Introduction to Security

I. WHAT IS SECURITY?

In a general sense, Security refers to the following:

§ Protection

§ Safety

§ Being secured or be protected

§ Freedom from fear, harm, danger, loss, destruction or damages

II. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT FIELDS OF SECURITY?

Security is not just about assurance from loss of money or placing someone far from danger, but it’s also
about the following which are classified based on its subject:

A. Monetary Field

This is where Financial security is being implemented. Financial security refers to the application of
different ways to protect any instrument that can be negotiable and representing financial value. This is
what being done to prevent loss of properties, money, debt securities, debentures, bonds etc.

B. Physical Field

This is where assets that needs assurance of unauthorized entry or access belongs. What is being
implemented here is the Physical Security.

Physical Security refers to all means that could prevent or obstruct attackers from entering a
place, facility and obtain access to the information or other anything of value stored on a particular physical
media. These are simply the usage of locks, volts, guards etc.

C. Political Field

This the field where the subject of protection is all about survival. International security, National
Security and Human Security are what is being applied here.

The three only differs with who do and the subject of assurance of mutual survival and
safety: International Security is being applied by international organizations such as diplomatic
agreements like treaties; and military measures wherein the subject to be protected are the people from
more than one nation; National Security covers the subjects to be protected within the whole state;
while Human Security is a generalized term which can pertain with both security being applied in general
but more of an individual.

D. Information and Technology Field

Cyberspace nowadays is already the major medium of communication to run the industries. Thus,
to prevent damages that can be compromised as the industry-related information be breached, IT field
should also be protected. The following are some of the ways to protect its assets:

ü Information security

This is the protection of information system of a computing device from unauthorized access, disclosure,
destruction or disruption. The concern here is to maintain the CIA triad which pertains to the
information’s confidentiality, integrity and availability.

ü Application security

This is composed of all measures to identify software’s flaws in its design and development which may
cause breach of industry or asset’s protection from their vulnerabilities.

ü Network security

This includes all the means to maintain network infrastructure and network accessible resources from
unauthorized access.

III. PRINCIPAL DIVISIONS OF SECURITY

The following are the different core areas that security practitioners needs to consider upon ensuring
safety:

1. Personnel Security

The security that is being implemented from the start of hiring the employee and maintained as long as the
employee is still working in the company or organization.

Purpose: Assurance of the firm that people that will be hired are fit with the qualities of an employee that
can help them to meet their goals, and at the same time, once hired will be able to assist the firm in
keeping security while carrying their functions.

2. Physical security

Security that is concerned to physical measures in order to prevent unauthorized entry or unauthorized
access to facilities and equipment.

Purpose: To safeguard the asset from loss, theft, sabotage, damage or espionage.

3. Document and Information Security

This is concerned with protection of documents and information.

Purpose: To prevent loss, unauthorized access of unauthorized persons and damage of the firm or
organization from disclosure of such.

V. WHAT IS INDUSTRIAL SECURITY?

Came from the term itself “industry” and “security”, Industrial Security refers to a security that is
being applied to business groups, firms or organization by which engaged in the following:
1. Manufacturing

2. Assembling

3. Research and development

4. Warehousing and

5. Agriculture

This is a form of security which involves facilities, plants and business enterprises by where its personnel,
properties and operations are protected and safeguarded.

VI. WHAT IS INDUSTRIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION?

This the application of industrial security to other fields that forms an organization. This is the
management of personnel, properties and any essential matters of the group.

VII. SALIENT CONCEPTS TO PONDER

Asset- these are any subject that should be protected or anything that has economic value. Examples are
human, document, facility, money, properties, human etc.

Factors that bring out Insecure Condition to the Asset

1. Threat – acts or methods that will trigger the risk. These can be the absence of contact limitations with
employees to the place where confidential documents are placed; the padrino system etc.

2. Hazard- conditions that will carry the threat. This can be either of these two: Natural hazards and
man-made hazards. Natural hazards are those floods, volcanic eruptions, storms, tidal waves, and the
likes. Man-made hazards are those caused by human actions that could be either intentional or accidental.
This includes espionage, pilferage, theft, subversive activities, etc.

3. Vulnerability- weaknesses of the target that can be potentially triggered by the threat. This can be the
measure of how open is an establishment for intrusion or attack; expired anti-malware

4. Risk- probability or the chance of an event to happen that will lead to losses. This can be measured
from the vulnerabilities of asset. The more vulnerabilities, the more the asset is in risky condition.

The following sets an example scenario that will show how threat, hazard, vulnerability and correlate with
each other: