Abstract:
As cybersecurity vulnerabilities emerge with more dependence on digitization in various industries, there have been increasing challenges in defending against various cyber threats and attacks for all types of organizations including critical infrastructure facilities. Significant research is needed to address such challenges. The Art of War, a
masterpiece of military strategies and tactics by Sun Tzu over 2,500 years ago, has been applied to strategic management and tactical operations in a wide range of fields, including cybersecurity and information warfare. This research paper draws upon the power of knowledge from Sun Tzu’s classic work and proposes a knowledge-based model for cyber defense. The model focuses on the role of knowledge (and the lack of knowledge) of vulnerabilities of yourself and your opponent in cyber defense. The proposed model is illustrated with simulations of knowledge discovery for cyber defense with penetration testing using a virtual network environment.
