Fundamentals of Information Systems Security

Chapter 3. Malicious Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities

IN PREVIOUS CHAPTERS, you learned about some general security concepts. Now you are ready to learn about the serious problems of malicious attacks, threats, and vulnerabilities. As you learned in Chapter 1, the Internet is an untamed new frontier. Unlike in your everyday life, in cyberspace, there is no real law of the land. Criminal acts that lead to destruction and theft occur regularly. These acts affect businesses, individuals, and governments. The criminals often go unpunished. Sometimes, the acts even go undiscovered.

Malicious attacks result in billions of dollars in damages each year. Fortunately, many companies and individuals like you are working hard to protect IT assets from ...