Improving Cyber Security Situational Awareness Using Game Theory

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

Department of Information Technology Engineering, Faculty of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University

Abstract

In today’s digital era, situation awareness plays a vital role in strategic decision-making within dynamic and competitive environments and is recognized as one of the fundamental pillars of cybersecurity management. This study aims to analyze how situation awareness can be enhanced through the application of game theory concepts. It investigates the interactions between defenders and attackers, demonstrating how this mathematical framework can model the strategic dynamics between adversaries and defenders. Considering that situation awareness encompasses three levels—perception, comprehension, and projection—this research adopts Endsley’s standard model as the primary framework. By integrating the concepts of game theory and Nash equilibrium, it reviews prior studies and explores the interrelationship between these two domains. The findings indicate that combining situation awareness with game theory can improve rapid responses to cyber threats and enhance decision-making under uncertainty. Moreover, this approach contributes to the efficient management of limited defensive resources, prediction of attacker behaviors, optimization of defensive reactions, and increased accuracy in attack detection. Finally, the study provides recommendations for developing integrated models, employing reinforcement learning algorithms, improving multi-source data management, and applying game theory to emerging areas such as the Internet of Things.

Keywords

Future Research on AI and IoT
Volume 2, Issue 2
October 2026
Pages 61-72

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History

  • Receive Date: 27 December 2025
  • Revise Date: 02 September 2026
  • Accept Date: 25 January 2026
  • First Publish Date: 01 June 2026
  • Publish Date: 01 June 2026

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