Protecting Confidential Information

It is becoming more common for data to be released to unauthorized parties. With an increasingly digitized world with networked computers, data breaches are a growing concern. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse reports that more than 500,000,000 sensitive records were breached between January 2005 and August 2010 in the United States alone (Stevens, 2012).

Data breaches can include theft or loss of digital media, including computer tapes, hard drives, or laptop computers. The criminals look for data on these computer networks. Some of the information on these computer networks includes the following:

• Personal health information
• Financial information, such as credit card or bank details
• Trade secrets
• Information that is otherwise considered private

For this assignment, you will create a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation on the history and effects of security breaches in IT.

Scenario:

You have been asked to create a plan for the board of directors in your organization on the history and effects of security breaches in the IT field. Within your presentation, you have been asked to include the following:

• An explanation of digital forensics and what a data breach is, along with real-life examples
• Your plan for the organization to safeguard against possible data breaches

Tasks:

Prepare a 6- to 8-slide Microsoft PowerPoint presentation with detailed speaker notes for each slide, aimed at the board of directors of the organization. You need to:

• Define digital forensics.
• Explain what a data breach is. Include a summary of legal and criminal issues related to data breaches. Support your explanation using at least two real-life examples of data breaches. Include citations from each of this module's readings.
• Illustrate your plan to protect your organization against possible data breaches. Include specific points and measurable goals.

Note: Your final product should be a 6- to 8-slide Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, incorporating two to three scholarly sources beyond your course textbook.