Cybersecurity Expert Performance and Measurement

Training the cybersecurity operator to some criterion of excellence has been at the forefront for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). However, it is unclear what experts are and what valid metrics exist to distinguish experts from other levels of expertise. Beyond these concerns with identifying experts, training programs are interested in understanding what individual attributes (e.g., performance monitoring abilities, prior work experiences, motivation and conscientiousness, risk attitudes, etc.) predict expertise and expert performance. We argue that individual performance is difficult to evaluate separately from team performance in cybersecurity operations, because of required teamwork skills necessary for team success. We aim to define and identify experts and assess individual attributes that impact the development of individual expertise nested within teams.