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Author(s):
Faheem Ahmed Shaikh Mikko Siponen
Journal
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Abstract

IS literature has identified various economic, performance, and environmental factors affecting cybersecurity investment decisions. However, economic modeling approaches dominate, and research on cybersecurity performance as an antecedent to investments has taken a backseat. Neglecting the role of performance indicators ignores real-world concerns driving actual cybersecurity investment decision-making. We investigate two critical aspects of cybersecurity performance: breach costs and breach identification source, as antecedents to cybersecurity investment decisions. We use organizational learning to theorize how performance feedback from these two aspects of cybersecurity breaches influences subsequent investment decisions. Using firm-level data on 722 firms in the UK, we find that higher breach costs are more likely to elicit increases in cybersecurity investments. This relationship is further strengthened if a third party identifies the breach instead of the focal firm. We contribute to the literature on cybersecurity investments and incident response.

Concluding remarks
The findings stress the need for firms to analyze aspects of their cybersecurity performance and use them as feedback for investment decisions, making these decisions data-driven and based on firm-specific needs.

Reference details

DOI
10.1007/s10796-023-10404-7
Resource type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2024
ISSN Number
1387-3326
Publication Area
Civilian cybersecurity
Date Published
2023-05-27

How to cite this reference:

Shaikh, F. A., & Siponen, M. (2024). Organizational Learning from Cybersecurity Performance: Effects on Cybersecurity Investment Decisions. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-023-10404-7 (Original work published)