Recent results have used game theory to explore the nature of optimal investments in the security of simple series and parallel systems. However, it is clearly important in practice to extend these simple security models to more complicated system structures with both parallel and series subsystems (and, eventually, to more general networked systems). The purpose of this paper is to begin to ad...

This paper proposes an approach for learning team behaviour to improve agent intelligence in teamoriented commercial computer games. The approach, named ‘symbiotic learning’, focuses on the exploitation of relevant gameplay experiences. The results of an experiment in the game QUAKE III show the symbiotic learning approach to be able to successfully learn effective agent behaviour. We conclude ...

Security exploits can include cyber threats such as computer programs that can disturb the normal behaviour of computer systems (viruses), unsolicited e-mail (spam), malicious software (malware), monitoring software (spyware), attempting to make computer resources unavailable to their intended users (Distributed Denial-of-Service or DDoS attack), the social engineering, and online identity thef...

When using security questions most users still trade-off security for the convenience of memorability. This happens because most users find strong answers to security questions difficult to remember. Previous research in security education was successful in motivating users to change their behaviour towards security issues, through the use of serious games (i.e. games designed for a primary pur...

Traditional game theory assumes that the players in the game are aware of the rules of the game. However, in practice, often the players are unaware or have only partial knowledge about the game they are playing. They may also have knowledge that other players have only partial knowledge of the game they are playing, which they can try to exploit. We present a novel mathematical formulation of ...

It is widely acknowledged that internet security issues can be handled better through cooperation rather than competition. We introduce a game theoretic cooperative model against network security attacks, where users form coalitions and invest in joint protection. We analyze coalition formation in three canonical security games described in a previous work by Grossklags et al. Our findings reve...

Published by the ieee ComPuter soCiety ■ 1540-7993/09/$25.00 © 2009 ieee ■ ieee seCurity & PrivaCy 13 Stephen Bono, Dan CaSelDen, GaBriel lanDau, anD Charlie Miller Independent Security Evaluators J ames is 15 years old and loves playing computer games online with his friends. While playing his favorite game one day, he gets a message from a player he doesn’t know, telling him to check out a co...

Information technology (IT) security has emerged as an important issue in the last decade. To promote the disclosure and sharing of cyber-security information amongst firms, the US federal government has encouraged the establishment of many industry based Information Sharing & Analysis Centers(ISACs) under Presidential Decision Directive-63. We develop an analytical framework to investigate the...

A common assumption in security research is that more individual expertise unambiguously leads to a more secure overall network. We present a game-theoretic model in which this common assumption is challenged. Our findings indicate that expert users can be not only invaluable contributors, but also free-riders, defectors, and narcissistic opportunists. A direct application is that user educatio...

Security is a critical concern around the world that arises in protecting our ports, airports, transportation and other critical national infrastructure from adversaries, in protecting our wildlife and forests from poachers and smugglers, and in curtailing the illegal flow of weapons, drugs and money; and it arises in problems ranging from physical to cyber-physical systems. In all of these pro...