Towards a Cyber Counterintelligence maturity model

Victor Jaquire, Sebastiaan Von Solms

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Cyber-attacks are on the increase [PWC, 2015]. Severe breaches, especially on critical information infrastructure are increasingly affecting nearly every environment - from citizens to private companies to governments. At present cyberspace is possibly more insecure than it has ever been and it will, at least for the near future, be the most secure that it is going to be [Bodmer, 2012]. "Staying vulnerable while waiting for a security patch from your software vendor is an anachronistic method that won't survive this new world" [Farchi, 2016]. The traditionally trusted defensive-only solutions are no longer sufficient to safeguard environments such as government and private business. Both of these environments need to be innovative in their approach to cyber issues. "Just as intelligence organizations are tracking the activities of terrorist cells trying to stop them before they take action, going after the malicious attackers before they are able to commit attacks is the desired approach" [Bodmer, 2012]. This desired approach, this paper argues, has to have Cyber Counterintelligence at its core. This paper aims to add to the budding discourse on cyber counterintelligence (CCI) through the position of a CCI maturity model. It explores cyber counterintelligence (CCI) and its relation to the main concept of counterintelligence (CI). It deliberates on the need for cyber counterintelligence (CCI) practices in conjunction with traditional defensive and/or offensive cyber measures within both government and private sector business. It argues the augmented effectiveness of cybersecurity when incorporating a dedicated focus on defensive, offensive, passive and active measures in a multi-disciplinary and integrated CCI approach. This culminates in a discussion on an appropriate CCI framework, as the underlying basis for a CCI maturity model, and highlights the quintessence for the establishment of a CCI maturity model that can be customised for government and private sector alike.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 12th International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security, ICCWS 2017
EditorsJuan R. Lopez, Adam R. Bryant, Robert F. Mills
PublisherAcademic Conferences and Publishing International Limited
Pages432-440
Number of pages9
ISBN (Electronic)9781911218258
Publication statusPublished - 2017
Event12th International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security, ICCWS 2017 - Dayton, United States
Duration: 2 Mar 20173 Mar 2017

Publication series

NameProceedings of the 12th International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security, ICCWS 2017

Conference

Conference12th International Conference on Cyber Warfare and Security, ICCWS 2017
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityDayton
Period2/03/173/03/17

Keywords

  • Cyber Counterintelligence
  • Cyber counterintelligence levels
  • Cyber counterintelligence maturity
  • Cyber threat intelligence
  • Defensive and offensive cybersecurity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Computer Networks and Communications

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Towards a Cyber Counterintelligence maturity model'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this