BCM & CIR Concepts: Key Concepts in Cyber Security

BCM & CIR Concepts

Key Concepts in Cyber Security

1. Cyber Criminal
Cybercriminal refers to someone who uses computers, mobile devices, or the network to conduct malicious activities, targeting the organization's information assets. The sophistication of the malware deployed depends on the cyber criminal's motive.

2. Cyber Security Threats

Dangers that exploit vulnerabilities to cause harm to organizations are considered threats. Cyber security threats are dangers specifically harming the technological infrastructures of the organization. These infrastructures include Applications, Software, Hardware, and networks. This terminology can be used interchangeably with cyber threats.

3. Cyber Security Attack

Attempts made by adversaries to harm the technological infrastructures of an organization are classified as cyber security attacks. This terminology can be used interchangeably with a cyber attack.

4. Incident Response
Incident responses are activities and procedures an organization performs to manage the incident to minimize impacts suffered. These actions are developed during peaceful times and executed based on the classification of threats that the organization faces.

5. Cyber Security Incident Response (CIR)
Having described “incident response”, Cyber Security Incident Response or CIR involves the preparation of measures to, in the best case scenario, prevent organizations from being attacked by cyber security threats or to effectively respond to a cyber security attack. Regardless of cyber security threats identified, an organization aims to ensure appropriate CIR is used to deal with them to reduce the impacts suffered. Preparation must ensure the cyber security policies and procedures are tailored to the organization and that the cyber security incident can be swiftly and effectively resolved. Many organizations are susceptible to cyber security attacks due to sophisticated attacks; having a CIR plan reduces chaos experienced during a cyber security incident and, thus, the recovery times and costs.

6. Relationship between BCM and Cyber Security
The primary focus for business continuity is to ensure the resumption of the CBFs. If critical IT services are attacked, the IT software, data, and infrastructure must remain available (A.W, 2015) to carry out the CBFs that rely on them. It is essential that professionals responsible for cyber security worked for hand in hand (Austin, 2014) with their business continuity counterparts. For example, critical transactions and customer engagement cannot be performed if a cyber security threat has compromised an organisation's network. As the business functions of multiple departments are affected by such an attack, departments of the same organization must come together (Gardner, 2013) and pool their combined efforts to resolve the issue affecting business operations.

Additionally, organizations can no longer afford to have the notion that cybersecurity issues are solely under the purview of the IT department. While the IT department is responsible for recovery efforts, the cooperation of other departments (Kirvan, 2014) will ensure that recovery times will be shorter, avoiding potentially more significant impacts that could be suffered by the organization with a more extended disruption period.

One suggestion is to have two separate plans: one solely for business continuity, the other for cyber security. The two plans can be combined during relevant scenarios to tackle the threat. One example is access control. Different levelled employees have access to varying degrees of information. An intern will not be privy to highly sensitive information, while a front-line manager may not have the whole picture. Regardless of the level of information, the critical ones have to be identified, and recovery procedures for this critical information have to be prepared.

Related Topics for BCM and CIR Concepts

Overview	BCM Team	Key Concepts	Characteristics	Back To: CIR Concepts

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Goh, M. H. (2017). A Manager's Guide to Business Continuity Management for Cyber Security Incidents, 2nd Edition. GMH Pte Ltd.

Reference: Chapter 2 Cyber Security, BCM and Relevant Concepts 2.5 Key Concepts in Cyber Security

Note:  This version was the draft 2nd Edition being updated in 2022. The numeric in the square bracket [X-X] cross-refers to the actual chapter and section in the 1st Edition.