CASE STUDY: THE INSIDER THREAT AT DATASAFE SOLUTIONS

DataSafe Solutions, a data storage and management company, recently

discovered that a disgruntled employee had exfiltrated a large amount of

sensitive customer data before resigning. The employee had bypassed access

controls, tampered with security logs$,$ and transferred the data to an external

storage device. The incident resulted in significant financial losses, reputational

damage, and potential legal liabilities for DataSafe Solutions.

YOUR TASK

You are an information security consultant hired by DataSafe Solutions to assess

the situation and recommend improvements to their Information Security

Management System $($ISMS$).$ Your task is to analyse the incident and develop a

comprehensive report that addresses the following questions:

$1.$ Explain how the implementation of an ISMS based on ISO $27001/27002$

could have helped DataSafe Solutions prevent or mitigate the insider

threat incident.

$2.$ Discuss the importance of risk assessment in identifying and addressing

insider threats. How could DataSafe Solutions have improved their risk

assessment process to detect and mitigate the risks associated with

disgruntled employees?

$3.$ Identify specific security controls from ISO $27002$ that could have been

implemented to prevent or detect the employee's unauthorized activities.

Explain how these controls would have worked in this scenario.

$4.$ Describe the role of continuous improvement and monitoring in

maintaining an effective ISMS. How could DataSafe Solutions have

leveraged these processes to identify and address weaknesses in their

security controls and prevent future incidents?

WORKSHOP INSTRUCTIONS

$1.$ Carefully review the case study details and understand the sequence of

events that led to the data exfiltration.

$2.$ Familiarize yourself with the ISO $27001/27002$ standards, focusing on the

requirements for establishing, implementing, and maintaining an ISMS.

$3.$ Research best practices for risk assessment, security control

implementation, and continuous improvement in the context of insider

threats.

$4.$ Analyse the DataSafe Solutions incident through the lens of ISO

$27001/27002,$ identifying the gaps in their ISMS and potential areas for

improvement.

$7019$ICT Cyber Security Risk Management

$8$

$5.$ Develop a comprehensive report that addresses the questions outlined

above, providing clear explanations, supporting evidence, and actionable

recommendations for enhancing DataSafe Solutions' ISMS.

WORKSHOP WRITE$-$UP STRUCTURE

$$ Use the following structure for your report:

Introduction

$$ Briefly summarize the insider threat incident at DataSafe Solutions.

ISO $27001/27002$ and Insider Threats

$$ Explain how an ISMS based on ISO $27001/27002$ could have helped

prevent or mitigate the incident.

Risk Assessment and Insider Threats

$$ Discuss the importance of risk assessment in identifying and addressing

insider threats.

$$ Suggest improvements to DataSafe Solutions' risk assessment process.

Security Controls for Insider Threat Prevention

$$ Identify specific ISO $27002$ controls that could have been implemented.

$$ Explain how these controls would have worked in this scenario.

Continuous Improvement and Monitoring

$$ Describe the role of continuous improvement and monitoring in

maintaining an effective ISMS.

$$ Explain how DataSafe Solutions could leverage these processes to prevent

future incidents.

Recommendations

$$ Provide actionable recommendations for DataSafe Solutions to enhance

their ISMS and prevent future insider threat incidents.

Conclusion

$$ Summarize your findings and emphasize the importance of a robust ISMS

in mitigating insider threats and protecting sensitive data.

Your report should be approximately $600$ words in length and adhere to the

provided structure above. Support your analysis with evidence from the case

study and your research.