Inferential analysis using feedback for extracting and combining cyber risk information

1. A method, comprising:

assessing risk of a cyber security failure in a computer network of an entity, using a computer agent configured to collect information from at least publicly accessible Internet elements, wherein the assessing of risk comprises:

evaluating the collected information to obtain circumstantial or indirect information that is indicative of the entity;

cross referencing data in the collected information to confirm or infer that the entity is referenced in the circumstantial or indirect information that is indicative of the entity being referenced in the circumstantial or indirect information; and

at least one of increasing and decreasing the assessed risk if the circumstantial or indirect information is negative or positive;

automatically determining, based on the assessed risk, a change or a setting to at least one element of policy criteria of a cyber security policy;

automatically recommending, based on the assessed risk, computer network changes to reduce the assessed risk;

providing one or more recommended computer network changes to reduce the assessed risk, enactment by the entity of at least one of the one or more of the recommended computer network changes to reduce the assessed risk to the entity;

determining that the entity has enacted at least a portion of the recommended computer network changes, and in response, automatically reassessing the risk of a cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity based on the enacted recommended computer network changes; and

dynamically re-determining, based on the reassessed risk of a cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity, the change or the setting to the at least one element of policy criteria of the cyber security policy.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cyber security failure comprises a cyber attack.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cyber security failure comprises a privacy incident involving sensitive information.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the computer agent is further configured to perform at least one of collecting information from the computer network of the entity, and analyzing the information from the computer network of the entity.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

based on the assessing of risk of the cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity, plotting one or more features of the entity and other members of a peer group of the entity, the plotting being configured to visually illustrate the risk of a cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity; and

the automatically recommending of computer network changes being based on the plotting.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the plotting is performed in a matrix that visually illustrates the risk of a cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:

in response to the determining that the entity has enacted at least a portion of the recommended computer network changes, initiating the change or the setting to the at least one element of policy criteria of the cyber security policy.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the assessing of risk of the cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity comprises assessing, using a plurality of sophistication elements for the entity, a sophistication for the entity with respect to preventing the cyber security failure, the sophistication being one of features of the entity.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assessing of risk of the cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity comprises assessing, using a plurality of motivation elements regarding the entity, a motivation of an actor to initiate the cyber security failure, the motivation being one of a plurality of features of the entity.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the actor is a hacker.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assessing of risk of a cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity comprises:

assessing, using a plurality of sophistication elements for the entity, a sophistication for the entity with respect to preventing the cyber security failure, the sophistication being one of a plurality of features of the entity; and

assessing, using a plurality of motivation elements regarding the entity, a motivation of an actor to initiate the cyber security failure, the motivation being another one of the features of the entity.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising calculating a composite score from a motivation score and a sophistication score, the motivation score representing the plurality of motivation elements, the sophistication score representing the plurality of sophistication elements.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

creating an aggregate risk score of a portfolio of entities based on a plurality of motivation scores including the motivation score and a plurality of sophistication scores including the sophistication score; and

benchmarking over time at least one of the sophistication score, the motivation score, the composite score, and the aggregate risk score.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining a position of the entity relative to the aggregate risk score of the portfolio of entities, the portfolio of entities belonging to at least one of an industry group, a geographic location, a company size, a technology sector, or any combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the assessed risk of a cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity is a function of the aggregate risk score of the portfolio of entities.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

comparing the assessed risk of a cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity to the aggregate risk score; and

automatically generating and recommending additional computer network changes to reduce the assessed risk of a cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising identifying clusters of sophistication elements or motivation elements shared between two or more entities of the portfolio of entities, the clusters of sophistication elements or motivation elements being associated with an increase in the risk of a cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

identifying additional sophistication elements or motivation elements for at least one of the two or more entities of the portfolio of entities that are not shared with the portfolio of entities, the additional sophistication elements or motivation elements being associated with another increase in the risk of a cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity; and

generating recommendations for the at least one of the two or more entities of the portfolio of entities that will cause a decrease in the risk of a cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity.

