Question

Question 2: Top Gear is a car manufacturer company having its business within Australia. Recently, the company hired Holly as a cyber security specialist. While explaining the company’s data management process, the manager informed Holly that Top Gear’s data resides in a different country. After listening to this, Holly got worried… Answer the following: a. What aspect/concept of computer security may become an issue for Top Gear that makes Holly worried? Define that concept. b. What could be the possible consequences that Top Gear may have to face due to the above issue? Discuss in terms of the three aims of security. c. What action can save Top Gear from the above consequences?

Answer 1

a. What aspect/concept of computer security may become an issue for Top Gear that makes Holly worried? Define that concept.

There are various laws that are enacted about the storage of data in various countries. Each country needs to follow their own set of rules for storage of data. So, the issue for Top Gear that makes Holly worried is the Data Localisation or data residency law. It is explained in detail as follows:

Data Localisation: This basically means that the data about the residents and companies within a specific nation must be stored,processed, analysed and collected inside the nation should be transferred internationally only after meeting various laws abiding that data.The main goal for this is to protect the personal and financial information of the country’s citizens and residents from foreign surveillance which is essential for national security. Hence, even though Top Gear is an Australia based company, the data is stored in a foreign county. So, everytime the company needs to access some data it needs to follow the rules and laws abiding to the other country. Here, the data is not localised, and so Top Gear will need to rely on mutual legal assistance treaties (MLATs) to obtain access, delaying investigations and data access

b. What could be the possible consequences that Top Gear may have to face due to the above issue? Discuss in terms of the three aims of security.

The three aims of security are CIA, i.e. Confidentiality,Integrity and Availabity. The

Confidentiality: Confidential personal and financial information of Top Gear will have to undergo from foreign surveillance. The data privacy is disrupted and sensitive information becomes accessible to everyone.

Integrity: We canot ensure that information are in a format that is true. As the data is to be transferred everytime the receiver of the information, there might be various changes that might occur in data while transit. Unnnecessary data, missing data are various issues that can occur.

Availability: The data may or may not be available at all times. Because of being present in a different place, the immidiate access of the required data may not be possible.

c. What action can save Top Gear from the above consequences?

Data Localisation is the solution to the problem.Storing of data locally is helps law-enforcement agencies to access information. It also helps to minimize conflict of jurisdiction due to cross border data sharing. Easy access and storage of data at one single place will help to solve all data security related issues.