Mathematical and Statistical Opportunities in Cyber Security

TL;DR

This paper explores how advanced mathematics and statistics can address fundamental challenges in cyber security, emphasizing the importance of real-world data and the potential for new research opportunities.

Contribution

It highlights the need for mathematical and statistical approaches in cyber security and discusses open problems and research opportunities in the field.

Findings

Cyber security presents complex problems solvable by advanced mathematics.

Access to real-world data is crucial for understanding cyber security challenges.

The field offers rich opportunities for mathematical and statistical research.

Abstract

The role of mathematics in a complex system such as the Internet has yet to be deeply explored. In this paper, we summarize some of the important and pressing problems in cyber security from the viewpoint of open science environments. We start by posing the question "What fundamental problems exist within cyber security research that can be helped by advanced mathematics and statistics?" Our first and most important assumption is that access to real-world data is necessary to understand large and complex systems like the Internet. Our second assumption is that many proposed cyber security solutions could critically damage both the openness and the productivity of scientific research. After examining a range of cyber security problems, we come to the conclusion that the field of cyber security poses a rich set of new and exciting research opportunities for the mathematical and statistical sciences.