19. The method of claim 11 , further comprising estimating at least one impact to the entity for a simulated cyber security failure, the simulated cyber security failure testing the sophistication of the entity and being affected by the motivation regarding the entity.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the estimating of the at least one impact to the entity for the simulated cyber security failure is dynamically calculated based on the determining that the entity has enacted at least a portion of the recommended computer network changes.

21. The method of claim 12 , further comprising providing attribution for a change in at least one of the composite, motivation, or sophistication scores, the attribution indicating a change in an underlying data set to effect the change in the at least one of the composite, motivation, or sophistication scores.

22. The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more recommended computer network changes affect at least one of the motivation and the sophistication of the entity in such a way that the assessed risk of a cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity is reduced.

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more recommended computer network changes is implemented automatically without intervention of the entity.

24. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

in response to the determining that the entity has enacted at least a portion of the recommended computer network changes, generating subsequent recommended computer network changes if the risk of a cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity has not decreased sufficiently to meet a threshold.

25. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cyber security policy is at least one of:

a cyber security policy from another entity; and

a product warranty for first and/or third party costs that the entity purchases from at least one of a networking, security product, and services provider.

26. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled with the processor, the memory storing instructions which when executed by the processor performs a method comprising:

assessing risk of a cyber security failure in a computer network of an entity, using a computer agent configured to collect information from at least publicly accessible Internet elements, wherein the assessing of risk comprises:

evaluating the collected information to obtain circumstantial or indirect information regarding the entity, the circumstantial or indirect information having an impact on the risk but the circumstantial or indirect information not specifically referencing the entity;

cross referencing data in the collected information to confirm or infer that the entity is referenced in the circumstantial or indirect information that is indicative of the entity being referenced in the circumstantial or indirect information; and

at least one of increasing and decreasing the assessed risk if the circumstantial or indirect information is negative or positive;

automatically determining, based on the assessed risk, a change or a setting to at least one element of policy criteria of a cyber security policy;

automatically recommending, based on the assessed risk, computer network changes to reduce the assessed risk;

providing one or more recommended computer network changes to reduce the assessed risk, enactment by the entity of at least one of the one or more of the recommended computer network changes to reduce the assessed risk to the entity;

determining that the entity has enacted at least a portion of the recommended computer network changes, and in response, automatically reassessing the risk of a cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity based on the enacted recommended computer network changes; and

dynamically re-determining, based on the reassessed risk of a cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity, the change or the setting to the at least one element of policy criteria of the cyber security policy.

27. A method, comprising:

receiving an assessment of risk of a cyber security failure in a computer network of an entity from a computer agent configured to collect information from at least publicly accessible Internet elements;

evaluating the collected information to obtain circumstantial or indirect information that is indicative of the entity;

cross referencing data in the collected information to confirm or infer that the entity is referenced in the circumstantial or indirect information that is indicative of the entity being referenced in the circumstantial or indirect information;

at least one of increasing and decreasing the assessment of risk if the circumstantial or indirect information is negative or positive, wherein the risk comprises an analysis of the circumstantial or indirect information that is indicative of the entity, the circumstantial or indirect information having an impact on the risk but the circumstantial or indirect information not specifically referencing the entity;

automatically determining, based on the assessed risk, a change or a setting to at least one element of policy criteria of a cyber security policy;

automatically recommending, based on the assessed risk, computer network changes to reduce the assessed risk;

providing one or more recommended computer network changes to reduce the assessed risk, enactment by the entity of at least one or more of the recommended computer network changes to reduce the assessed risk to the entity;

determining that the entity has enacted at least a portion of the recommended computer network changes, and in response, automatically reassessing the risk of a cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity based on the enacted recommended computer network changes; and

dynamically re-determining, based on the reassessed risk of a cyber security failure in the computer network of the entity, the change or the setting to the at least one element of policy criteria of the cyber security policy.