Fear, Uncertainty, and Dread: Cognitive Heuristics and Cyber Threats
Advances in cyber capabilities continue to cause apprehension among the public. With states engaging in cyber operations in pursuit of its perceived strategic utility, it is unsurprising that images of a “Cyber Pearl Harbor” remain appealing. It is crucial to note, however, that the offensive action...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cogitatio
2018-06-01
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| Series: | Politics and Governance |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/1279 |
| _version_ | 1828429679102525440 |
|---|---|
| author | Miguel Alberto Gomez Eula Bianca Villar |
| author_facet | Miguel Alberto Gomez Eula Bianca Villar |
| author_sort | Miguel Alberto Gomez |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Advances in cyber capabilities continue to cause apprehension among the public. With states engaging in cyber operations in pursuit of its perceived strategic utility, it is unsurprising that images of a “Cyber Pearl Harbor” remain appealing. It is crucial to note, however, that the offensive action in cyberspace has only had limited success over the past decade. It is estimated that less than 5% of these have achieved their stated political or strategic objectives. Moreover, only five states are thought to have the capabilities to inflict or threaten substantial damage. Consequently, this raises the question of what accounts for the continued sense of dread in cyberspace. The article posits that this dread results from the inappropriate use of cognitive shortcuts or heuristics. The findings herein suggest that the lack of experience in dealing with cyber operations encourages uncertainty, which motivates decision-makers to base their judgements on pre-existing, and possibly incorrect, conceptions of cyberspace. In response, the article segues into potential solutions that can mitigate unsubstantiated dread towards cyberspace by peering into the role that attributes at the organizational level can play in tempering the position of individuals. The suggested considerations are rooted in the interactions between the micro and macro level processes in forming judgments, sensemaking, and ultimately, mobilizing actions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T17:37:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-835d689cfd3d47e982326a3bc9caee09 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2183-2463 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T17:37:39Z |
| publishDate | 2018-06-01 |
| publisher | Cogitatio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Politics and Governance |
| spelling | doaj.art-835d689cfd3d47e982326a3bc9caee092022-12-22T01:39:29ZengCogitatioPolitics and Governance2183-24632018-06-0162617210.17645/pag.v6i2.1279742Fear, Uncertainty, and Dread: Cognitive Heuristics and Cyber ThreatsMiguel Alberto Gomez0Eula Bianca Villar1Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich, SwitzerlandDepartment of Business and Technology, La Salle Universitat Ramon Llull, SpainAdvances in cyber capabilities continue to cause apprehension among the public. With states engaging in cyber operations in pursuit of its perceived strategic utility, it is unsurprising that images of a “Cyber Pearl Harbor” remain appealing. It is crucial to note, however, that the offensive action in cyberspace has only had limited success over the past decade. It is estimated that less than 5% of these have achieved their stated political or strategic objectives. Moreover, only five states are thought to have the capabilities to inflict or threaten substantial damage. Consequently, this raises the question of what accounts for the continued sense of dread in cyberspace. The article posits that this dread results from the inappropriate use of cognitive shortcuts or heuristics. The findings herein suggest that the lack of experience in dealing with cyber operations encourages uncertainty, which motivates decision-makers to base their judgements on pre-existing, and possibly incorrect, conceptions of cyberspace. In response, the article segues into potential solutions that can mitigate unsubstantiated dread towards cyberspace by peering into the role that attributes at the organizational level can play in tempering the position of individuals. The suggested considerations are rooted in the interactions between the micro and macro level processes in forming judgments, sensemaking, and ultimately, mobilizing actions.https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/1279cybersecuritycyber threatsdreadexperimentheuristics |
| spellingShingle | Miguel Alberto Gomez Eula Bianca Villar Fear, Uncertainty, and Dread: Cognitive Heuristics and Cyber Threats Politics and Governance cybersecurity cyber threats dread experiment heuristics |
| title | Fear, Uncertainty, and Dread: Cognitive Heuristics and Cyber Threats |
| title_full | Fear, Uncertainty, and Dread: Cognitive Heuristics and Cyber Threats |
| title_fullStr | Fear, Uncertainty, and Dread: Cognitive Heuristics and Cyber Threats |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fear, Uncertainty, and Dread: Cognitive Heuristics and Cyber Threats |
| title_short | Fear, Uncertainty, and Dread: Cognitive Heuristics and Cyber Threats |
| title_sort | fear uncertainty and dread cognitive heuristics and cyber threats |
| topic | cybersecurity cyber threats dread experiment heuristics |
| url | https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/1279 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT miguelalbertogomez fearuncertaintyanddreadcognitiveheuristicsandcyberthreats AT eulabiancavillar fearuncertaintyanddreadcognitiveheuristicsandcyberthreats |