R Street Institute

R Sheets Cybersecurity

Resources for Measuring Cybersecurity

by Kathryn Waldron
Oct 29, 2019
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Key Points

In the field of cybersecurity, there is no well-defined system that is capable of measuring cybersecurity in an objective, quantifiable, and comparative manner.
In light of this, the R Street Institute National Security and Cybersecurity Program has launched an initiative intended to fill this gap and create a system that is widely-accepted and easily accessible to decision-makers with limited resources.
This partial bibliography compiles a baseline of existing disparate measurement efforts. The document both summarizes the existing field and characterizes it.
This bibliography is neither comprehensive nor overtly technical in nature. Rather, it’s goal is to provide a systematic overview of the field that is both technically literate and of use to decision-makers in the public and private sectors.

Without accurate, standardized methods to measure cybersecurity, detecting and deterring cyber threats will continue to be more art than science. This partial attempt will shed light on some of the most pervasive and exciting work that has been and is currently being done.

Image credit: Toria

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