unlock the system again they had demanded ransom money. Importance of cyber security for business organization is broad, as the cyber - attacks can cause threat for the business. Because of the cyber - attack, business organizations can lost their information which is valuable for the company. As information plays an important role in the businesses, because to carry out business operations, information is required( Gabel, et al., 2015). In context to businesses, information about the financial transactions or statements, employees information, stakeholders information is required by the businesses to perform various activities. If this information is lost due to cyber-attack or the sensitive information is used by some other unauthentic user then image of the company can be lost. Business organizations requisites to set an information riskmanagement system to deal with the cyber risks which arise due to cyber-attacks. Themanagement system shall assess the security risk and then develop a policy or plan to deal with those identified risks. Information and communication technology should be protected by the business organizations via adopting measures for standard security and managing configurations and use of system( Gabel, et al., 2015). Unrequired functions should be disabled by the business organizations and updating of the security patches shall also be done within regular period of time. Business organizations can follow these measures to handle the cyber risk: Business organization shall consider malware protection, as the policies should be formulated which cover web browsing, email and personal devices usage. Besides this, antivirus software shall also be installed and scanning for malware shall be regularly done. The business organizations shall follow accepted principles for network design and also ensure the configuration of devices as per the security standards. User activities should be tracked or monitored by themanagement of businesses as well as authorization to access the private data shall not be given to low level employees. Types of cyber-attacks which can cause harm to the business are discussed below: S. No. Type of cyber attack Cause harm to business organization 1. Hacking Hacking can be defined as illegal intrusion into a network or computer system( Baylon, 2014). Hackers, by hacking the computers of business organization, can access to the sensitive information and use this information for their own purpose. 2. Dissemination of Malware (Malicious software such as- virus. Trojan`s. spyware, hoax etc.) Some software are designed in such way that can harm the business organizations, as the virus attacks can corrupt or delete the files and data in the computer system. 3. Phishing Phishers can cause harm to the business organization, as they can send mail to the employees which looks authentic but in real, but when the employee access to the link given in the mail can cause harm to the business as phishers can collect the private information like account number and passwords( Jahankhani, et al., 2015). 4. Network interference One of the challenge which can be faced by the business organizations in context to cyber security is disruption of network. This can cause harm for the business organization as transmission of data can be delayed. Research Questions The main questions associated with the research is: What are the challenges faced by the business organizations in cyber security? Some other questions which are linked with the primary question of the research are: What shall be protected by the business organizations? Why are intrusions so often effective Research Design and Methodology This research is both qualitative and quantitative in nature. As the data in qualitative and quantitative form will be collected for the research. Qualitative research Data collection- Qualitative data will be collected through the interviews. The interview will be done in such way so that information in descriptive form can be gathered. As the qualitative research lays more emphasis on decsrpitive data(Flick, 2014). Sampling technique- random sampling technique will be done to select the samples from whom the data will be gathered. Management of the IT company will be chosen for research`s purpose. Sample Size: Sample size for the research will be 30 employees of IT Company. Analysis of data- The descriptive data will be analyzed through an IT expert. Quantitative research Data collection- Quantitative data will be collected through the questionnaire. A questionnaire will be formulated in such way so that quantitative information or data can be gathered for the research. Questionnaire will provide data in form of numbers and figures( Vogt, 2011). Sampling technique- In order to select the samples, random sampling technique will be done from whom the data will be gathered. Samples for the research will be employee of the IT Company. Sample Size: Sample size for the research will be 50 employees of IT Company. Analysis of data: Quantitative data will be analyzed through the statistical techniques. Research Limitations This research will only be limited to the assessment of issues or challenges faced by the business organizations regarding cyber security. Emphasis will be laid on the security management of computers which are used in the business organizations. The project will only assess the challenges of cyber security faced by the business organization, mechanism to handle the challenges will not be offered through the project(Dwyer Bernauer, 2013). This research will particularly deal with components for intrusion detection of cyber security. In addition to this, the project will only notify the security challenges due to cyber-attacks or threats to the business organizations, further security plan could be developed by the management off the business organizations. Time Schedule (Research plan) The research activities are scheduled in following order: S. No. Activity Start Date End Date Total duration 1 Project Objective 2 May, 2017 4 May, 2017 3 Days 2 Project Scope 5 May, 2017 8 May, 2017 4 Days 3 Literature Review 9 May, 2017 18 May, 2017 10 Days 4 Research Question 19 May, 2017 20 May, 2017 2 Days 5 Research Design 21 May, 2017 26 May, 2017 6 Days 6 Research Limitation 27 May, 2017 30 May, 2017 4 Days 7 Total days for completion of activities - - 29 Days Conclusion Consideration of the challenges or the threats in the cyber security is crucial for the business organization in order to run their business or to carry out their activities of business sin smooth way. Challenges in the cyber security can harm the business and therefore it is requisite to develop plan for the managing the issues and challenges. It is being concluded that research is necessary to be performed in order to evaluate or assess those issue or challenges related with cyber security, so that management of business organization could take step against the problem caused due to cyber-attacks. References Baylon, C., 2014. Challenges at the Intersection of Cyber Security and Space Security. s.l.:Springer. Gabel, D., Liard, B. Orzechowski, D., 2015. Cyber risk: Why cyber security is important. [Online] Available at: https://www.whitecase.com/publications/insight/cyber-risk-why-cyber-security-important Jahankhani, H., Carlile, A. Akhgar, ,. ., 2015. Global Security, Safety and Sustainability. s.l.:Springer. Li, Q. Clark, G., 2015. Security Intelligence. s.l.: John Wiley Sons. . Vogt, W. P., 2011. SAGE Quantitative Research Methods. s.l.:SAGE. Akhgar, B. Brewster, ., 2016. Combatting Cybercrime and Cyberterrorism. s.l.:Springer. Dwyer, L. M. O. Bernauer, J. A., 2013. Quantitative Research for the Qualitative Researcher. s.l.: SAGE Publications. . Flick, U., 2014. An Introduction to Qualitative Research. s.l.:SAGE.