What is an information security asset? How to classify and control it?

Want to understand what an information security asset is? In an era when the data and information a company produces and stores are extremely valuable, whether from an informational or a security standpoint, every piece of information carries high value.

A phrase attributed to mathematician Clive Humby became famous: “Data is the new oil.” That is why failing to protect it today can turn into an avalanche of losses, both for the company’s image and from a financial standpoint.

In this article, you will learn what an information security asset is, how information assets are classified and which main controls you need to adopt to protect your data and your customers’ data.

What is an information security asset?

We can define an information security asset as a corporate resource that has value for the company and must be protected through practices and policies that ensure its integrity, confidentiality, availability and authenticity.

So an information asset is any informational element that represents value for the company, such as databases, files, documents, contracts and so on.

An asset is the set of knowledge, data and information that the company generates, processes, shares and stores.

An information asset can also exist in physical or digital form and must be protected to preserve the integrity, availability and confidentiality of the information owner. So an information security asset can be a login and password saved in the cloud, as well as confidential information on a person’s piece of paper.

What are information technology assets?

Assets related to information technology can be defined as all the IT components the organization uses to protect its assets of any kind.

They are the technological devices (virtual, physical, hardware or software) that make up the organization’s IT ecosystem, such as physical storage devices, cloud storage services, hardware parts, antivirus software, firewalls, servers and so on.

How are information assets classified?

Classifying information assets is one of the requirements of the ISO 27001opens in a new tab standard and aims to establish protection levels for the different data and information that circulate in the company.

That defines who can access certain assets, when and how.

Assets should be classified considering the following criteria:

• value;
• legal requirements;
• criticality;
• sensitivity.

It is most common for each asset to be classified into one of four categories:

• Confidential;
• Restricted;
• Internal use;
• Public.

Here is a little more about each one:

1. Confidential

Confidential assets are at the highest level of protection.

The data and information in this category usually have high value for the company and can have very negative consequences if breached, corrupted, leaked and so on.

2. Restricted

Assets classified as Restricted have a medium level of protection. They are available to specific groups.

For example, you can restrict access to employee timekeeping information to the Human Resources department only.

3. Internal use

Assets with low potential to cause a negative impact on the company are categorized as Internal use.

This means data and information that, in principle, should be used internally by employees. However, if leaked, they would not cause significant harm to the business.

4. Public

Information assets classified as Public do not need their confidentiality protected by very sophisticated methods. However, it is essential to preserve their integrity and availability.

Information security controls: main methods

Information security controls are divided into two categories: physical and logical controls.

Physical information security controls refer to tangible devices that seek to protect the company’s data, such as security cameras, file rooms, flash drives and so on.

Logical controls are all the software structure that monitors access to the company’s information assets, such as encryption, passwords, digital certificates, cloud storage, biometrics, hashing and so on.

4 tips for good control of your company’s information assets

Now that you know what an information security asset is, here are 4 essential tips to help you control your company’s assets.

1. Build an inventory of all your information assets

Survey all the assets of the organization that belong to your company and classify them according to their format, risks and potential impacts.

This initial step will be essential to organize all the space that already exists and to have a standard for every time a new asset appears.

2. Label your assets

It is important to create a label for information assets. That way, whenever one is handled, the employee will know its confidentiality level.

This makes it easy to tell whether the data can be shared with colleagues or is extremely confidential information that could cause serious harm to the company.

3. Set rules for handling assets

The organization should have well-established rules for handling its information assets.

That way, everyone will know what to do and what not to do to preserve the integrity, confidentiality and availability of the data and information in circulation.

4. Test your assets’ vulnerabilities

To ensure the security of information assets, run vulnerability tests and identify risks and flaws that need to be fixed.

Besides information security, your company is exposed to other risks. Is managing all of that a challenge for you? Then check out a few tips:

Next steps

With the inventory and classification of assets up to date, the next step is to understand what can compromise each one. Promote the classification and control of data and information and protect your company’s assets!