Assessing Cyber Security 2015

Abstract

The article is based on the HCSS Report on Assessing Cyber Security.1 Following the introduction, it identifies fragmentation of reporting and presents threat assessment. Then it highlights the trends in cyber security, followed by a discussion on the importance of developing national cyber strategies. Last but not least, the authors provide general recommendations. The article is based on a review of 70 studies published by public authorities, companies, and research organizations from 15 countries over the last few years, and calls for international efforts to develop shared, commonly agreed definitions, metrics, and reporting standards to enhance threat assessments; to systematically anticipate trends and attempt to foresee potential new threats; to develop evidence-based cyber security policies that rely more on data and indicators, rather than subjective perceptions; and to consider setting up a mechanism to harmonize the collection and reporting of cyber statistics.