Information Security Management Models

Information Security Management Models

Description of ABC Hospital

Mission statement: Providing exceptional medical care with a patient-centered approach while prioritizing innovation and community engagement

Infrastructure

The hospital has an emergency department, inpatient services, outpatient clinics, radiology, laboratory, pharmacy, and administrative offices equipped with modern technologies and staffed with qualified health workers. The hospital’s extensive IT infrastructure relies on online applications for managing patients’ electronic health records, appointment scheduling, and invoicing. Computers are used to store critical patient data, medical records, and other sensitive information in a network of servers. Routers and switches help ABC Hospital communicate and share data. Such networking devices bridge various sections within the hospital, ensuring an uninterrupted flow of information (Sulistyowati, 2020). Remote access solutions also allow authorized individuals to reach healthcare resources from any location, thus supporting telemedicine and flexibility. The hospitals have established wireless communication networks to enable employee mobility and enhance information access. Moreover, firewalls plus DMZs have been installed to thwart unauthorized entry into these internal networks within this health center. A DMZ is a subnetwork connecting the private network area of an organization with public locations like the Internet while keeping out sensitive data or tools from intra-organizational attacks.

NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF)

Introduction to NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF)

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) provides comprehensive guidance on organizing security operations in companies (Almuhammadi & Alsaleh, 2017). It follows ISO 27001 and COBIT’s five best practices. Security governance models in the framework follow baseline-supported standards. Some basic security control measures that ABC Hospital can adjust based on its specific needs are also indicated here. This, therefore, enables the implementation of robust security measures that would counter new threats and vulnerabilities that may be discovered over time.

Introducing NIST CSF Critical Security Activities into ABC Hospital

Before initiating NIST CSF critical security operations at ABC Hospital, its cyber security position must be reviewed. The assessment helps identify strengths in their protective framework (Al-Basha et al., 2017). It must meet regulatory as well as industry requirements and other considerations. NIST, CSF-based policies and procedures are subsequently implemented throughout the hospital system. Additionally, employees need to be educated institutionally to maintain cybersecurity at all times.

Determining Current/Recent Risks or Dominant Categories of Threats

A comprehensive risk analysis of ABC Hospital identifies key threats to its information security systems. Sources of threats, weaknesses in IT infrastructure, previous cases, industry changes, and regulatory matters should be determined. From this standpoint, prioritized action plans are crafted to address these hazards, thus boosting safety standards in this medical center.

Developing System-Specific Plans for the Protection of Intellectual Property

ABC Hospital must develop system-specific IP asset protection plans for sensitive data and proprietary assets to protect intellectual property. This involves identifying and classifying intellectual property assets, encrypting them, implementing access restrictions, preventing loss, and creating IP handling and storage rules. Employees need to understand why trade secrets must be protected as well as the consequences of theft or misuse.

Applying the Security Model to Information Security Management

According to NIST CSF principles, ABC Hospital uses risk-based information security management in its operations. This encompasses identification as well as assessment of information security risks based on their probability of occurrence and possible impact on the hospital’s operations, patients, and stakeholders. Additionally, the framework advises security controls that mitigate risks and vulnerabilities. These controls, therefore, need monitoring through assessments such as audits as well as incident response drills that would enable adjustment to changing legislation and emergent threats.

Determining Appropriate Implementation of Access Control Mechanisms

ABC Hospital ensures that its data is protected by suitable access control. In this case, role-based access control (RBAC) policies restrict access to sensitive information or systems based on user work roles. ABC Hospital’s ICT administration units use multi-factor authentication (MFA), biometric authentication, and others to confirm the identity of users before granting them access to critical resources. Access reviews and user activity monitoring are performed in real time for detection and response to suspicious activities or unauthorized entry.

Roles of Personnel in Planning and Managing the Security Plan

The board of directors oversees the cybersecurity measures. They ensure strategic objectives compliance and regulatory adherence. The senior management develops a cybersecurity culture and makes investments in line with risk assessments as well as business impact. The hospital’s CISO is responsible for overseeing cyber security strategy, operations, and incident response (Samarati & de Vimercati, 2016). The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is responsible for IT systems, which include cybersecurity aligned with organizational goals. Department heads and managers work together with the security team to enforce security policies while mitigating risks specific to each department. Analysts, engineers, experts, and other information security personnel develop controls that address risks, investigations, event support, etc., to achieve healthcare cyber security objectives. End users can maintain a strong cyber posture by following policies, reporting suspicious activity, and participating in training programs to enhance security measures. At ABC Hospital, a culture of data privacy accountability exists in healthcare when everyone from top to bottom is involved in safety planning and administration. By doing so, it enforces digital rights across its enterprise, thereby improving its corporate cyber defense.

References

Al-Basha, A. S. A. Q. (2023). Cybersecurity in Compliance with COBIT Requirements. Tikrit Journal of Administration and Economics Sciences, 19(Special Issue part 1).

Almuhammadi, S., & Alsaleh, M. (2017). Information security maturity model for NIST cyber security framework. Computer Science & Information Technology (CS & IT), 7(3), 51-62.

Samarati, P., & de Vimercati, S. C. (2016). Access control: Policies, models, and mechanisms. In International school on foundations of security analysis and design (pp. 137-196). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Sulistyowati, D., Handayani, F., & Suryanto, Y. (2020). Comparative analysis and design of cybersecurity maturity assessment methodology using nist csf, cobit, iso/iec 27002 and pci dss. JOIV: International Journal on Informatics Visualization, 4(4), 225-230.

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To help manage and operate an ongoing security program in an organization, the information security team must adopt a security framework that serves as a guide for the development and implementation of the security program. Using a fictional hospital called ABC Hospital, developed an 80- to 1,000-word summary to address the following:

Provide a basic description of ABC Hospital which includes a mission statement, web applications, servers, departments, routers and switches, remote access, wireless communication, firewalls, and a demilitarized zone (DMZ).

The NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) is a list of guidelines and practices designed to help organizations better manage their security programs. It rests on various industry best practices and standards like ISO 27001 and the Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies (COBIT) 5. This framework discusses critical security controls that can be tailored and customized to ABC Hospital’s unique needs. Your task as a part of the security team in ABC Hospital is to prepare and present a report to upper management that discusses the following steps:

• Describe how you would introduce the NIST CSF critical security activities into ABC Hospital.
• Determine current/recent risks or dominant categories of threats to information security.
• Develop system-specific plans for the protection of intellectual property.
• Apply the security model to information security management to protect ABC Hospital from being compromised by unauthorized users.
• Determine appropriate implementation of the management of access control mechanisms that would apply to ensure information is protected against unauthorized users.
• Outline and explain the roles of the following personnel in the planning and managing of this security plan by examining C-level functions that impact cybersecurity:

Board of Directors, Senior Management, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Functional Area Management, Information Security Personnel, and End Users.