Torvald Fossåen Ask

• Zehnder, Eloïse; Torgersen, Leanne; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Knox, Benjamin James; Morgenstern, Holger & Gaiser, Jeroen [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2024). Digital Twins and Extended Reality for Tailoring Better Adapted Cybersecurity Trainings in Critical Infrastructures. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS). ISSN 0302-9743. p. 233–252. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-61569-6_15.
• Lande, Natalie Marie; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Sætren, Sjur Skjørshammer; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio & Sütterlin, Stefan (2023). The Role of Emotion Regulation for General Self-Efficacy in Adolescents Assessed Through Both Neurophysiological and Self-Reported Measures. Psychology Research and Behavior Management. ISSN 1179-1578. 16, p. 3373–3383. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S406702. Full text in Research Archive
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Knox, Benjamin James; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Hoffmann, Lukas & Sütterlin, Stefan (2023). Gamification as a neuroergonomic approach to improving interpersonal situational awareness in cyber defense. Frontiers in Education. ISSN 2504-284X. 8. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2023.988043. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  In cyber threat situations, the establishment of a shared situational awareness as a basis for cyber defense decision-making results from adequate communication of a Recognized Cyber Picture (RCP). RCPs consist of actively selected information and have the goal of accurately presenting the severity and potential consequences of the situation. RCPs must be communicated between individuals, but also between organizations, and often from technical to non-/less technical personnel. The communication of RCPs is subject to many challenges that may affect the transfer of critical information between individuals. There are currently no common best practices for training communication for shared situational awareness among cyber defense personnel. The Orient, Locate, Bridge (OLB) model is a pedagogic tool to improve communication between individuals during a cyber threat situation. According to the model, an individual must apply meta-cognitive awareness (O), perspective taking (L), and communication skills (B) to successfully communicate the RCP. Gamification (applying game elements to non-game contexts) has shown promise as an approach to learning. We propose a novel OLB-based Gamification design to improve dyadic communication for shared situational awareness among (technical and non-technical) individuals during a cyber threat situation. The design includes the Gamification elements of narrative, scoring, feedback, and judgment of self. The proposed concept contributes to the educational development of cyber operators from both military and civilian organizations responsible for defending and securing digital infrastructure. This is achieved by combining the elements of a novel communication model with Gamification in a context in urgent need for educational input.

• Sütterlin, Stefan; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Mägerle, Sophia; Glöckler, Sandra; Wolf, Leandra & Schray, Julian [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2023). Individual Deep Fake Recognition Skills are Affected by Viewer’s Political Orientation, Agreement with Content and Device Used. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS). ISSN 0302-9743. 14019(9). doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-35017-7_18. Show summary

  AI-generated “deep fakes” is increasingly used by cybercriminals conducting targeted and tailored social engineering attacks, and for influencing public opinion. To raise awareness and efficiently train individuals in recogniz-ing deep fakes, understanding individual differences in the ability to recognize them is central. Previous research suggested a close relationship between politi-cal attitudes and top-down perceptual and cognitive processing styles. In this study, we investigate the impact of political attitudes and agreement with the political message content on individual deep fake recognition skills. 163 adults (72 females = 44.2%) judged a series of video clips with politicians’ statements across the political spectrum regarding their authenticity and their agreement with the message content. Half of the presented videos were fabricated via lip-sync technology. In addition to agreement with each statement made, global po-litical attitudes towards social and economic topics were assessed via the Social and Economic Conservatism Scale (SECS). There were robust negative associa-tions between participants’ general and social conservatism and their ability to recognize fabricated videos, especially when where there was agreement with the message content. Deep fakes watched on mobile phones and tablets were considerably less likely to be recognized compared to when watched on station-ary computers. This is the first study to investigate and establish the association between political attitudes and interindividual differences in deep fake recogni-tion. The study supports recently published research suggesting relationships between conservatism and perceived credibility of conspiracy theories and fake news in general. Implications for further research are discussed.

• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Kullman, Kaur; Sütterlin, Stefan; Knox, Benjamin James; Engel, Don & Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio (2023). A 3D mixed reality visualization of network topology and activity results in better dyadic cyber team communication and cyber situational awareness. Frontiers in Big Data. ISSN 2624-909X. 6. doi: 10.3389/fdata.2023.1042783. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: Cyber defense decision-making during cyber threat situations is based on human-to-human communication aiming to establish a shared cyber situational awareness. Previous studies suggested that communication inefficiencies were among the biggest problems facing security operation center teams. There is a need for tools that allow for more efficient communication of cyber threat information between individuals both in education and during cyber threat situations. Methods: In the present study, we compared how the visual representation of network topology and traffic in 3D mixed reality vs. 2D affected team performance in a sample of cyber cadets (N = 22) cooperating in dyads. Performance outcomes included network topology recognition, cyber situational awareness, confidence in judgements, experienced communication demands, observed verbal communication, and forced choice decision-making. The study utilized network data from the NATO CCDCOE 2022 Locked Shields cyber defense exercise. Results: We found that participants using the 3D mixed reality visualization had better cyber situational awareness than participants in the 2D group. The 3D mixed reality group was generally more confident in their judgments except when performing worse than the 2D group on the topology recognition task (which favored the 2D condition). Participants in the 3D mixed reality group experienced less communication demands, and performed more verbal communication aimed at establishing a shared mental model and less communications discussing task resolution. Better communication was associated with better cyber situational awareness. There were no differences in decision-making between the groups. This could be due to cohort effects such as formal training or the modest sample size. Conclusion: This is the first study comparing the effect of 3D mixed reality and 2D visualizations of network topology on dyadic cyber team communication and cyber situational awareness. Using 3D mixed reality visualizations resulted in better cyber situational awareness and team communication. The experiment should be repeated in a larger and more diverse sample to determine its potential effect on decision-making.

• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Knox, Benjamin James; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Helgetun, Ivar & Sütterlin, Stefan (2023). Neurophysiological and emotional influences on team communication and metacognitive cyber situational awareness during a cyber engineering exercise. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. ISSN 1662-5161. 16(1092056). doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.1092056. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Background: Cyber operations unfold at superhuman speeds where cyber defense decisions are based on human-to-human communication aiming to achieve a shared cyber situational awareness. The recently proposed Orient, Locate, Bridge (OLB) model suggests a three-phase metacognitive approach for successful communication of cyber situational awareness for good cyber defense decision-making. Successful OLB execution implies applying cognitive control to coordinate self-referential and externally directed cognitive processes. In the brain, this is dependent on the frontoparietal control network and its connectivity to the default mode network. Emotional reactions may increase default mode network activity and reduce attention allocation to analytical processes resulting in sub-optimal decision-making. Vagal tone is an indicator of activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal node of the frontoparietal control network and is associated with functional connectivity between the frontoparietal control network and the default mode network. Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess whether indicators of neural activity relevant to the processes outlined by the OLB model were related to outcomes hypothesized by the model. Methods: Cyber cadets (N = 36) enrolled in a 3-day cyber engineering exercise organized by the Norwegian Defense Cyber Academy participated in the study. Differences in prospective metacognitive judgments of cyber situational awareness, communication demands, and mood were compared between cyber cadets with high and low vagal tone. Vagal tone was measured at rest prior to the exercise. Affective states, communication demands, cyber situational awareness, and metacognitive accuracy were measured on each day of the exercise. Results: We found that cyber cadets with higher vagal tone had better metacognitive judgments of cyber situational awareness, imposed fewer communication demands on their teams, and had more neutral moods compared to cyber cadets with lower vagal tone. Conclusion: These findings provide neuroergonomic support for the OLB model and suggest that it may be useful in education and training. Future studies should assess the effect of OLB-ing as an intervention on communication and performance.

