Investigating the Effectiveness of IS Security Countermeasures towards Cyber Attacker Deterrence

The efficacy of information system security countermeasures upon the deterrence of external cyber attackers has not yet been examined. As a result, organizations spend large sums of budgetary dollars upon countermeasures without knowledge of their effects upon the hackers who are waging the attacks. These countermeasures can be divided into two categories, both of which can be located inside or outside of the organization: active countermeasures, which directly inhibit or prevent an attack, and passive countermeasures, which obtain information about the attackers themselves. Using these categories, a framework of information system security countermeasures available to organizations was developed. The framework was evaluated in light of data collected from hacker bulletin boards to determine the effects of information system security countermeasures upon the intentions of these attackers to engage in their attacks.