The impact of CIO characteristics on data breaches

Abstract The exponential rate of increase in IT security breach incidents has led governments, regulators, and practitioners to respond by introducing standards and frameworks for the disclosure and management of organizational cybersecurity risk exposure. Cybersecurity, which is a part of IT risk management, is affected by the capability and the ability of senior leadership responsible for IT-related decisions. This paper uses hand-collected data related to the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for S&P 500 firms and explores whether the presence of a CIO role, human capital characteristics of the CIO, and structural capital characteristics of the firm and the CIO are related to a firm’s cybersecurity risk exposure. This study finds that firms disclosing the presence of a CIO are more likely to be breached, even after matching on the likelihood of a breach and controlling for the likelihood that a firm would choose to disclose a CIO. This study also finds predictable variations in the likelihood of a breach among CIOs based on various human capital dimensions (including past technology experience, external board memberships, firm tenure, and CIO tenure) and structural capital dimensions (including a recognized commitment to IT and charging the CIO with multiple responsibilities). Finally, this study finds evidence that the observed associations depend on both the source of the breach (external vs. internal) as well as the type of data compromised by the breach (e.g. financial, personal, etc.). The results of this study contribute to the growing body of academic breach literature, while also informing practitioners as they evaluate the costs and benefits of various methods for combating breaches.