A Case Study on a Security Maturity Assessment of a Business-to-Business Electronic Commerce Organization

E-ISSN： 1539-2929|2|4|1-19

ISSN： 1539-2937

Source： Journal of Electronic Commerce in Organizations (JECO), Vol.2, Iss.4, 2004-10, pp. : 1-19

Disclaimer: Any content in publications that violate the sovereignty, the constitution or regulations of the PRC is not accepted or approved by CNPIEC.

Previous Menu Next

Abstract

GlobalUBid.com is a B2B (business-to-business) e-commerce company offering excess and obsolete inventory to online customers. GlobalUBid is rapidly expanding into the global online marketplace; but recently, its Web site crashed due to a denial-of-service (DOS) attack. A lack of security awareness at an organizational level has left GlobalUBid’s online system vulnerable to internal and external attacks. Though informal security policies are in place, many employees are not aware of them nor are they enforced on a regular basis. Unsecured aspects of the physical workplace make the organization vulnerable to disgruntled employees, hackers, and unscrupulous competition. GlobalUBid has hired URSecure consultants to conduct a security assessment in uncovering internal and external vulnerabilities. URSecure has made recommendations for improved security, though the organization must develop most of the implementation details. GlobalUBid management recognizes the need for improved security, though there is a concern about the financial implications of implementing a security plan.