Threats to information system security: an organizational perspective

Management´s concern with information system security ranks among the ten most important topics in information management. The traditional concerns range from threat by forced entry into computer and storage rooms to destruction fire, earthquake, and hurricane. A more recent concern is the protection of the information system from accidental or intentional threats that might cause the unauthorized modification, disclosure, or destruction of data. The consequences of these events, if realized, is degradation or disrupted service to customers. An investigative study was conducted to determine the executives´ concern for each of a list of twelve threats and to place a new and special threat, computer viruses, in perspective. The results show that these top information systems managers have moved their organizations into the electronic environment but continue to view threats from a pre-connectivity era