The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a company that allows telecommuting has challenged the Chief Security Officer’s (CSO) request to harden the corporate network’s perimeter. The CEO argues that the company cannot protect its employees at home, so the risk at work is no different. Which of the following BEST explains why this company should proceed with protecting its corporate network boundary?

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a company that allows telecommuting has challenged the Chief Security Officer’s (CSO) request to harden the corporate network’s perimeter. The CEO argues that the company cannot protect its employees at home, so the risk at work is no different. Which of the following BEST explains why this company should proceed with protecting its corporate network boundary?
A . The corporate network is the only network that is audited by regulators and customers.
B . The aggregation of employees on a corporate network makes it a more valuable target for attackers.
C . Home networks are unknown to attackers and less likely to be targeted directly.
D . Employees are more likely to be using personal computers for general web browsing when they are at home.

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Answer: B

Explanation:

Data aggregation is any process in which information is gathered and expressed in a summary form, for purposes such as statistical analysis. Data aggregation increases the impact and scale of a security breach. The amount of data aggregation on the corporate network is much more that on an employee’s home network, and is therefore more valuable.

Incorrect Answers:

A: Protecting its corporate network boundary is the only network that is audited by regulators and customers is not a good enough reason. Protecting its corporate network boundary because the amount of data aggregation on the corporate network is much more that on an employee’s home network is.

C: Home networks are not less likely to be targeted directly because they are unknown to attackers, but because the amount of data aggregation available on the corporate network is much more.

D: Whether employees are browsing from their personal computers or logged into the corporate network, they could still be attacked. However, the amount of data aggregation on the corporate network is much more that on an employee’s home network, and is therefore more valuable.

References:

Gregg, Michael, and Billy Haines, CASP CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner Study Guide, John Wiley & Sons, Indianapolis, 2012, p. 101

http://searchsqlserver.techtarget.com/definition/data-aggregation