Abstract

The case “US Bancorp – Fighting off Malicious Attacks and Ensuring Business Continuity,” documents the measures taken by US-based banking conglomerate US Bancorp to fend off malicious attacks on its information systems and the steps taken by it to ensure business continuity after any disaster. The case describes in detail the cyber threats faced by the bank, and the vulnerabilities of its information systems. It then provides an insight into the tools and technologies adopted by the bank, such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) and geolocation services, to prevent malicious attacks. The case also takes an in-depth look at the framework for security and control at the bank including disaster recovery planning and business continuity planning.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Understand why information systems are vulnerable, especially those that are connected to the Internet
• Recognize the varied and complex threats faced by Financial Institutions (FIs) that offer online banking facilities
• Analyze the latest tools and technologies available to FIs and their efficacy in protecting them against malicious attacks
• Scrutinize the disaster recovery planning and business continuity planning of an organization

Keywords

Information Systems Control; Risk Assessment; Security Policy; Disaster Recovery Planning; Business Continuity Planning; Internet Vulnerabilities; Malicious Software: Artificial Intelligence; Denial-Of-Service Attacks; Hackers; Computer Crime; Identity Theft; Software Vulnerability; Cyber Attacks; Machine Learning; Banking Trojans