Cyber threat information sharing: Perceived benefits and barriers

The literature on cyber security information sharing enumerates an extensive list of potential benefits for organisations in both the public and private sectors. However, despite the potential benefits, successful cyber security information sharing has been difficult to achieve. We report upon a study that sought to measure the extent to which the benefits and barriers suggested by the cyber security information sharing literature are reflected in the attitudes of practising security managers and analysts. A self-administered online survey was used. The survey consisted of: several questions about the participants’ experience with cyber security information sharing; and two sets of Likert-type scale items to measure the respondents’ attitudes regarding the benefits and barriers identified in the literature. Our findings aim to highlight the gap between the theory and practice of information sharing and provide input for future research into design principles for information sharing systems and ways to mitigate threat information sharing challenges