Data and information have been important for a very wide variety of reasons and for as many centuries as man has been able to pass valuable data to another person. The location of the nearest water hole, herd of wild animals or warm cave was a carefully guarded secret that was only passed on to those with a need to know and who could be trusted not to divulge the information to other, possibly hostile, tribes. The methods of transfer and the storage of such information were perhaps rather more primitive than today, but the basic principles of information security have not changed too much since those days.
Information assurance is now well founded in three major concepts – those of confidentiality, integrity and availability. Managing these concepts is critical and, as information has increasingly become one of the modern currencies of society, it is the retention of assurance in an appropriate and cost-effective manner that has become of keen interest to businesses in all sectors, of all sizes and in all locations. Specific measures taken to ensure that information is held securely is termed ‘information security’ – the way of achieving information assurance.
As an example, even within living memory, the quantity of numbers we are given and need to enable us to exist and participate in modern society has risen almost exponentially from virtually zero in the early part of the 20th century, to several hundred (and still growing) now: PIN codes; licence numbers; credit card numbers; number plates; telephone numbers; employee number; health, tax and insurance numbers; access codes; customer numbers; train times; tram or bus numbers; and so on. We now need to remember such numbers on a day-to-day basis, and that is before we start work proper and have to deal with all those things that allow us to earn our salary, where even more numbers and other elements of information will occur.
The mechanisms we use to manage information are the areas where we have seen very significant change, notably in the last few decades. The advent of computers in particular has extensively altered the way we manage information and has also meant that we have much more information to worry about than ever before. Information has become the key to success in almost any field and so the assurance of it has gained in significance and, perhaps more importantly, in value to a business or organisation. It may not necessarily be financial value that is the most important factor. Lack of knowledge of some issue or the way things are done, or knowing the currency of specific pieces of information may be more important than any financial valuation. Nevertheless, looking after it properly is still very important.
One other factor that has significantly altered our need for assurance of information is that of mobility. Life was straightforward when the only place we had business information, and where we were able to look after it properly, was the office – to secure information, we closed and locked the office door. Today we expect and need to have information in a wide variety of locations, including wanting it on the move in cars, trains and planes. With open plan offices and the increasing mobility of the office environment, we now have a critical need for improved assurance if we don’t want others to gain access to our information inappropriately.
Threats, vulnerabilities and countermeasures have also changed and grown in complexity in some areas, although it is still essential to consider the easiest and often cheapest countermeasures before getting into large or expensive solutions. The increase in capability of those intent on causing harm to companies, public bodies and other organisations means that the role of the information assurance manager and the professional has increased in complexity to such a degree that it is now quite possible to have a full and very satisfying working life entirely within this field of expertise.
The legislation that is introduced by governments to address the increasing problems of information assurance in all its guises, is also an area of concern and this book covers the most important principles and the implementation of such laws. Once again, though, it is important that you understand that this book has been written in the UK and is based on English law. Other countries, even Devolved Administrations within the UK, may have further or different legislation with which you should become acquainted. Reference has been made to national and international standards applicable to information assurance, but there is no requirement in the examination for the BCS Certificate in Information Security Management Principles (CISMP), upon which this book is based, for detailed specific knowledge of any of those standards. They are naturally important, but it is recognised that they will change over time and be more applicable in some parts of the world than in others. You should ensure you are familiar with the standards relevant to your country, your area of interest, your organisation and your business sector. This book accompanies the BCS Certificate in Information Security Management Principles. This qualification, one of a series covering the whole area of information
assurance management, is the first step towards a full understanding of the issues and the comprehensive management of the assurance of information wherever it may be. This book is intended to be a first read for those new to information security and concentrates on the high-level principles. It is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to everything that a practitioner in the area would need to know. The technical aspects of information security, including the technical details of information systems (IS), computer networks, communication systems, cryptography and related areas, are not part of the syllabus for this qualification despite their importance. However, they appear in higher qualifications, so in this book reference is made to them in passing but they are not covered in any detail. The syllabus and this book have remained technology neutral as far as possible.
While BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, is clearly mainly concerned with the impact and effective use of computers, it is recognised that it is impossible to divorce the management of information security in computers from the management of information in any other media or from the security of the tools used to process information. Thus, in this book, the boundaries between different forms of information storage, processing, transmission and use are deliberately blurred or indeed removed entirely. It is not significant whether a particular piece of information exists in electronic form, paper form or indeed in someone’s head. Its appropriate protection is the main factor, and all aspects of its assurance must be considered from all angles.
The latest version of the examination syllabus can be downloaded from the BCS website and it is the guide for the contents of this edition of this book. As a result of studying this book, you should gain a very clear understanding of the various elements of information assurance and should be able to consider taking the professional examination. It would naturally be useful for an individual to undertake a period of study with an approved training provider to enhance their understanding, and those who deliver such training will inevitably add value to the knowledge given here, probably increasing the chances of success in the examination.
There are some areas where this book does not provide all the detail necessary to answer all the questions in the examination, but there are ample suggestions for additional study and resources for further reading that would help. A simple scenario has been introduced in order to help develop full understanding and to provide a close-to-life example of the real world. Activities based on the scenario are suggested throughout the book, again to help bring reality into the concepts discussed, and it is hoped that you will do these in an appropriate manner – formally or informally as suits you best. The format of the multi-choice questions in the book is broadly in line with the questions in the examination, but naturally there will be different questions in that. A sample examination paper can also be downloaded from the BCS website.
After studying this book and the related syllabus, you should be able to demonstrate a good knowledge and basic understanding of the wide range of subject areas that make up information assurance management. The examination tests the knowledge of principles rather than the knowledge of specific technologies, products or techniques. This means that where in the book specific technical examples are used to illustrate particular principles, it is the understanding of the principles that is of prime importance when considering the examples, and not the examples themselves. If more information is required in specific areas, such as risk management, business continuity or project management, other BCS publications are available that provide a much deeper understanding. Full details of appropriate publications can be found on the BCS bookshop.
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