Top Management Leadership in Combating Information Security Threats through Organizational Information Security Practices

This study aims to examine the relationship between top management's role and information security practices (ISP) within Malaysian organizations and investigate the relationship between ISP and their effect on information security threats. A quantitative research design was used, and 352 questionnaires were collected from managers and executives of Malaysia Digital (MD)-status organizations in Malaysia. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test all 18 hypotheses developed for this research. The results show that top management is highly associated with ISP in MD-status organizations, and the empirically-based framework developed in this research makes a significant contribution to the area of information security (InfoSec). The study highlights the importance of establishing an ISP that enlists the support of top management to lower the risk of information security threats and develop the organization's core principles. This research addresses the necessity for a thorough, coherent, and empirically verified Top Management Roles and ISP to reduce the risk of information security threats in Malaysian information technology (IT) companies.