Information Systems and Equifax Data Breaches

Information Systems and Equifax Data Breaches
Student’s Name
Institution
Information Systems and Equifax Data Breaches
Introduction
From a general perspective, information systems (IS) can be viewed as the collection and coordination of processes that gather, store and process input as data to produce information as output that can then be used in decision making. With the introduction of computer systems, organizations and businesses have taken the concept of information systems a notch higher, with virtually every aspect of operations thriving on IS. At the core of an IS is the computer hardware and software, supported by telecommunication technologies, databases systems, and most importantly, the human resource, otherwise referred to as human-ware in a more technical term. Up to date, numerous IS have emerged and can be categorized into two broad categories; support of business operations and management support systems (Al-Mamary et al., 2014).
Information systems have come in handy in streamlining operations in organizations of the contemporary era. It has also led to improved efficiency and productivity as organizations take advantage of the efficient and swift nature of computerized systems. With the help of a database system, all the business activities can be tracked using logs and analytics, meaning an increased ability make sound business decisions. There is a whole lot of benefits associated with the use of an IS in an organization, both for management and business operations. However, IS poses a challenge too to organizations. The mere fact that IS relies on information technology (IT) that is exposed to various forms of threats is a major cause for concern for the organizations. Information security that goes hand in hand with data privacy is a major problem associated with IS, and some notable global organizations such as Equifax have had to battle with the inherent threats.
Threats to Information Security
Information Systems, by being reliant on IT, are susceptible to attack by malicious actors and other security threats. From a technical perspective, a threat is any piece of software, human or natural, that has the potential to cause harm to an information system and is only possible through the exploitation of a vulnerability, that is, a weak point in the security system (Stankov & Tsochev, 2020). Digital systems have become part and parcel of human daily living and the concept of IS in the corporate world has led to the emergence of companies that collect enormous amounts of personalized information including biodata, financial information, health information, and paycheck, among other personalized data (Linkov et al., 2019). Such information is a goldmine for malicious hackers, who are working tirelessly to identify the vulnerabilities in information systems, cause massive disruption, and possibly make fortunes. This can be achieved through a ransomware attack or simply putting the market to a halt and influencing the behavior of the market. The unfortunate reality about the security of IS is that a threat actor is always one vulnerability away from exploiting a system. On the other hand, a security system needs to ensure that all the loopholes have been well taken care of, giving th...