Cybersecurity Risk Multiplier for Portfolio Dependency Analysis
Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies for managing cybersecurity risk levels in portfolios of companies do not effectively identify shared features that influence cybersecurity risk events, failing to provide meaningful information on correlated risk levels.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing a multiplier to quantify cybersecurity risk levels by identifying common attributes between companies that experienced a cybersecurity event and those in the portfolio, generating a cybersecurity risk multiplier based on the number and degree of mutuality of these attributes, and enabling actions to mitigate the risk.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If current technologies are used to determine diversity of companies, then basic portfolio composition can be assessed, but meaningful information about correlated cybersecurity risk is not provided
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the risk assessment into multiple components: identifying common attributes (vendors, technologies, infrastructure), calculating a risk multiplier based on attribute mutuality, and determining correlated risk levels. This segmentation allows the system to process complex risk information in manageable steps while providing meaningful insights about portfolio-wide cybersecurity risk correlations.
2Measurement precision
If a comprehensive risk assessment system is implemented to identify shared features and calculate risk multipliers, then accurate correlated risk assessment is achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the risk assessment by introducing a risk multiplier parameter that quantifies the impact of shared attributes. By calculating this multiplier based on the number and mutuality of common attributes (vendors, technologies, infrastructure), the system achieves precise risk measurement while maintaining a structured, manageable approach through parameter-based calculation rather than complex analytical models.
Data Source
AI summary
A multiplier is utilized to quantify a cybersecurity risk level of a portfolio of entities (e.g., companies) and enable actions to mitigate that quantified risk. In doing so, features or attributes of one or more companies in a portfolio are compared to features or attributes of one or more companies that experienced an adverse cybersecurity event (e.g. a data breach). Further, a degree of dependency, such as a matrix of a number of shared vendors and the proximity of those vendors to the companies, can be measured between (1) portfolio companies and one or more companies that experienced a cybersecurity event, and/or (2) the portfolio companies themselves to better quantify the risk. That is, to more meaningfully analyze a cybersecurity event that occurred at one or more companies and better predict the likelihood of an occurrence at portfolio companies, embodiments can determine an n-degree interdependency between companies.