How to Get a Grip on Feedback Loops in Cyber
Previously we outlined five principles of cybernetics which I asserted may hold clues for why cybersecurity- specifically, cyber network defense- has continually failed for like eight decades. I said the root cause was a misalignment between our concepts of security and cyber. The latter being related to cyberspace and cybernetics. Now, I want to dig deeper into feedback loops from the set of cybernetic principles to see if we can repair a portion of the alignment problem.
The relation needs to be developed before we explore some code. Thus, let’s jump into a non-digital example of a feedback loop that we might be able to conceptualize since it is defense-oriented.
A good example of a defense-oriented feedback loop in a biological system comes from botanical life. Specifically, a plant’s response to herbivorous insects.
Stimulus/Change: An insect starts eating the leaves of a plant.
Detection: The plant has sensors (usually chemical receptors) that detect the presence of the insect’s saliva or the physical damage caused by the insect.
Response: In response to this, the plant may produce toxic or distasteful chemicals to deter the herbivore. Some plants release volatile substances that attract predators of the herbivores eating them.
