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Defining Security through Risk Management - Course Monster Blog APMG

Written by Marbenz Antonio | 02/08/2022 7:40:17 AM

If risk management is not taken into consideration when designing and implementing security procedures, the result is an impossible situation.

For example, duplicate or too many controls could result, which would be quite expensive. Additionally, you should concentrate on reporting to management the consequences of the controls rather than their actual outcomes. In this blog post, we want to give the reader some advice on how to set up the risk management cycle, put controls in place, and assess the effectiveness of those controls.

The following outlook is found in the “Cyber Security Assessment Netherlands 2020” (CSAN 2020): “Progressive digitization will influence both the threat and resilience and raise the importance of digital security. Digital security will become more important as society moves closer to a data-driven economy and worries about privacy and security grow.

Many businesses approach information security structurally. The choice to apply a “security framework,” such as the ISO 27001 standard, is usually a cornerstone of the strategy. An effective method for lowering the safety level. However, despite that, there remain difficulties. What does “implementing a security framework” actually mean?

It is obvious that organizational growth, also known as guides, in the security industry demands constant attention from management. The important function of senior management was clearly understood by the people who created the ISO 27000 series of standards. These ISO standards’ Article 5 on leadership outlines the duties that top management should carry out.

If the business necessity of these actions is consistently shown, top management is typically willing to carry them out. The importance of this quality aspect of reporting is typically overlooked, and top management’s focus wanders. What negative effects result from senior management’s lack of leadership? What are the symptoms of insufficient management involvement, and what can be done to address them?

Starting with the last request: The following are indications that top management does not place a high premium on information security:

  1. Periodic information security meetings are seeing a decline in attendance.
  2. Information security is receiving less attention in the media.
  3. There are either too few or insufficient inquiries concerning the success report.
  4. Passive reactions to the absence of analyses of risk management, for instance.

What Negative Impacts Result from Top Management’s Lack of Risk Management and Leadership?

Due to a lack of management direction, risk criteria are not carefully followed, which instantly causes controls to “overshoot.” Employees are rarely in a position to evaluate risks on par with top management. For understandable reasons, they will choose to increase security controls to reduce risks. Risk management becomes more bureaucratic as a result of this overshoot, and reports lose their usefulness. In the cycle of risk management, it has a self-reinforcing impact.

What can you do to keep the management’s interest in risk management? Here are 5 tips:

Tip 1: Relevant security reports

Management is initially entitled to pertinent reports. That is distinct from a summary of the actions that were performed. The most pertinent security threats must therefore be covered in the reports. So make sure your reports are focused if you work in information security. Work as much as you can with graphs and graphics to make it easier to summarize a lot of information and to highlight the three most essential factors.

Tip 2: Define goals and expectations for risk management

The second requirement is for management to state what it anticipates from information security. This is referred to as the stakeholders’ “information need” in the standard. A foundation for defining a metric has been established if it is then clear at what level management is satisfied and when it is not. The efficiency of reporting on the status and the usefulness of security and compliance are increased by developing measures.

Tip 3: Report on the effectiveness of the ISMS

An Information Security Management System (ISMS) has significant costs associated with its implementation and upkeep. This system tries to achieve business objectives including lowering the chance and/or impact of a data breach, lowering the risk of a security breach, etc. The yield side of the ISMS can be thought of as the costs that are saved as a result. Top management understands and values this language.

Tip 4: Effectiveness of security policy

Fourth, make sure management actively participates in information security. For example, a report on the effectiveness of a policy offers numerous chances to let management know about the policy’s impact on the production floor. Where does the policy fall short and where does it create too much bureaucracy? Consequences for the business can be easily derived from these characteristics of policies.

Tip 5: Make the integration of security and organization visible

Reporting on a particular element of information security can highlight how information security is integrated. The simplest way to express this is to consider how much ownership of, say, assets has been invested and how much authority has been granted. One may create a report on risk and problem owners similarly. Data sets that are not handled significantly increase the danger of a data breach. The effects on the company can be quantified in financial terms.

The implementation of a “security framework” based on the ISO 27001 standard is a very efficient way to advance an organization’s security capabilities. The security level is only as strong as its weakest link in this case as well. Employees must comprehend what is expected of them as a result. Business owners, IT leaders, and owners of data sets or applications, in particular, play crucial roles in achieving the security objective. They must have received ISO 27001 training in any case.

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