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4901
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Information Systems
Date
Nov 24, 2024
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docx
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Uploaded by MinisterStarlingPerson398
Topic: Investigate the cyber attacks in organisations and examine scenarios by
which organisations monitor and respond to the possible cybersecurity issues.
Table of Contents
Introduction
....................................................................................................................
3
Background
....................................................................................................................
3
Literature Review
...........................................................................................................
4
Aim and Objectives
........................................................................................................
6
Research Questions
........................................................................................................
6
Research Methodology
...................................................................................................
7
Data Collection
...............................................................................................................
8
Data Analysis
..................................................................................................................
9
Ethical Considerations
..................................................................................................
10
Dissertation Plan
...........................................................................................................
10
References
....................................................................................................................
12
Introduction
The main focus of this research study is to conduct an investigation into the
occurrence of cyber attacks in the organisations well as examining the scenarios by
which the organisations monitory and respond when the cyberattack occurs or there is
a possibility of occurring the cyber attacks. As the number of Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) based devices such as smartphones, computers and
laptops are increasing day by day, cybersecurity issues are being considered as a
crucial aspect to defend the data of the customers. The cyberattacks are considered
disastrous in nature because it impacts the reputation of the organisation as well as
impacting the organisations financially (Kali, 2020).
On the other hand side, the companies need to allocate resources to provide
cybersecurity to the devices and the companies occur a huge cost. In the year 2019
alone, approximately 5183 cyber attacks have reported worldwide and these cyber
attacks were of moderate to high (Risk Based Security, 2019). Hence, there is a strong
need for the organisations to identify the scenarios by which the cyber attacks can
occur as well as placing the countermeasures to minimise the risks from the cyber
threats and this research study is focused to examine such scenarios.
Background
In the year 2020, the number of cyberattacks on individuals, companies and
governments increased from the last year and the cyberattacks mainly focused on data
breaches. The attackers also found to be utilising the technologies such as 5G,
artificial intelligence and machine learning to exploit the vulnerabilities in the Internet
of Things (IoT) devices (Brooks, 2021).
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The research conducted by Yahoo in the year 2021 outlined that 78 per cent of the
customers and employees are found to be lacking confidence in cybersecurity
preparedness for their companies (Yahoo, 2021) and the global data risk report
published by Varonis (2019) outlined that only 5% of the folders are protected in the
companies (Varonis, 2019). In a similar manner, Brooks (2021) outlined that
approximately 80% of the senior Information and Technology (IT) managers believed
that their company is lacking in cybersecurity preparedness and thus have less
protection from potential cyber-attacks (Brooks, 2021).
Literature Review
According to Bendovschi (2015), information and communication technology is
expanding at a fast pace and companies, as well as individuals, have adopted the
services such as automation, cloud computing, online transactions and social
networks. The increase in these kinds of services is also increasing the number of
cyber crimes and cyber attacks. In a similar manner, the attackers are also using
modern technology so that the well-controlled environments, as well as the complex
systems, can be attacked and the cyber attackers remain untraceable (Bendovschi,
2015).
In a similar manner, Arumugam and Subramanian (2019) highlighted that
cyberattacks have become a common practice in the internet era and the cyber attacks
happening on companies and individuals are also increasing day by day. In order to
counter these cyber attacks, the companies are required to have the technical
capabilities and domain knowledge. The domain knowledge and technical capabilities
are found to be effective in identifying the vulnerabilities in the information systems
as well as analysing the possibilities of cyber threats and cyber attacks (Arumugam
and Subramanian, 2019).
Furthermore, Low (2017) said that cyberattacks remain a critical issue for
organisations and organisations deploy cybersecurity measures to protect against
cyber-attacks while removing cyber vulnerabilities. Cybersecurity measures are being
taken to protect the identity of the employees as well as protecting the data of the
customers and clients. In order to mitigate the risks due to cyber attacks as well as
protecting the network from attackers, the organisations take several measures such as
implementing packet shaping devices, firewalls, Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS)
and Intrusion Detection systems (IDS). sin a similar manner, the modelling techniques
are also being used by the organisations to identify and understand the characteristics
of a cyber attack (Low, 2017).
On the other hand side, Russell (2017) argued that the organisations try to protect the
network from external attackers while ignoring the threats from the internal
employees. In the cybersecurity domain, the employees of the organisation are
considered one of the topmost challenges in countering the cyber-attacks because
employees are considered by the first line of defence as well as a threat for the
cyberattacks simultaneously. In order to reduce the risks from the insider threat, the
honeypot technique is being used to detect, identify and collect the information. In a
similar manner, the cyberattacks in the organisations are also co-related to the low
knowledge and expertise in the cybersecurity domain because employees remain
vulnerable to security threats (Russell, 2017).
