Helping Non-Technical Business Executives Know if They are a Target of Cybercrime

Enwright, Jordan Robert (2023) Helping Non-Technical Business Executives Know if They are a Target of Cybercrime. Masters thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

The raise of cyber-attacks has posed significant challenges for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). There is often a disconnect between cyber security employees and business executives which hinders effective risk management if the business even has a cyber security team. This research aims to address this gap by proposing the development of a Cyber Crime Attractiveness Score (CCAS). A way to score a business’s cyber risk that utilizes basic business data to assess the likelihood of SMEs becoming targets for cyber criminals. Why use basic business data? Basic business data is used because unlikely firewall configurations, network segmentation, and other security policies, all employees should be able to answer basic questions about their business. These basic business specifications should be able to be tied to cyber risk factors. While other cyber security assessments exist most focus on being as detailed as possible which serves a great purpose but alienates those, they may need it the most, the non-technical staff. By focusing on simple business data and its connection to cyber risk, I believe that we can inform non-technical staff of their risk level without intimidating them. By providing executives with a clear and concise report, the CCAS aims to enhance their understanding of cyber risks, ultimately leading to improved cyber resilience within SMEs. To achieve this objective, the research follows a multifaceted approach. First, various cyber security reports are analysed to identify key elements and common vulnerabilities that make businesses susceptible to cyberattacks. This analysis serves as a foundation for understanding the motivations and tactics employed by cyber criminals, allowing the research to gain insights into the dynamics of cybercrime across different business sectors. The research leverages this knowledge to develop the Cyber Crime Attractiveness Score (CCAS). The CCAS is designed to combine information from the cyber security reports with the basic business data provided by employees, enabling a comprehensive assessment of a business's risk of being targeted by cyber criminals. By combining these two perspectives, the CCAS can offer executives an accessible and easy-to-understand report to help motivate informed decisions about cyber risk management strategies.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Supervisors:	Name Email Khan, Imran UNSPECIFIED
Uncontrolled Keywords:	cybersecurity; cybercrime; risk assessment; cyber risk
Subjects:	Q Science > QA Mathematics > Electronic computers. Computer science T Technology > T Technology (General) > Information Technology > Electronic computers. Computer science Q Science > QA Mathematics > Computer software > Computer Security T Technology > T Technology (General) > Information Technology > Computer software > Computer Security H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Small Business Sector
Divisions:	School of Computing > Master of Science in Cyber Security
Depositing User:	Tamara Malone
Date Deposited:	22 Oct 2024 11:00
Last Modified:	22 Oct 2024 11:00
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/7118

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