Information security challenges - vulnerabilities brought by ERP applications and cloud platforms

Abstract

The accounting profession is in a continuous process of change as ERP applications and emerging technologies such as cloud computing continue to bring improvements into the accounting and financial areas. Nevertheless, beside the variety of benefits, these technologies carry specific risks that can affect the fundamental characteristics and security aspects of data.This paper aims to highlight the most common vulnerabilities of ERP applications and cloud computing platforms in the context of digital accounting. At the same time, in addition to the technical aspects and good practices used to prevent and correct these vulnerabilities, the study focuses on a critical component of data security: the human factor. Moreover, the empirical research conducted has highlighted the fact that young professionals understand the need for sensitive data protection, but they do not always display the best behavior to prevent security incidents.This article aims to provide an overview of ERP applications and cloud computing platforms that are currently used in the financial and accounting field, focusing on the main technical vulnerabilities and the human factor, which is one of the most important aspects of data security.

History, Features, Challenges, and Critical Success Factors of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in The Era of Industry 4.0

“…Human factors are a major source of security breaches besides technical failure due to the lack of proper training of employees in an organization. For instance, Sony Picture Entertainment faced a major security breach in 2014 which cost them around 35 million dollars to recover their IT system (Rîndaşu, 2018). It happened when the directors of the company received an email from Apple asking for email verification.…”

“…Afterward, hackers collected the password from their Apple accounts which allowed them to gain access to confidential information of the company including Sony service passwords. This incident demonstrates how important it is to train and promote cyber security among employees in the organization (Rîndaşu, 2018). However, a large number of organizations are still unaware to create consciousness among their employees to handle confidential information properly, which makes the ERP application vulnerable.…”

History, Features, Challenges and Critical Success Factors of ERP in the ERA of Industry 4.0

“…Human factors are a major source of security breach besides technical failure due to the lack of proper training of employees in an organization. For instance, Sony Picture Entertainment faced a major security breach in 2014 which cost them around 35 million dollars to recover their IT system (Rîndaşu, 2018). It happened when directors of the company received an email from Apple asking for an email verification.…”

ERP Systems – Technological and Social Innovation for Sustainable Business

“…The process of developing ERP systems began with the need to automate the main activities of data processing and input (Rîndașu, 2018), but also to develop sustainably in a short time. According to Srivardhana and Pawlowski (2007), the implementation of ERP systems "provides new opportunities by developing different common cognitive structures for employees in different functional areas", giving the organization the opportunity to develop efficient innovative processes.…”