Moreover, Hart et al. (2020) outlined that security awareness and providing training to
employees can help organisations to prevent cyber attacks and improve cybersecurity
scenarios. The aspects such as security awareness, computer skills and finances are
considered as the barriers to taking the cybersecurity measures in an efficient and
effective manner. In this context, it is also said that organisations need to take an
inclusive approach in order to prevent cyber attacks rather than taking an individual
delivery approach. The organisations are found to provide basic training to the
employees to take the cybersecurity measures and the employees lack
knowledge. When the awareness is low in the employees, phishing attacks or phishing
emails are used to collect information from the employees (Hart et al., 2020).
Aim and Objectives
The main aim of this research study is to
“explore and examine the ways by which the
cyberattacks happen in the organisations and the responses of the organisations
towards the cyber attacks”
.
Furthermore, the below-mentioned objectives are set for this research study.
To examine the occurrence of cyber-attacks in organisations.
To explore the responses of employees towards the cyber attacks.
To identify the ways by which organisations use the technology to respond to
cyber-attacks.
To identify the techniques that are being used to improve the cybersecurity
preparedness of organisations.
Research Questions
On the basis of the aims and objectives, two research questions are framed and in this
research study, the most appropriate and relevant answers to these two questions will
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be mentioned and discussed in an efficient and effective manner. The research
questions for this research study are mentioned below.
Research question 01:
What are the measures that are taken to identify and
investigate cyber attacks in organisations?
Research Question 02:
What are the countermeasures that are taken to prevent
the damages before and after the cyber attacks in organisations?
Research Methodology
The research methodology is a framework that is used to conduct the research study in
a proper manner so that the aim and objectives of the research can be met along with
providing answers for the research questions. In a similar manner, the research
methodology is adopted to systematically plan and conduct the research study in a
proper manner. The research methodology basically contains the data collection
processes, data analysis processes and research approaches (Munot and Bairagi,
2019). In the context of research methodology, the research onion model designed and
developed by Saunders seems to be relevant and most appropriate because it describes
the different approaches of decision making for the researchers. A diagram of the
Saunders Onion Model is mentioned in the below figure.
Figure 1: Saunders Research Onion Model
(Source: Melnikovas, 2019)
On the basis of the above-mentioned figure, it can be interpreted that the researchers
need to start from the outer layer and move to the inner layers gradually while taking
the most appropriate decisions (Melnikovas, 2019).
Data Collection
The data collection process in the research study is a technique by which the data
from external sources is collected so that it can be used for the research study. As an
ample amount of data is available on the internet, it is always not imperative to
directly use the data for research purposes because it may be biased and hence,
alternative data collections methods are used. There are basically two types of data
collection processes; primary data collection and secondary data collection. The
primary data collection method is used to gather first-hand information from the
respondents with the help of the techniques such as conducting the interviews and
conducting the surveys. On the other hand side, the secondary data collection method
is adopted to gather the information from already published and researched materials
such as journals, articles, books and case studies (Draper, Young Thomas and Fenich,
2018).
As the main aim of this research study is to examine the cybersecurity and
cyberattacks scenarios in the organisations with particular focus on the employees,
collecting the data from the secondary resources seems to be irrelevant and hence, the
primary data collection process will be adopted. In the primary data collection
process, the data will be collected by taking the responses of the employees through
the survey questions. In this context, a questionnaire comprising approximately 10
specific questions will be forwarded to employees. Moreover, the sampling size of the
respondents will be approximately 100 (Loomis and Paterson, 2018).
Data Analysis
In the research, the data analysis methods are basically adopted and used to analyse
the collected data so that the results can be drawn in a proper manner. There are
basically two types of data analysis methods; qualitative data analysis and quantitative
data analysis. The qualitative data analysis method is used to analyse and evaluate the
information that is in the text format comprising no or very few statistics (Bergin,
2018). In this research study, the responses from the respondents will be completely in
the numerical format and hence, using the qualitative data analysis method is
rejected. In order to analyse the responses, the quantitative data analysis method will
be adopted and used to analyse the information and obtain the results in the format of
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graphs, tables and charts while using graphical methods and statistical tools and
techniques. Furthermore, the results obtained in the graphical formats will be
discussed and interpreted in the text formats to improve the understandability (Chu
and Ke, 2017).
Design and Testing
In order to design, this research study will collect the information related to the user
login activities so that the information about the employees can be collected.
The
timings of the activities and the name of the activities will be tracked.
Furthermore,
the information will be saved in the database management systems and it will be
tested by using the appropriate testing techniques.
Ethical Considerations
While conducting the research study, the ethical considerations are the aspects in
which the research study should be conducted and considered important from the
ethical and moral lenses. The below mentioned ethical aspects will be considered in
this research study:
The research participants will be provided with the informed consent forms along
with outlining the aim and objectives of this research study.
