Potential Problems with Information Security Risk Assessments

ABSTRACT

To protect the information assets of any organization, management must rely on accurate information security risk management. Management must access the risk to the organizations assets then develop information security strategies to reduce the risks. This assessment is difficult because of rapidly changing technology and new threats that are frequently being discovered. Research to address methods associated with information security risk management includes quantitative and qualitative methods. More comprehensive approaches combine both the quantitative and qualitative methods. This paper argues that current methods of information security assessment are flawed because management decisions regarding information security are often based on heuristics and optimistic perceptions.