In this two-part series, we examine the landscape of cyber threats as they currently exist.
Advancements in technology have raised the level of acknowledgment of threats in the cyber age. These threats touch both the business world and personal lives. Information technology is no longer a “back-office” function. Once considered a process area that was solely part of the Chief Information Officer’s domain, companies must now acknowledge that whether the threats are internal or external, they are very real and can and will cause harm to many organizations in many ways. As a result, it is imperative that professionals across the company understand and be prepared to deal with the multitude of ever-growing cyber threats.
In this two-part series, we examine the landscape of cyber threats as they currently exist. We take a look at the biggest incidents related to cyber security of the 21st century (so far). We then delve into obtaining an understanding of the various threats that can impact our everyday lives, both business and personal.
Part two of this series will deal with a topic that has hit the boardroom and governance body agenda of almost all companies – Cyber Risk Management. In part two we discuss the various cyber risk management frameworks available and how your organization can utilize them to be prepared for the inevitable.
Field of Study: Information Technology
Lynn Fountain has over 45 years of experience spanning public accounting, corporate accounting and consulting. 24 years of her experience has been working in the areas of internal and external auditing. She is a subject matter expert in multiple fields including internal audit, ethics, fraud evaluations, Sarbanes-Oxley, enterprise risk management, governance, financial management and compliance. Ms. Fountain has held two Chief Audit Executive positions for international companies. In 2011, as the Chief Audit Executive for an international construction/ engineering firm, she was involved in the active investigation of a joint venture fraud. The investigation included work with the FBI and ultimately led to indictment of the perpetrators and recovery of $13M. Ms. Fountain is currently engaged in her own training and consulting business and is a regular trainer for the AICPA. Ms. Fountain is the author of three separate technical books. “Raise the Red Flag – The Internal Auditors Guide to Fraud Evaluations” was published by the Institute of Internal Auditors Research Foundation. -“Leading The Internal Audit Function” and -“Ethics and The Internal Auditor Political Dilemma” were published by Taylor & Francis In addition Ms. Fountain was a contributing author to the certification program exam for the National Association of Accountants. She also has certificate programs on various on-line platforms. Ms. Fountain has performed as an adjunct instructor for the School of Business for Grantham University and developed the first internal audit curriculum for the School of Business at the University of Kansas. Ms. Fountain obtained her BSBA from Pittsburg State University and her MBA from Washburn University in Kansas. She has her CGMA, CRMA credentials and CPA certificate (non-active).
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