Abstract for: Cooperation and Learning in Cyber Security Training Exercises

Cyber attacks pose a major threat to many organizations, and cooperation within and between organizations has potential to improve defensive capabilities. Tracer FIRE, a training program for cyber security incident responders, has begun to explore whether cooperation during training exercises can enhance learning. A system dynamics model was created using the Behavioral Influence Assessment framework, which uses well-established psychological, social, and economic theory to simulate cognition and interactions between people and their environments. The model was used to understand the relationship between cooperation and learning during Tracer FIRE, and to explore methods, using scenario exploration and sensitivity analysis, of increasing participants’ learning.