o To grow and compete in global markets, organizations need to expand their reach.
o Securing information means that all information that has an impact on the goals of the organization is safe and does not fall into wrong hands where it can be misused.
o Information security also involves network security.
o The first and foremost reason for information security is that computers are no longer accessible to only a few privileged people. .
o After a computer is connected to an organization's network, there is no limit to the extent of damage that can be caused if appropriate security measures are not taken.
o Loopholes or bugs exist in systems that even those who created the system are not aware of.
o The more complex a system, the greater the scope for the existence of loopholes.
o The need for information security has also increased because the dependency of individuals and organizations on the computers has increased.
o An attack on the computerized system of an organization has become the easiest way to sabotage business operations.
o Flaws exist in almost every system, regardless of the level of sophistication or reliability. Sometimes systems become vulnerable and unreliable. .
o Another major reason for organizations to focus on information security is that a security failure incurs cost to the company.
o A failure in information security also costs the company in terms of good will. Who would want to deal with a company who cannot secure their information.
Any unauthorized access that leads to disclosure, destruction, or modification of information is considered as a security breach.
A security breach also occurs when information or system are misused for detrimental purposes that they were not intended to be used for.
An information breach can be in the form of intrusion, hacking, virus attacks, modification of data, denial of service or theft.
Sometimes intrusion also happen unintentionally or with out any malicious intentions.