• Ask, Torvald Fossåen & Sütterlin, Stefan (2022). Prefrontally modulated vagal neuroimmunomodulation is associated with telomere length. Frontiers in Neuroscience. ISSN 1662-4548. 16. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2022.1063162. Full text in Research Archive
• Firth, Andrea M.; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Sütterlin, Stefan & Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio (2022). The Effect of Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Training on Vagal Tone in Athletically Talented Secondary School Students. Sports. ISSN 2075-4663. 10(10). doi: 10.3390/sports10100146. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  This study examines whether twelve sessions of heart rate variability biofeedback training would improve vagally mediated heart rate variability. If so, it would go some way in explaining why breathing based interventions reduces clinical symptoms and improves non-clinical performance outcomes. Methods: Thirty participants (N = 30, Nfemale = 13) aged 14–13-year-old talented athletes from a sport specialist school in SE London UK, were randomly divided into three groups, a control group, a psychology skills training combined with heart rate variability biofeedback training group, and a heart rate variability biofeedback only group. For the combined group a variety of typical psychological skill training techniques were also used. Results: Paired participant t test and the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test found non-significant differences between pre- and post-intervention measurements of SDNN, HF Log, pNN50 and RMSSD Log heart rate variability. Non-significant results remained even after pooling the biofeedback training groups (n = 19). Conclusion: Our results do not indicate that beneficial effects associated with focused breathing training can be attributed to improved vagal tone. Further investigation into the underlying mechanisms of the benefits of focused breathing techniques is necessary to maximize clinical and non-clinical outcomes.

• Canham, Matthew; Sütterlin, Stefan; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Knox, Benjamin James; Glenister, Lauren & Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio (2022). Ambiguous Self-Induced Disinformation (ASID) Attacks: Weaponizing a Cognitive Deficiency . Journal of Information Warfare. ISSN 1445-3312. 21(3), p. 43–58. doi: 10.31219/osf.io/2kbf9. Full text in Research Archive
• Sütterlin, Stefan; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Veng, Karl; Eck, Jonathan & Fritschi, Jonas [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2022). The Role of IT Background for Metacognitive Accuracy, Confidence and Overestimation of Deep Fake Recognition Skills. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS). ISSN 0302-9743. 13310, p. 103–119. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-05457-0_9. Full text in Research Archive
• Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Sütterlin, Stefan & Knox, Benjamin James (2021). The Influence of Team Workload Demands During a Cyber Defense Exercise on Team Performance. Communications in Computer and Information Science (CCIS). ISSN 1865-0929. 1499, p. 545–549. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-90179-0_70. Show summary

  Research has shown that cyber defense is dependent on individual functioning as well as teamwork[1, 2]. Research has identified teamwork factors, such as communication and coordination, that increase performance [1, 3], while more supporting behaviours, i.e. emotional and team support, have shown to inhibit team performance [3, 4] but currently the understanding of impact workloads have on performance is still limited [4]. The study investigated the role of team workload demands on team performance (effectiveness, dissatisfaction). Methods Data was collected during the Norwegian Defense Cyber Academy’s annual Cyber Defense Exercise. The Team Workload Questionnaire[5] was used as the independent variable to assess workload demands. The Teamwork component (communication, coordination, team performance monitoring) and Task-Team component (time-share, team emotion, team support) were used as predictors. For performance outcomes, two self-reported items were created, Team Effectiveness and Team Dissatisfaction, on a 10-point Likert scale (none-very). The study conformed to the Norwegian Social Science Data Services’ ethical guidelines. Participants gave their informed consent verbally and were informed that they could withdraw from participation at any time. Statistical analysis was done with JASP version .14.1[6]. Alpha levels were set to .05.   Results Teamwork demands (communication (β=.608), coordination (β =.224), team performance monitoring (β =-.149) could predict Team Effectiveness (R2=.632, F=5.16, p=.024). Task-team workload demands (team support (β =.328), team emotion (β=.878), time-share demands (β =-.196)) could predict Team Dissatisfaction (R2=.853, F=17.36, p<.001). Discussion This study investigated the influence of team workload demands on team performance. Results support the hypotheses. Teamwork demands could predict team effectiveness while Task-team demands could predict more negative aspects of team performance and the results are in line with previous research [3, 4, 7]. Future research in cyber security operations should incorporate team workload demands to assess performance. This research is funded by the Norwegian Research Council (#302941).

• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Sütterlin, Stefan; Knox, Benjamin James & Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio (2021). Situational States Influence on Team Workload Demands in Cyber Defense Exercise. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS). ISSN 0302-9743. 13096, p. 3–20. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-90328-2_1.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Knox, Benjamin James & Sütterlin, Stefan (2021). Human-Human Communication in Cyber Threat Situations: A Systematic Review. Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS). ISSN 0302-9743. 13096. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-90328-2_2.
• Ask, Thorvald Fossåen; Ranjitkar, Suman; Ulak, Manjeswori; Chandyo, Ram Krishna; Hysing, Mari & Strand, Tor A [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2019). The association between heart rate variability and neurocognitive and socio-emotional development in nepalese infants. Frontiers in Neuroscience. ISSN 1662-4548. 13, p. 1–10. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00411. Full text in Research Archive
• Ask, Thorvald Fossåen; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio & Sütterlin, Stefan (2018). The Neuro-Immuno-Senescence Integrative Model (NISIM) on the Negative Association Between Parasympathetic Activity and Cellular Senescence. Frontiers in Neuroscience. ISSN 1662-4548. 12, p. 1–24. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00726. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  There is evidence that accumulated senescent cells drive age-related pathologies, but the antecedents to the cellular stressors that induce senescence remain poorly understood. Previous research suggests that there is a relationship between shorter telomere length, an antecedent to cellular senescence, and psychological stress. Existing models do not sufficiently account for the specific pathways from which psychological stress regulation is converted into production of reactive oxygen species. We propose the neuro-immuno-senescence integrative model (NISIM) suggesting how vagally mediated heart rate variability might be related to cellular senescence. Prefrontally modulated, and vagally mediated cortical influences on the autonomic nervous system, expressed as heart rate variability, affects the immune system by adrenergic stimulation and cholinergic inhibition of cytokine production in macrophages and neutrophils. Previous findings indicate that low heart rate variability is associated with increased production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α. IL-6 and TNF-α can activate the NFκB pathway, increasing production of reactive oxygen species that can cause DNA damage. Vagally mediated heart rate variability has been related to an individual’s ability to regulate stress, and is lower in people with shorter telomeres. Based on these previous findings, the NISIM suggest that the main pathway from psychological stress to individual differences in oxidative telomere damage originates in the neuroanatomical components that modulate heart rate variability, and culminates in the cytokine-induced activation of NFκB. Accumulated senescent cells in the brain is hypothesized to promote age-related neurodegenerative disease, and previous reports suggest an association between low heart rate variability and onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Accumulating senescent cells in peripheral tissues secreting senescence-associated secretory phenotype factors can alter tissue structure and function which can induce cancer and promote tumor growth and metastasis in old age, and previous research suggested that ability to regulate psychological stress has a negative association with cancer onset. We therefore conclude that the NISIM can account for a large proportion of the individual differences in the psychological stress-related antecedents to cellular senescence, and suggest that it can be useful in providing a dynamic framework for understanding the pathways by which psychological stress induce pathologies in old age.

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• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Knox, Benjamin James; Sütterlin, Stefan & Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio (2024). Mental motstandskraft. In Berrefjord, Vivi Ringnes & Lund, Mass Soldal (Ed.), Cybermakt. En tverrfaglig innføring. Universitetsforlaget. ISSN 978-82-15-05707-1. p. 334–352.
• Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Juozapavičius, Aušrius; Lapin, Kristina; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Knox, Benjamin James & Sütterlin, Stefan (2023). The Role of Experience and Education in Resilience and Decision-Making in Cyber Threat Situations.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Sütterlin, Stefan; Canham, Matthew; Hermansen, Daniel & Knox, Benjamin James (2023). The Uncode System: A Neurocentric Systems Approach for Classifying the Goals and Methods of Cognitive Warfare .
• Canham, Matthew; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Sütterlin, Stefan; Knox, Benjamin James; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio & Jones, Daniel N. (2023). Protecting the overclaimers in cybersecurity w/ Dr. Daniel N. Jones | CSI Talks #7. Show summary

