Moving from a "human-as-problem" to a "human-as-solution" cybersecurity mindset

Cybersecurity has gained prominence, with a number of widely publicised security incidents, hacking attacks and data breaches reaching the news over the last few years. The escalation in the numbers of cyber incidents shows no sign of abating, and it seems appropriate to take a look at the way cybersecurity is conceptualised and to consider whether there is a need for a mindset change.To consider this question, we applied a "problematization" approach to assess current conceptualisations of the cybersecurity problem by government, industry and hackers. Our analysis revealed that individual human actors, in a variety of roles, are generally considered to be "a problem". We also discovered that deployed solutions primarily focus on preventing adverse events by building resistance: i.e. implementing new security layers and policies that control humans and constrain their problematic behaviours. In essence, this treats all humans in the system as if they might well be malicious actors, and the solutions are designed to prevent their ill-advised behaviours. Given the continuing incidences of data breaches and successful hacks, it seems wise to rethink the status quo approach, which we refer to as "Cybersecurity, Currently". In particular, we suggest that there is a need to reconsider the core assumptions and characterisations of the well-intentioned human's role in the cybersecurity socio-technical system. Treating everyone as a problem does not seem to work, given the current cyber security landscape.Benefiting from research in other fields, we propose a new mindset i.e. "Cybersecurity, Differently". This approach rests on recognition of the fact that the problem is actually the high complexity, interconnectedness and emergent qualities of socio-technical systems. The "differently" mindset acknowledges the well-intentioned human's ability to be an important contributor to organisational cybersecurity, as well as their potential to be "part of the solution" rather than "the problem". In essence, this new approach initially treats all humans in the system as if they are well-intentioned. The focus is on enhancing factors that contribute to positive outcomes and resilience. We conclude by proposing a set of key principles and, with the help of a prototypical fictional organisation, consider how this mindset could enhance and improve cybersecurity across the socio-technical system

Redefining cybersecurity through processual ontology of the cyberspace

The way cyberspace is conceptualized in security discourses shapes strategies, tools and possible solutions developed within the ICT security debate. Putting forward processual ontology of cyberspace helps in apprehending the unique dynamics of this new domain arising from the intersection of ICT with social and political phenomena. Cyberspace is presented as a process of data transmission and information cognition/processing in the digital domain. It contains time as an inherent dimension and includes all subjects and objects of this process: data (codes, packets, files, texts), information (structured or operationalized data), human and computer agents (people, software) and communication environment (hardware, protocols). Processual ontology is based on the fact that ICT is a man-made realm with almost unlimited potential to expand, where physical distance is lapsed and bits are the primary matter. This theoretical stance blurs the line between human and non-human agents, dehumanizing the idea of actorness by categorizing both humans and computers as actors. Finally, processual ontology of cyberspace promotes resilience strategies both in the private sector as well as on national and international level

Groups Online: Hacktivism and Social Protest

Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics, such as behavioral analysis, cyberpsychology, and online privacy, this book is geared towards IT specialists, administrators, business managers, researchers, and students interested in online ..

Social Engineering: I-E based Model of Human Weakness for Attack and Defense Investigations

Social engineering is the attack aimed to manipulate dupe to divulge sensitive information or take actions to help the adversary bypass the secure perimeter in front of the information-related resources so that the attacking goals can be completed. Though there are a number of security tools, such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems which are used to protect machines from being attacked, widely accepted mechanism to prevent dupe from fraud is lacking. However, the human element is often the weakest link of an information security chain, especially, in a human-centered environment. In this paper, we reveal that the human psychological weaknesses result in the main vulnerabilities that can be exploited by social engineering attacks. Also, we capture two essential levels, internal characteristics of human nature and external circumstance influences, to explore the root cause of the human weaknesses. We unveil that the internal characteristics of human nature can be converted into weaknesses by external circumstance influences. So, we propose the I-E based model of human weakness for social engineering investigation. Based on this model, we analyzed the vulnerabilities exploited by different techniques of social engineering, and also, we conclude several defense approaches to fix the human weaknesses. This work can help the security researchers to gain insights into social engineering from a different perspective, and in particular, enhance the current and future research on social engineering defense mechanisms

