A Systems Thinking for Cybersecurity Modeling

Abstract

Solving cybersecurity issues requires a holistic understanding of components, factors, structures and their interactions in cyberspace, but conventional modeling approaches view the field of cybersecurity by their boundaries so that we are still not clear to cybersecurity and its changes. In this paper, we attempt to discuss the application of systems thinking approaches to cybersecurity modeling. This paper reviews the systems thinking approaches and provides the systems theories and methods for tackling cybersecurity challenges, regarding relevant fields, associated impact factors and their interactions. Moreover, an illustrative example of systems thinking frameworks for cybersecurity modeling is developed to help broaden the mind in methodology, theory, technology and practice. This article concludes that systems thinking can be considered as one of the powerful tools of cybersecurity modeling to find, characterize, understand, evaluate and predict cybersecurity.

Systems Thinking in Cybersecurity; Ending with the Beginning in Mind.

“…For Al Sabbagh & Kowalski [6] systems thinking means "a system of interrelated parts or subsystems that interact with each other and with their surrounding environment." This definition is close to that of Yan [10] who defines systems thinking as an "holistic approach intended to analyze how the parts of the system interact and how the emergence changes as a whole entity".…”

“…Yan [10] examines the use of systems thinking theories and methodologies for the purpose of constructing cybersecurity models. The paper "A Systems Thinking for Cybersecurity Modelling" elucidates the intricate dynamics of the operational environment in which organizations function, highlighting that the prevailing advantage is clearly tilted towards the attacker due to factors such as complexity, asymmetric information, and the comparative costs associated with attack and defense.…”

“…The paper "A Systems Thinking for Cybersecurity Modelling" elucidates the intricate dynamics of the operational environment in which organizations function, highlighting that the prevailing advantage is clearly tilted towards the attacker due to factors such as complexity, asymmetric information, and the comparative costs associated with attack and defense. Yan [10] concludes that "systems thinking can be considered as one of the powerful tools of cybersecurity modeling to find, characterize, understand, evaluate, and predict cybersecurity". Yan [10] provides a definition of systems thinking as "a holistic approach intended to analyze how the parts of the system interact and how the emergence changes as a whole entity".…”

“…Yan [10] concludes that "systems thinking can be considered as one of the powerful tools of cybersecurity modeling to find, characterize, understand, evaluate, and predict cybersecurity". Yan [10] provides a definition of systems thinking as "a holistic approach intended to analyze how the parts of the system interact and how the emergence changes as a whole entity".…”

“…Much of the selected literature explicitly cites system theories from the mid-1900s as influential publications that guided their research. Burrell et al [3], Enright et al [8], Vagle [9], Yan [10], Salim [11],…”