- quality and IT-support of search processes
of IT-security related information. This position
paper presents a literature review, the design of a
reference process for search and the Mergeflow
application to support the search of IT-security
information, to analyse this information and to
develop an operational common picture or a more
strategic operational picture.
While seeking data as well as during designing
the process and the tool some of the initial
assumptions of what eventually would be useful for
IT-security professionals had to be turned on its
head. First, we assumed that search of IT-security
information is about detecting weak signals as all
IT-professionals will attempt to stay ahead of the
game. This is what IS and IT-security literature
suggest and what an IT-professional would think as
to be cool (cf. Stuxnet). Our analysis suggests that
most IT-professionals would benefit from being
provided support when monitoring professional
sources and structuring this information.
IT-management would benefit from search of
IT-security information as a standard process with a
scope and quality criteria. We suggest that it should
be implemented as a dedicated role within the
organization (instead of a joint effort of employees
done partly in the leisure time). Our reference
process suggests scope and criteria (cf. also (Dännart
et al. 2016) for such a search.
The Mergeflow application itself however would
need customization as well as integration, in
particular consulting effort as very little is known
about the relevance of search of IT-security of an
organization and the needs to get this information
search and analysis structured. It is still an open
question what a useful operational cybersecurity
picture should look like. Consequently, more
research needs to be done here.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to acknowledge the funding from
IUK Bayern for project “Laufend aktuelles
Cybersecurity Lagebild“ (FKZ:IUK-1304-0011//
IUK427-004). We are grateful to our interview
partners for their valuable input.
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