Improving Organizational Information Security Strategy via Meso-Level Application of Situational Crime Prevention to the Risk Management Process

Existing approaches to formulating IS security strategy rely primarily on the risk management process and the application of baseline security standards (e.g., ISO 27002, previously ISO 17799). The use of existing approaches generally leads to measures that emphasize target hardening and incident detection. While such measures are appropriate and necessary, they do not capitalize on other measures, including those that surface when situational crime prevention (SCP) is applied to specific crimes. In particular, existing approaches do not typically surface measures designed to reduce criminal perceptions of the net benefits of the crime, or justification and provocation to commit the crime. However, the methods prescribed to-date for implementing SCP are cumbersome, requiring micro-level, individual analysis of crimes. In the current article, we propose that concepts derived from SCP can be strategically applied at an intermediate (meso) level of aggregation. We show that such meso-level application of SCP, when combined with the traditional risk management process, can reduce residual information security risk by identifying new strategies for combating computer crime. Using three illustrative cases, we demonstrate that the application of the proposed strategic approach does surface meaningful countermeasures not identified by the traditional risk management process alone

The Terrorist - Hacker/Hacktivist Distinction: An Investigation of Self-Identified Hackers and Hacktivists

The academic literature on terrorism is filled with references to online activities, and the equation of hacking and hacktivism (i.e., politically motivated hacking) with cyberterrorism. This perspective ignores differences in capacities, scope, and motives. Besides, scholarly research is lacking examinations of those perceived as alleged ‘security threats’. This chapter therefore uses interviews with self-identified hackers and hacktivists (N = 35) to address this gap. It examines the distinction between hacking, hacktivism, and cyberterrorism, and studies the discourses and practices of hackers and hacktivists. Building upon the theoretical concept of (in)securitisation and the method of thematic analysis, the findings provide insights into (a) perceptions of hackers and hacktivists by external actors and their (b) self-assessment that stands in contrast to the viewpoints expressed earlier. The results highlight interviewees' objections to the translation of hacking and hacktivism into violent acts of any nature, with participants articulating that the connection of these concepts poses threats to civil liberties and political rights online. The chapter therefore has implications both for academic as well as professional discourse. It seeks to foster a more reflected engagement with these concepts and points to the need for concrete terminological delineations

DDoS: From Activist Event to Perpetual Crisis

This paper focuses on recent changes in the way Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are technically administered in order to reassess their role as an activist tactic. By contextualising current forms of attacks within the history of hacktivism, it is possible to discern a shift from DDoS as short-lived event to an enduring phenomenon. The paper discusses the implications of this temporal shift, in terms of a growing reliance on DDoS protection providers and increasingly opaque traffic flows that are managed by these new intermediaries. This discussion then extends towards infrastructure studies in order to question established notions about the relationship between breakdown and visibility. The paper concludes by calling for a stronger engagement with different temporal aspects of recurring communication crises in general and DDoS attacks in particular

The Rapid Increase of Ransomware Attacks Over the 21st Century and Mitigation Strategies to Prevent Them from Arising

Cyber-attacks have continued to become more common throughout the past century as more people are exposed to the Internet. Every year, various studies, reports, and scholarly research is done to emphasis the rapid increase of attacks. In this honors thesis, the student sought to gather further information about the rise of ransomware attacks, various cyber threats, discuss the psychological manipulation that exist, and provided the reader with an ethical complement of cyber-attacks. Additionally, case studies from previous research have been analyzed and mitigation strategies have been explained to provide the reader with practical application. This research emphasizes in on key issues that relate to the most recent cyber-attacks and the effects that it has had on the world