Learning: CH 8: Securing Information Systems

Which of the following best describes a security policy?

A security policy consists of statements ranking information risks, identifying acceptable security goals, and identifying the mechanisms for achieving these goals.

__________ defines acceptable uses of the firm's information resources and computing equipment, including desktop and laptop computers, wireless devices, telephones, and the Internet, and specifies consequences for noncompliance.

An acceptable use policy (AUP)

Caroline's personal laptop was attacked by malware. When she got it fixed from the service center, the computer technician advised her to install software that would detect and prevent malware from attacking her system. Which of the following software did the technician advise her to install?

Anti-malware software

Information systems controls are both manual and automated and consist of general and application controls. Which of the following best describes application controls?

Application controls include both automated and manual procedures that ensure that only authorized data are completely and accurately processed.

Symphoniz, Inc., a software company, has installed a new device at the company's entrance. This device replaces the smart cards that provided access to the company's premises. This device requires every employee to place their palm on a scanner-like device. Once an individual's palm is scanned, the fingerprints are compared with the ones stored in the database. If they match, the individual would be granted access. If not, the individual would be required to report to the security office to complete entry formalities. Which of the following processes is being illustrated in this scenario?

Biometric authentication

__________ focuses on how the company can restore business operations after a disaster strikes.

Business continuity planning

Which of the following scenarios illustrates denial of service (DOS), a type of security loss?

Computer worms infiltrating a network with so much artificial traffic that legitimate traffic cannot get through

Which of the following is the process of transforming plain text or data into cipher text that cannot be read by anyone other than the sender and the intended receiver?

Encryption

Information systems controls are both manual and automated and consist of general and application controls. Which of the following best describes general controls?

General controls govern the design, security, and use of computer programs and the security of data files in general throughout the organization's information technology infrastructure.

Which of the following best describes HIPAA?

HIPAA outlines medical security and privacy rules and procedures for simplifying the administration of health care billing and automating the transfer of health care data between health care providers, payers, and plans.

Which of the following statements about information systems security vulnerability is true?

Hackers can unleash denial-of-service (DoS) attacks or penetrate corporate networks, causing serious system disruptions.

Which of the following statements about the business value of security and control is true?

Information assets, such as confidential employee records, trade secrets, or business plans, lose much of their value if they are revealed to outsiders or if they expose the firm to legal liability.

Which of the following best describes a firewall?

It is a combination of hardware and software that controls the flow of incoming and outgoing network traffic.

Which of the following scenarios illustrates a drive-by download?

Millie copies a file from the Internet to her PC, and, in the process, her PC gets infected by malware.

Which of the following best describes public key encryption?

Public key encryption is a more secure form of encryption that uses two keys, one shared and one totally private. The keys are mathematically related so that data encrypted with one key can be decrypted using only the other key.

Which of the following best describes risk assessment?

Risk assessment determines the potential frequency of the occurrence of a problem and the potential damage if the problem were to occur. It is used to determine the cost/benefit of a control.

A particular malware threat looks for weaknesses in poorly coded Web application software that get exposed when the Web application fails to filter the data entered by a user on a Web page. This results in malicious program code entering into the company's systems and networks. Which of the following best refers to this malware threat?

SQL injection attack

__________ refers to software that covertly gathers information about a user through an Internet connection without the user's knowledge.

Spyware

Which of the following best describes the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act?

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requires financial institutions to ensure the security and confidentiality of customer data. Data must be stored on a secure medium, and special security measures must be enforced to protect such data on storage media and during transmittal.

__________ imposes responsibility on companies and their management to protect investors by safeguarding the accuracy and integrity of financial information that is used internally and released externally.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act

__________ requires that controls are put in place to secure the corporate network, prevent unauthorized access to systems and data, and ensure data integrity and availability in the event of a disaster or other disruption of service.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act

An individual posing as an online gamer accesses information stored in an unsuspecting user's computer by placing a program in his hard disk that appears to be legitimate. The system functions normally with the program performing underlying functions. The malware used by the individual is referred to as a(n) __________.

Trojan horse

Computer criminals use denial-of-service attacks on information systems to __________.

prevent legitimate users from using the system's resources