Cyber Social Value Helps Mitigate Cybersecurity Problems, Researchers Say

• This new approach to the cybersecurity ecosystem helps mitigate “Five I” problems such as Cyber Insecurity, Cyber Incompetence, Cyber Intransigence, Cyber Ignorance, and Cyber Insensitivity.
• Moreover, this new approach will enhance protection from information threats, such as malicious campaigns, disinformation campaigns, and information stealing campaigns that destroy national confidence.

A new report titled ‘Creating Cyber Social Value’ published by the Social Cyber Institute proposes that social science should be a central foundation for mitigating cybersecurity problems.

The big picture

Researchers noted that ‘creating social cyber value’ refers to an optimized information ecosystem performance which involves maximizing benefit while minimizing cyber insecurity and incompetence.

This new approach to the cybersecurity ecosystem helps mitigate “Five I” problems:

• Cyber Insecurity
• Cyber Incompetence
• Cyber Intransigence
• Cyber Ignorance
• Cyber Insensitivity

Moreover, this new approach will enhance protection from information threats, such as malicious campaigns, disinformation campaigns, and information stealing campaigns that destroy national confidence.

“This shortcoming is compounded by three others of equal or greater importance. First, the further socio-technical threat of unintended system failures, which may be dubbed 'cyber incompetence', is also largely unstudied outside the technical realm. Second, decisions for digital transformation in all organisations can undermine or enhance security, and are in turn impacted by the competence levels of the decision-makers. Third, the susceptibility of leaders, managers and users to be swayed by disinformation generated by the media or even vendors in fastmoving situations is an equally important threat to business and security,” researchers said in the report.

Key takeaway

As per the researchers, in order to maximize security in cyberspace, minimize incompetence in digital choices, curtail information uncertainty, and create a strong foundation for navigating the information revolution, we need to create social cyber value.