  Daniel N. Jones is currently an Associate Professor of Management in the College of Business at the University of Nevada Reno (UNR) and a core faculty member in the Interdisciplinary Social Psychology Program. His contributions include research on dark personalities as they pertain to topics such as betrayal and cybersecurity. His research focuses on models of long vs. short-term deception and harm. Most especially, this research focuses on the differentiation of the Dark Triad of personality (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism). He is currently examining the potential utility of the Dark Triad in different contexts and is developing interventions that are designed to prevent the harm they cause.

• Canham, Matthew; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Sütterlin, Stefan; Knox, Benjamin James; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio & Bassett, Gabriel (2023). CTF Factory: A high-fidelity cyber simulation w/ Gabriel Bassett | CSI Talks #6. Show summary

  This focus topic was presented by Gabriel Bassett during the CSI meeting held on the 03/01/2023. The CSI meetings are digital monthly meetings arranged by the Cognitive Security Institute. Gabriel is the lead data scientist and a contributing author on the Data Breach Investigations Report team at Verizon Enterprise Solutions specializing in data science and graph theory applications to cyber security. He supports several information security data science conferences, is game architect for the CTF Factory Capture the Flag series, and founded Information Security Analytics LLC.

• Canham, Matthew; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Sütterlin, Stefan; Knox, Benjamin James; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio & Vishwanath, Arun (2023). The Weakest Link and Beyond w/ Dr. Arun Vishwanath | CSI Talks #5. Show summary

  This focus topic was presented by Dr. Arun Vishwanath during the CSI meeting held on the 02/01/2022. The CSI meetings are digital monthly meetings arranged by the Cognitive Security Institute. Dr. Arun Vishwanath is among the foremost experts on the “people problems” of cybersecurity. His research on the science of cybersecurity focuses on the largest surface of vulnerability in enterprise security: users. His body of work includes the development of methodologies to quantify human cyber-risk, approaches to diagnose how and why people are at risk through social engineering, and techniques to mitigate this risk.

• Canham, Matthew; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Sütterlin, Stefan; Knox, Benjamin James; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio & Wixey, Matt (2023). Human Side-Channels: Cyberweapons and Cyber Defenses w/ Matt Wixey | CSI Talks #4. Show summary

  This focus topic was presented by Matt Wixey during the CSI meeting held on the 01/04/2023. The CSI meetings are digital monthly meetings arranged by the Cognitive Security Institute. Matt Wixey is a senior threat researcher studying the physical and psychological effect of cyberweapons. He has over a decade of experience working in information security as a penetration tester, threat intelligence analyst and as a lead in R&D. His recent research focuses on human side-channels and whether or not computers contain an inherent capacity to cause harm.

• Fredheim, Nina Skajaa & Ask, Torvald Fossåen (2023). Humøret kan påvirke evnen til å håndtere et cyberangrep. [Internet]. hiof.no. Show summary

  Dårlig humør kan være smittsomt og er derfor upassende når vi skal samarbeide med andre. Det å være i for godt humør kan også være uheldig, dersom det påvirker hvor godt man evner å være analytisk i alvorlige situasjoner. Som for eksempel når man etterforsker et cyberangrep.

• Ask, Torvald Fossåen & Knox, Benjamin James (2023). Cognitive Warfare and the Human Domain: Appreciating the perspective that the trajectories of neuroscience and human evolution place Cognitive Warfare at odds with ideas of a Human Domain. In Masakowski, Yvonne & Blatny, Janet Martha (Ed.), Mitigating and Responding to Cognitive Warfare. NATO Science and Technology Organization. ISSN 978-92-837-2433-9. doi: 10.14339/STO-TR-HFM-ET-356. Show summary

