Human Performance Factors in Cyber Security Forensic Analysis

McClain, Jonathan T.; Silva, Austin; Emmanuel, Glory; Anderson, Benjamin; Nauer, Kevin; Abbott, Robert G.; Forsythe, Chris

doi:10.1016/j.promfg.2015.07.621

Cited by 20 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…The results show that higher levels of self-regulation in cyber cadets are associated with displays of cognitive agility as measured by movement in The Hybrid Space, thus supporting the hypothesis. The environment that this CDX is replicating is earlier described as hybrid (Jøsok et al, 2016), and characterized by novel task demands (McClain et al, 2015), cognitive intense work (D’Amico et al, 2016), challenging situational awareness (D’Amico et al, 2005), team collaboration and coordination perspectives (Champion et al, 2012; Jøsok et al, 2017), communication challenges (Knox B.J. et al, 2018), and challenges in assessing performance (Ben-Asher and Gonzalez, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, there is to date no consensus about the operationalization, the assessment, and the quantification of cyber operator performance (Mancuso et al, 2014; Lathrop et al, 2016). There are though attempts to understand performance by comparing the use of software tools between novices and experts (McClain et al, 2015). With the current difficulties in assessing performance in cyber operations, and the absence of performance indicators in cyber operations, the proposed causality between displays of cognitive agility and performance can serve as a pathway to further research and insight into human performance in cyber operations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Self-Regulation and Cognitive Agility in Cyber Operations

et al. 2019

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Reliance upon data networks to conduct military operations presents new challenges to the competence profiles of military personnel. Specifically the increased demand for the new category of military cyber personnel is a direct consequence of the utility of the cyber domain in contemporary military operations, both to support leadership processes and as a domain of operations on its own. The conflation of the cyber and physical domains empowers cyber operators to influence events beyond their immediate physical environment. Proper education and training of such personnel requires new insight into the competencies that are beyond cyber specific technical skills, to govern the complexity of operating in a cyber-physical hybrid environment. This pilot research contributes to the debate on military cyber personnel competencies by investigating how cyber defense operator’s level of self-regulation can contribute to their performance in operations. We hypothesize that higher levels of self-regulation predicts higher levels of cognitive agility as measured by cognitive movement in The Hybrid Space conceptual framework. Displays of cognitive agility within The Hybrid Space have previously been linked to performance in defensive cyber operations. A positive association was therefore expected between levels of self-regulation and displays of cognitive agility. N = 23 cyber cadets from the Norwegian Defence Cyber Academy (NDCA) completed self-regulation questionnaires (SRQs) and self-reported their cognitive location in The Hybrid Space during a 4-day cyber defense exercise. Data showed that higher levels of self-regulation were associated with displays of cognitive agility. According to the regression models in use, self-regulation could explain 43.1% of the total cognitive movements in The Hybrid Space. Understanding factors that contribute to cyber operator performance are needed to improve education and training programs for military cyber personnel. Validating self-regulation as a contributing factor to cognitive agility is important as this can be a pathway to empirically underpin individual cyber operator performance.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Regulation and Cognitive Agility in Cyber Operations

et al. 2019

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“…In McClain et al, an experimental procedure is presented similar to our research method where participants are trained and raised to a proficiency level before conducting a technical experiment. These experiments generate datasets that capture detailed interactions between participants and computer systems including keystrokes, network traffic, and process trees [8]. Nonetheless, their approach does not scale well.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cybersecurity Methodology for Specialized Behavior Analysis

Padilla

Acosta

Kiekintveld

2021

Lecture Notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering

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Analyzing attacker behavior and generating realistic models to accurately capture the realities of cybersecurity threats is a very challenging task for researchers. Psychological personality and profiling studies provide a broad understanding of personality traits, but lack a level of interactive immersion that enables observers to collect concrete cybersecurity-relevant behavioral data. Participant's intricate actions and interactions with real computer systems are seldom captured in any cybersecurity studies. Our work focuses on capturing human actions and decisions to provide an empirical basis for these types of models. We provide a practical methodology that helps bridge the gap between theory and practice by facilitating construction, experimentation, and data collection for repeatable and scalable human experimentation with realistic cybersecurity scenarios. While our methodology is platform agnostic, we describe state of the art technologies that may be used to satisfy the objectives of each of the stages of the methodology.

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“…number of transitions between software tools). 19 Cyber exercises involve competitive events with teams, including problem solving, decision-making, analysis skills and situational aware-ness. Situational awareness (SA) in cyber security is seen relevant in describing, measuring and predicting human performance.…”

Section: Cyber Training and Exercisesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…targeting the way human perceive or interpret) cyberattacks are seen more serious threats since they target human interface. 6 Therefore, human performance is pertinent issue within cyber security, 7 where human and organizational factors play a significant role in the computer and information security (CIS) vulnerabilities. 8 Instead of only focusing human in cyber context, considerations to improve capabilities and human competences cyber domain has found the relevance of learning, education and training at the societal level.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Utilising Experiential and Organizational Learning Theories to Improve Human Performance in Cyber Training

Aaltola

Taitto²

2019

ISIJ

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Development of information technology and the globalization require constant investment in people. New and emerging technologies such as autonomous systems, machine learning and AI radically re-contextualize the human dimension of the organization. Strategic changes have revealed new critical vulnerabilities such as social media-based election meddling and disinformation campaigning with impact on the human aspects at state, societal, organizational and individual levels. Education and training raise the level of expertise, skills and competences and ensure better performance in complex cyber situations. Researchers have addressed assumptions, models, concepts and cognitive aspects of human performance in the cyber domain. However, the theories and approaches of human learning in training and exercises are only partly touched. New techniques for enhancing organizational cyber resilience to cyber-attacks are needed and they still lack sound theoretical foundations. This article aims to advance the discussion suggesting viewpoints on training and exercises in the cyber domain, taking into consideration specifics of skills in cyber security. It provides overview of theories of learning to better support human performance. Our critical interpretation enhances the comprehensive understanding of decision-making, learning theories, and design of cyber security training and exercises. Furthermore, our intention is to constructively promote discussion on current issues about human learning in cyber training and education and thus boost multidisciplinary studies to enhance cyber awareness.

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Human Performance Factors in Cyber Security Forensic Analysis

Cited by 20 publications

References 8 publications

Self-Regulation and Cognitive Agility in Cyber Operations

Self-Regulation and Cognitive Agility in Cyber Operations

Cybersecurity Methodology for Specialized Behavior Analysis

Utilising Experiential and Organizational Learning Theories to Improve Human Performance in Cyber Training

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