A phenomenological examination of susceptibility to cyber deception

In the cyber defense of the United States Government's networks, there exists the phenomenon of protecting the networks against the known threats, knowing there is a possibility that even with no indication, networks may be compromised. This phenomenological study examines computer network defense professionals on their feelings of susceptibility to the APT's use of deception to explore the defense analysts' perception of the true state of security. The study specifically addresses the vulnerability of the shortage of skilled personnel in the defense community that creates an exploitable opportunity for the APT to hide in plain sight. The APT can pursue their primary target with little to no attention by diverting the attention of a limited defense community to highly visible attacks through the use of a cyber-feint. The collective experience of the participants showed that most felt susceptible to cyber-feints.