On the imbalance of the security problem space and its expected consequences

Purpose – This paper aims to report on the results of an analysis of the computer security problem space, to suggest the areas with highest potential for making progress in the attacker-defender game, and to propose questions for future research. Design/methodology/approach – The decomposition of the attacker-defender game into technological, human, and social factors enables one to analyze the concentration of public research efforts by defenders. First, representative activities are selected, then each activity is mapped into the technological, human and social (THS) basis. Afterwards, citation databases are used to estimate the relative volume of publications on each selected activity in the science and engineering communities. Finally, drawing on a number of relevant theories in organizational theory, sociology, and political science, avenues for exploring the social dimension by the defenders are discussed. Findings – The analysis suggests that over 94 percent of the public...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2007
• Where: IMCS
• Authors: Konstantin Beznosov, Olga Beznosova
• Keywords: IMCS 2007, Research, Social, Social Factors