Security Breach

Security Breach at TJX

Overview

TJX is one of the leading companies of the world. With the evolution of the internet, the company shifted its processes online and started utilizing the World Wide Web to conduct business operations. However, the internet is not a risk free medium and soon, the company was impacted by online breaches and hacks. The company was hit by hackers in 2006. Due to lack of security, data of more than 46 million customers were affected. This paper studies the impact of the breach on the company and its implications on similar businesses and organizations.

Discussion

What are the (a) people, (b) work process and (c) technology failure points in TJX's security that require attention?

The main failure points in the processes at TJX that led to the failure of the company include the lack of interest and monitoring that the workforce had towards the sensitive information that was stored on the servers of the company. As the CIO Richel realized, the workforce was not too concerned (or, they did not realize) about the sensitivity of the data being stored with the company. Additionally, the processes were not too streamlined; different people had access to multiple data, which included data that was not of much importance or relevance to their work. Finally, the main reason why the company faced breaches was because their IT framework was weak and poorly secured.

How should the company's IT security be improved and strengthened?

The company could have secured their organization by restricting access from external entities.due to the prevailing risk of breaches and attacks, most companies construct their own infrastructure and operate on an intranet network rather than an external internet network. Access from outside is generally routed through proper protocol where strict monitoring is done to ensure that there is no breach or misuse. At ...