NOTICE: Due to a lapse in annual appropriations, most of this website is not being updated. Learn more.

Form submissions will still be accepted but will not receive responses at this time. Sections of this site for programs using non-appropriated funds (such as NVLAP) or those that are excepted from the shutdown (such as CHIPS and NVD) will continue to be updated.

U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

PUBLICATIONS

Analyzing Cybersecurity Definitions for Non-experts

Published

Author(s)

Lorenzo Neil, Julie Haney, Kerrianne Buchanan

Abstract

There is no standard definition for cybersecurity, with current definitions often being technically-complex and targeted at practitioners and academics. However, non-experts (those who do not have security expertise) need an understandable definition to provide a foundation for applying cybersecurity concepts. We take an initial step towards developing guidance on how to define and describe cybersecurity to non-experts. Unlike prior efforts that only consider definitions from authoritative sources, we performed a systematic search and analysis of cybersecurity definitions that include those that non-experts may encounter. We found that cybersecurity definitions are largely inconsistent in describing what cybersecurity is and does and often use overly-technical terminology. Our findings illustrate the full landscape of cybersecurity definitions and provide a basis for investigating which definitions may be best for non-experts.
Conference Dates
July 4-6, 2023
Conference Location
Kent, GB
Conference Title
IFIP International Symposium on Human Aspects of Information Security & Assurance (HAISA 2023)
Pub Type
Conferences

Download Paper

Local Download

Keywords

cybersecurity, definition
Usability and human factors and Cybersecurity and privacy

Citation

Neil, L. , Haney, J. and Buchanan, K. (2023), Analyzing Cybersecurity Definitions for Non-experts, IFIP International Symposium on Human Aspects of Information Security & Assurance (HAISA 2023), Kent, GB, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=936618 (Accessed October 14, 2025)

Issues

If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact [email protected].

Created July 4, 2023, Updated July 6, 2023
Was this page helpful?