The participation of respondents will be completely voluntary in nature and any
participant can exit from the research study at any time and there is no
boundation (Arifin, 2018).
The data gathered from the respondents will be maintained in the privacy folders
and only be used to conduct the research (Eaton, 2020).
The research will be conducted in an honest and transparent manner and there
will not be any biases in either framing the questions or in interpreting the results.
The ethical considerations mentioned in the Data Protection Act 1998 will be
considered in this research study (Business Research Methodology, 2020).
Dissertation Plan
The research study is expected to start in the month of August 2021 and will be
conducted by December 2021. The detailed dissertation time management plan is
mentioned in the below table.
Dissertation Time Management Plan (2021)
July
August
September
October
November
Dec.
2021
Dec.
2021
Research Proposal
Conducting
Literature Review
Making
Questionnaire and
contacting
research
participants
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Interpretation of
Results
and
Discussion
Conclusion and
Recommendations
References
Arifin, S.R.M. 2018. Ethical Considerations in Qualitative Study.
International
Journal of Care Scholars
1(2), pp. 30-33.
Arumugam, S. and Subramanian, S.B. 2019. A Review on Cyber Security and the
Fifth Generation Cyber attacks. [Online]. Available
at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334553338_A_Review_on_Cybe
r_Security_and_the_Fifth_Generation_Cyberattacks
[Accessed on: 09 July
2021].
Bendovschi, A. 2015. Cyber Attacks-Trends, Patterns and Security Counter
Measures.
Procedia Economics and Finance
28, pp. 24-31.
Bergin, T. 2018.
An Introduction to Data Analysis: Quantitative, Qualitative and
Mixed Methods.
New York: Sage.
Brooks, C. 2021. Alarming Cybersecurity Stats: What You Need to Know for 2021.
[Online]. Available
at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckbrooks/2021/03/02/alarming-
cybersecurity-stats-------what-you-need-to-know-for-2021/
[Accessed on: 09
July 2021].
Business Research Methodology. 2020. Ethical Considerations. [Online]. Available
at: https://research-methodology.net/research-methodology/ethical-
considerations/#:~:text=Ethical%20Considerations%20can%20be
%20specified,important%20parts%20of%20the%20research.&text=Research
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%20participants%20should%20not%20be,participants%20prior%20to%20the
%20study. [Accessed on: 15 July 2021].
Chu, H. and Ke, Q. 2017. Research Methods: What’s in the Name?.
Library &
Information Science Research
39(4), pp. 284-294.
Draper, J., Young Thomas, L. and Fenich, C.G. 2018. Event Management Research
Over the Past 12 Years: What Are the Current Trends in Research Methods,
Data Collection, Data Analysis Procedures, and Event Types?.
Journal of
Convention & Event Tourism
19(1), pp. 3-24.
Eaton, S.E. 2020. Ethical Considerations for Research Conducted with Human
Participants in Languages other than English.
British Educational Research
Journal
46(4), pp. 848-858.
Hart, S., Margheri, A., Paci, F. and Sassone, V. 2020. Riskio: A Serious Game for
Cyber Security Awareness and Education.
Computers & Security
95, p.
101827.
Kali, K. 2020.
Cyber Security.
London: Growise Limited.
Loomis, D.K. and Paterson, S. 2018. A Comparison of Data Collection Methods: Mail
Versus Online Surveys.
Journal of Leisure Research
49(2), pp. 133-149.
Low, P. 2017. Insuring Against Cyber Attacks.
Computer Fraud and Security
2017(4),
pp. 18-20.
Melnikovas, A. 2019. Towards an Explicit Research Methodology: Adapting Research
Onion Model for Future Studies. [Online]. Available
at: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Towards-an-Explicit-Research-
Methodology-%3A-Adapting-
Melnikovas/dccf54a5a4312ceb2261e1989cda01f73989d735
[Accessed on: 15
July 2021].
Munot, M.V. and Bairagi, V. 2019.
Research Methodology: A Practical and Scientific
Approach.
London: CRC Press.
Risk-Based Security. 2019. Number of Records Exposed Up to 112% in Q3. [Online].
Available at: https://www.riskbasedsecurity.com/2019/11/12/number-of-
records-exposed-up-112/
[Accessed on: 09 July 2021].
Russell, G. 2017. Resisting the Persistent Threat of Cyber Attacks.
Computer Fraud
& Security
2017(12), pp. 7-11.
Varonis. 2019. Varonis Global Data Risk Report. [Online]. Available
at: https://www.varonis.com/2019-data-risk-report/
[Accessed on: 09 July
2021].
Yahoo. 2021. 78% Lack Confidence in Their Company Cybersecurity Posture,
Prompting 91% to increase 2021 budget. [Online]. Available
at: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/78-lack-confidence-company-
cybersecurity-153000182.html?guccounter=1
[Accessed on: 09 July 2021].