  The NATO STO HFM-ET-356 performed an assessment of the Science and Technologies (S&T) required to mitigate and defend against Cognitive Warfare (CogWar). CogWar has emerged replete with security challenges due to its invasive and invisible nature and where the goal is to exploit facets of cognition to disrupt, undermine, influence, or modify human decisions (proposed by HFM-ET-356). CogWar represents the convergence of a wide range of advanced technologies along with human factors, used by NATO’s adversaries in the 21st century battlespace. CogWar is a risk to global defence and security and threatens human decision making. The ET-356 proposed a S&T Road map to guide NATO and Allied Partners in future research activities and investments. The proposed Road map is based on a “House Model,” and linked to the Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act (OODA) decision cycle. The Model represents seven main S&T knowledge areas and enablers that are cross-cutting related: Pillars: Cognitive Neuroscience, Cognitive and Behavioral Science, Social and Cultural Science; and Bars: Situational Awareness and Sensemaking, Cognitive Effects, modus operandi, and Technology and Force Multipliers. This work underpins the NATO Warfighting Capstone Concept and its Warfare Development Initiative Cognitive Superiority, and the NATO Strategic Concept 2022.

• Sütterlin, Stefan; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Mägerle, Sophia; Glöckler, Sandra; Wolf, Leandra & Schray, Julian [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2023). Individual Deep Fake Recognition Skills are Affected by Viewer’s Political Orientation, Agreement with Content and Device Used.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Kullman, Kaur; Sütterlin, Stefan; Knox, Benjamin James; Engel, Don & Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio (2023). Neuroergonomics for Cybersecurity.
• Canham, Matthew; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Sütterlin, Stefan; Knox, Benjamin James; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio & Lawler, James (2022). Soulcatcher: Recruitment Operations w/ Former CIA Officer James Lawler | CSI Talks #3. Show summary

  This focus topic was presented by former CIA operations officer James Lawler during the CSI meeting held on the 12/07/2022. The CSI meetings are digital monthly meetings arranged by the Cognitive Security Institute. James "Jim" Lawler served for 25 years as a CIA operations officer in various international posts and as Chief of the Counterproliferation Division's Special Activities Unit. He was a member of the CIA's Senior Intelligence Service from 1998 to 2005. Lawler was a specialist in the recruitment of foreign spies, and he spent over half of his CIA career battling the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, including serving as chief of the A.Q. Khan Nuclear Takedown Team, which resulted in the disruption of the most dangerous nuclear weapons network in history. According to former CIA Director George Tenet, what Lawler and his team achieved ranks as one of the most spectacular intelligence accomplishments in the history of the CIA.

• Canham, Matthew; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Sütterlin, Stefan; Knox, Benjamin James; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio & Gutzwiller, Robert (2022). Are Cyber Attackers Thinking Fast and Slow? w/ Dr. Robert Gutzwiller | CSI Talks #2. Show summary

  This focus topic was presented by Dr. Robert Gutzwiller during the CSI meeting held on the 11/02/2022. The CSI meetings are digital monthly meetings arranged by the Cognitive Security Institute. Dr. Robert Gutzwiller is a researcher studying the critical role of the human in complex systems. He has done pioneering work on oppositional human factors in cybersecurity, although his work extends beyond cyberspace to areas such as defense and transportation. His recent research focuses on engineering human attention, human-automation interaction, and defensive cyberspace operations.

• Canham, Matthew; Sütterlin, Stefan; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Knox, Benjamin James; Ask, Torvald Fossåen & Sawyer, Ben (2022). Cognitive Security: Human Vulnerabilities, Exploits, and TTPs.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Sütterlin, Stefan; Knox, Benjamin James & Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio (2022). Neuroergonomic Approaches to Improving Cyber Situational Awareness During Cyber Threat Situations.
• Canham, Matthew; Sütterlin, Stefan; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Knox, Benjamin James & Ask, Torvald Fossåen (2022). Cognitive Security: Exploring the Human Layer.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Johansen, Ann-Kristin & Fredheim, Nina Skajaa (2022). Hjernene våre kan ha svaret på hvordan vi kan hindre cyberangrep. [Internet]. Forskning.no. Show summary

  PODCAST: Cyberangrep øker. Det truer sikkerheten til både samfunnet og hver enkelt av oss. Foreløpig vet vi for lite om fenomenet til å klare å vinne kampen mot de som står bak.

