The Interdependent Nature of National Cyber Security: Motivating Private Action for a Public Good

Abstract

The federal government relies largely on voluntary actions by the private firms that comprise the nation’s critical infrastructure to secure their operations. Several recent reports have highlighted the potential for cyber security externalities if IT and control systems are not more sufficiently secured. This research will employ a mixed methods approach in an effort to extend limited empirical research regarding the problem of national security in cyberspace. The first perspective will employ an agent-based model to analyze the cyber security investment decision in the defense industrial base. The second will be a case study of the information-sharing network between the electricity sector and the federal government.