Cyber Operator Competencies: The Role of Cognitive Competencies in Cyber Operator Practice and Education

The theme of this thesis is the role of cognitive competencies in cyber operator practice and education. Cyber operator practice is a new field of research where the importance and attention is growing rapidly. Research has accumulated a solid amount of knowledge about the technical skills required by a cyber operator. However, less is known about the cognitive competencies that support cyber operator proficiency. In order to gain insight into the cognitive demands of cyber operators, the cognitions of young cyber officers(1) attending the Norwegian Defence Cyber Academy have been studied. Findings contributes to the development of theory and evidence-based knowledge needed to develop educational guidelines for the cyber operator workforce. This dissertation proposes and take steps towards validation of a conceptual framework, The Hybrid Space, that describes the cognitive work environment of military cyber operators. The Hybrid Space conceptual framework is introduced in the first article of this thesis and is used in all parts of the study. Methodological contributions include a method and a software to collect quantitative data on cyber operators’ cognitive focus and assess cognitive agility. Cognitive agility is proposed as a competence and a measure of cyber operator performance. Empirical data collected during a cyber defence exercise support our theoretical assumption and helps to further develop The Hybrid Space conceptual framework. Findings indicate that knowledge and understanding of cyberspace as a domain of operations and the cognitive competencies supporting cyber operator proficiency are limited. Cognitive agility is proposed as a cognitive competency and is associated with higher levels of selfregulation. These findings suggest that cognitive competencies can indeed support cyber operator performance. This thesis therefore contributes to cyber operator practice and education by suggesting that education and training would benefit from including the development of cognitive competencies alongside the technical education and training needed to become a cyber operator. In this way, this thesis adds new insight and perspective into the novel area of cyber operator practice. The results provide the first indications that cyber operator performance can be supported by the development of cognitive competencies during education. 1 Cyber officer and cyber operator are used interchangeably throughout the articles and this extended abstract. The reason is that the students undergo the same education, but the position they later get determine their career path and the accompanying title. The use of the terms is maturing in both military and civilian sectors. As of now neither finite guidelines nor agreed upon norms exist that guide the use of the title