• Johansen, Ann-Kristin; Ask, Torvald Fossåen & Nina Skajaa, Fredheim (2022). Forskningsprek: Ligger svaret på hvordan cyberangrep kan forhindres i hjernene våre? [Internet]. Høgskolen i Østfold, Fredrikstad. Show summary

  Deepfakes, phishing og andre former for cyberangrep øker og truer sikkerheten vår, både som samfunn og privatpersoner. Men foreløpig vet vi for lite om fenomenet til å klare å vinne kampen mot de som står bak.

• Sütterlin, Stefan; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Knox, Benjamin James & Ask, Torvald Fossåen (2022). Cybersecurity – Our New Normal.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Knox, Benjamin James & Sütterlin, Stefan (2022). Forskning under Bukkesprang: Cybersituasjonsbevissthet på Individ- og Team-nivå.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Canham, Matthew; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Sütterlin, Stefan; Hermansen, Daniel & Knox, Benjamin James (2022). Et System for å Klassifisere De Nevrokognitive Målene Til Kognitiv Krigføring.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Canham, Matthew; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Sütterlin, Stefan; Hermansen, Daniel & Knox, Benjamin James (2022). A System for Classifying the Neurocognitive Goals of Cognitive Warfare.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Knox, Benjamin James; Sütterlin, Stefan & Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio (2022). Situational Awareness at an Individual Level – Processing information.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Sütterlin, Stefan; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Veng, Karl; Eck, Jonathan & Fritschi, Jonas [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2022). The Role of DLPFC Functioning for Deepfake Recognition Skills.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Knox, Benjamin James; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Helgetun, Ivar & Sütterlin, Stefan (2022). Neurophysiological and Emotional Influences on Team Communication and Metacognitive Cyber Situational Awareness During a Cyber Engineering Exercise.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Knox, Benjamin James; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio & Sütterlin, Stefan (2022). Cybersituasjonsforståelse: En nevrokognitiv tilnærming.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Knox, Benjamin James; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio & Sütterlin, Stefan (2022). Cyber-situasjonsbevissthet.
• Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Knox, Benjamin James; Sütterlin, Stefan & Kullman, Kaur (2022). Perception and human-machine interactions in cybersecurity.
• Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Knox, Benjamin James; Ask, Torvald Fossåen & Sütterlin, Stefan (2022). ACDICOM Research.
• Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Knox, Benjamin James & Sütterlin, Stefan (2022). ACDICOM Project.
• Sütterlin, Stefan; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Veng, Karl; Eck, Jonathan & Fritschi, Jonas [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2022). The Role of IT Background for Metacognitive Accuracy, Confidence and Overestimation of Deep Fake Recognition Skills.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen (2021). Hjernen og Nerveceller.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen (2021). Sansing og Persepsjon.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Knox, Benjamin James; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio & Sütterlin, Stefan (2021). ACDICOM: Advancing Cyber Defense by Improved Communication of Recognized Cyber Threat Situations .
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Knox, Benjamin James & Sütterlin, Stefan (2021). Science-Based Approaches to Improving Cyber Threat Communication.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Knox, Benjamin James & Sütterlin, Stefan (2021). Human-Human Communication in Cyber Threat Situations: A Systematic Review.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Knox, Benjamin James & Sütterlin, Stefan (2021). Human-Human Communication in Cyber Threat Situations.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Sütterlin, Stefan; Knox, Benjamin James & Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio (2021). Situational States Influence on Team Workload Demands in Cyber Defense Exercise.
• Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Sütterlin, Stefan & Knox, Benjamin James (2021). The Influence of Team Workload Demands During a Cyber Defense Exercise on Team Performance. Show summary

