Study on Financial-sector Information Security Level Assessment and Improvement Anticipation Model

Infringement threats to the financial sector have become more sophisticated and intelligent. In order to more effectively respond to such threats, the financial sector faces the need to perform the assessment of information security maturity level on a voluntary basis in order to better understand organizational information security situation and improve own vulnerabilities to reinforce information security. The study, in reflection of financial industrial environmental characteristics, builds a comprehensive and systematic information security assessment indices specialized in the financial sector while presenting an information security maturity level assessment model based on the indices as well as an information security improvement anticipation model through vulnerability remedy. The quantification of vulnerability levels of the control item suggested herein and the improvement anticipation model based on vulnerability correction, in particular, supports an organization under the assessment to address its vulnerabilities to effectively enhance organizational information security. In the absence of such an information security assessment model, the financial sector has poorly performed in assessing own information security activities. With the models suggested herein being in place, the sector is expected to make an active use of it to facilitate information security assessment and improve the general information security maturity level of individual financial institutions and the financial industry as a whole