Page 174 - Cyber Terrorism and Extremism as Threat to Critical Infrastructure Protection

SECTION II: CYBER TERRORISM AND SECURITY IMPLICATION FOR CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION

In 1908, Yerkes and Dodson presented the Yerkes-Dodson law of the empirical relationship
between arousal and performance (Gjoreski et al., 2017). As shown in Figure 1, according to
this law, a human being performs at a near-optimal level under a clearly defined level of stress
(which is a useful proxy for arousal). Stress, therefore, is not necessarily a negative process,
as is commonly believed, but is a necessary component of optimal performance.

Figure 1: The Inverted U Relationship Between Arousal and Performance (Yerkes and
Dodson, 1908).

Recent technological developments have made it possible to measure stress more effectively
and less intrusively than ever before. As an example, the work of Gjoreski et al. (2017) made
very good progress in this area. Using wearable biosensors, the authors developed a method
to “accurately, continuously and unobtrusively, monitor psychological stress in real life”
(Gjoreski et al., 2017: p 159).

The results were achieved using a quantitative methodology in both controlled lab conditions
and natively in people’s homes, and then statistically comparing the results. Using this
method, Gjoreski et al. (2017) were able to accurately identify and measure unusual stress
levels of people in their homes. They were able to achieve a 96% accuracy, 70% of the time,
when contextual data was considered alongside the biological data from the devices. This is
accurate enough for immediate and meaningful real-world use.

This protocol, developed by Gjoreski et al., could be used to effectively identify threats in
the nuclear industry, if it were applied to staff. The potential threat, in this context, might not
simply mean a terrorist event; it has the potential to contribute to identifying and understanding
4
issues of lowered productivity and addressing the well-publicised negative mental health
consequences of chronic stress among employees. Issues of lowered productivity (or
distraction), and negative mental wellbeing can make individuals more error-prone and, thus,
represents a genuine threat within a nuclear facility, as discussed by Vrsec (2011). Of course,
4 Arousal to the same stimulus naturally reduces over time.

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