Are we ready for cyberterrorist attacks?—Examining the role of individual resilience

2018 | Information & Management | Citations: 20

Authors: Hua, Jian; Chen, Yan; Luo, Xin (Robert)

Abstract: This study measures individual resilience to cyberterrorist attacks on financial ... Expand

Abstract: This study measures individual resilience to cyberterrorist attacks on financial systems and explores the antecedents of resilience. The research model integrates the resilience literature with the fear appraisal literature to address individuals’ fears of cyberterrorist attacks on financial systems. The model is tested using data collected through an online survey. The results show that (1) community support and family financial management significantly increase resilience toward cyberterrorist attacks, and (2) resilience to and fear of cyberterrorist attacks significantly influence individuals’ behaviors in handling their finances. This research helps IT practitioners to develop strategies to build cyber resilience capacities among individuals and communities. Collapse

Topics: financial information system IT security threat IT security cyberterrorism IS failure

Methods: survey partial least squares regression statistical hypothesis test structural equation modeling theory development

Leveraging fairness and reactance theories to deter reactive computer abuse following enhanced organisational information security policies: an empirical study of the influence of counterfactual reasoning and organisational trust

2015 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 0

Authors: Lowry, Paul Benjamin; Posey, Clay; Bennett, Rebecca (Becky) J.; Roberts, Tom L.

Abstract: Research shows that organisational efforts to protect their information assets f ... Expand

Abstract: Research shows that organisational efforts to protect their information assets from employee security threats do not always reach their full potential and may actually encourage the behaviours they attempt to thwart, such as reactive computer abuse (CA). To better understand this dilemma, we use fairness theory (FT) and reactance theory (RT) to explain why employees may blame organisations for and retaliate against enhanced information security policies (ISPs). We tested our model with 553 working professionals and found support for most of it. Our results show that organisational trust can decrease reactive CA. FT suggests that explanation adequacy (EA) is an important factor that builds trust after an event. Our results also suggest that trust both fully mediates the relationship between EA and CA and partially mediates the relationship between perceived freedom restrictions related to enhanced ISPs and reactive CA. EA also had a strong negative relationship with freedom restrictions. Moreover, organisational security education, training and awareness (SETA) initiatives decreased the perceptions of external control and freedom restrictions and increased EA, and advance notification of changes increased EA. We also included 14 control variables and rival explanations to determine with more confidence what drove reactive CA in our context. Notably, the deterrence theory (DT)-based constructs of sanction severity, certainty and celerity had no significant influence on reactive CA. We provide support for the importance of respectful communication efforts and SETA programmes, coupled with maximising employee rights and promoting trust and fairness to decrease reactive CA. These efforts can protect organisations from falling victim to their own organisational security efforts. Collapse

Topics: IT security threat information system use organizational context IT security electronic mail

Methods: survey survey design partial least squares regression literature study hierarchical linear modeling

Theories: fairness theory reactance theory justice theory

Genetic programming for prevention of cyberterrorism through dynamic and evolving intrusion detection

2007 | Decision Support Systems | Citations: 8

Authors: Hansen, James V.; Lowry, Paul Benjamin; Meservy, Rayman D.; McDonald, Daniel M.

Abstract: Because malicious intrusions into critical information infrastructures are essen ... Expand

Abstract: Because malicious intrusions into critical information infrastructures are essential to the success of cyberterrorists, effective intrusion detection is also essential for defending such infrastructures. Cyberterrorism thrives on the development of new technologies; and, in response, intrusion detection methods must be robust and adaptive, as well as efficient. We hypothesize that genetic programming algorithms can aid in this endeavor. To investigate this proposition, we conducted an experiment using a very large dataset from the 1999 Knowledge Discovery in Database (KDD) Cup data, supplied by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and MIT's Lincoln Laboratories. Using machine-coded linear genomes and a homologous crossover operator in genetic programming, promising results were achieved in detecting malicious intrusions. The resulting programs execute in real time, and high levels of accuracy were realized in identifying both positive and negative instances. Collapse

Topics: intrusion detection system cyberterrorism structured query language desktop computer artificial intelligence

Methods: experiment computational algorithm genetic optimization machine learning literature study