  Research has shown that cyber defense is dependent on individual functioning as well as teamwork[1, 2]. Research has identified teamwork factors, such as communication and coordination, that increase performance [1, 3], while more supporting behaviours, i.e. emotional and team support, have shown to inhibit team performance [3, 4] but currently the understanding of impact workloads have on performance is still limited [4]. The study investigated the role of team workload demands on team performance (effectiveness, dissatisfaction). Methods Data was collected during the Norwegian Defense Cyber Academy’s annual Cyber Defense Exercise. The Team Workload Questionnaire[5] was used as the independent variable to assess workload demands. The Teamwork component (communication, coordination, team performance monitoring) and Task-Team component (time-share, team emotion, team support) were used as predictors. For performance outcomes, two self-reported items were created, Team Effectiveness and Team Dissatisfaction, on a 10-point Likert scale (none-very). The study conformed to the Norwegian Social Science Data Services’ ethical guidelines. Participants gave their informed consent verbally and were informed that they could withdraw from participation at any time. Statistical analysis was done with JASP version .14.1[6]. Alpha levels were set to .05.   Results Teamwork demands (communication (β=.608), coordination (β =.224), team performance monitoring (β =-.149) could predict Team Effectiveness (R2=.632, F=5.16, p=.024). Task-team workload demands (team support (β =.328), team emotion (β=.878), time-share demands (β =-.196)) could predict Team Dissatisfaction (R2=.853, F=17.36, p<.001). Discussion This study investigated the influence of team workload demands on team performance. Results support the hypotheses. Teamwork demands could predict team effectiveness while Task-team demands could predict more negative aspects of team performance and the results are in line with previous research [3, 4, 7]. Future research in cyber security operations should incorporate team workload demands to assess performance. This research is funded by the Norwegian Research Council (#302941).

• Knox, Benjamin James; Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio; Sütterlin, Stefan & Ask, Torvald Fossåen (2021). The Human Factors.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen (2020). Det vi ikke vet, har vi vondt av.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen (2020). Hjernen og Nerveceller.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen (2020). Sansing og Persepsjon.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen (2019). Master i Nevrovitenskap ved NTNU i Trondheim.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen (2019). Hjernen og Nerveceller.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen (2019). Evolusjon, genetikk og atferd.
• Ask, Torvald Fossåen; Knox, Benjamin James; Sütterlin, Stefan & Lugo, Ricardo Gregorio (2024). Neuroergonomic Approaches to Understanding and Improving Communication of Recognized Cyber Threat Situations. NTNU. ISSN 978-82-326-8147-1. 2024(278).
• Masakowski, Yvonne; Blatny, Janet Martha; Knox, Benjamin James; Lauder, Matthew A.; Sivertsen, Eskil Grendahl & Grigsby, Claude C. [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2023). Mitigating and Responding to Cognitive Warfare. NATO Science and Technology Organization. ISSN 978-92-837-2433-9. Show summary

  The NATO STO HFM-ET-356 performed an assessment of the Science and Technologies (S&T) required to mitigate and defend against Cognitive Warfare (CogWar). CogWar has emerged replete with security challenges due to its invasive and invisible nature and where the goal is to exploit facets of cognition to disrupt, undermine, influence, or modify human decisions (proposed by HFM-ET-356). CogWar represents the convergence of a wide range of advanced technologies along with human factors, used by NATO’s adversaries in the 21st century battlespace. CogWar is a risk to global defence and security and threatens human decision making. The ET-356 proposed a S&T Road map to guide NATO and Allied Partners in future research activities and investments. The proposed Road map is based on a “House Model,” and linked to the Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act (OODA) decision cycle. The Model represents seven main S&T knowledge areas and enablers that are cross-cutting related: Pillars: Cognitive Neuroscience, Cognitive and Behavioral Science, Social and Cultural Science; and Bars: Situational Awareness and Sensemaking, Cognitive Effects, modus operandi, and Technology and Force Multipliers. This work underpins the NATO Warfighting Capstone Concept and its Warfare Development Initiative Cognitive Superiority, and the NATO Strategic Concept 2022.

• Ask, Torvald Fossåen (2020). Towards modeling of neuronal networks in HUWE1-induced XLID . NTNU.

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