The defender's dilemma : charting a course toward cybersecurity / Martin C. Libicki, Lillian Ablon, Tim Webb.

At head of title: RAND National Security Research Division.

"Prepared for Juniper Networks, Inc."

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

Introduction. -- Chief information security officers surveyed. -- The efficacy of security systems. -- Improving software. -- A heuristic cybersecurity model. -- Lessons for organizations and public policy. -- Appendixes. -- Bibliography.

Cover; Title Page; Copyright; Preface; Contents; Figures; Tables; Summary; Acknowledgments; Abbreviations; Chapter One: Introduction; Organization of This Report; Chapter Two: Chief Information Security Officers Surveyed; Common Knowledge Confirmed; Reasonable Suppositions Validated; Surprises; Some Conclusions; Chapter Three: The Efficacy of Security Systems; Measures and Countermeasures to Mitigate the Likelihood of an Attack; Attackers and Defenders Often Employ the Same Tools and Techniques; Security Product Development Has Sped Up

The Shift from Signature-Only to Behavior-Based Detection Having More-Sophisticated Tools Do Not Necessarily Equate to Smaller Error Rates; Measures and Countermeasures Developed to Mitigate the Impact of an Attack; Human Element Continues to Be a Great Weakness; A Cycle of Market Offerings; Ideal Solutions Can Depend on the Size of an Organization; Some Conclusions; Chapter Four: Improving Software; When Vulnerabilities Matter; Markets for Zero-Days; In the Short Run, Vulnerability Discovery Might Worsen Matters; Can Software Become Good Enough?; A Wave of (Connected) Gadgets

Some Conclusions Chapter Five: A Heuristic Cybersecurity Model; Model Structure; Results; Sensitivity Analyses; Conclusions; Chapter Six: Lessons for Organizations and Public Policy; Lessons for Organizations; Lessons for Public Policy; Some Conclusions; APPENDIXES; A. Questionnaire; B. Model Specification; C. Baseline Parameters; Bibliography

Cybersecurity is a constant, and, by all accounts growing, challenge. Although software products are gradually becoming more secure and novel approaches to cybersecurity are being developed, hackers are becoming more adept, their tools are better, and their markets are flourishing. The rising tide of network intrusions has focused organizations' attention on how to protect themselves better. This report, the second in a multiphase study on the future of cybersecurity, reveals perspectives and perceptions from chief information security officers; examines the development of network defense measures, and the countermeasures that attackers create to subvert those measures; and explores the role of software vulnerabilities and inherent weaknesses. A heuristic model was developed to demonstrate the various cybersecurity levers that organizations can control, as well as exogenous factors that organizations cannot control. Among the report's findings were that cybersecurity experts are at least as focused on preserving their organizations' reputations as protecting actual property. Researchers also found that organizational size and software quality play significant roles in the strategies that defenders may adopt. Finally, those who secure networks will have to pay increasing attention to the role that smart devices might otherwise play in allowing hackers in. Organizations could benefit from better understanding their risk posture from various actors (threats), protection needs (vulnerabilities), and assets (impact). Policy recommendations include better defining the role of government, and exploring information sharing responsibilities.