13 ICI Bucharest © Copyright 2012-2022. All rights reserved ISSN: 1220-1766 eISSN: 1841-429X 1. Introduction The evolution of digital technologies and their use is radically transforming our lives. In an age of interconnected societies “security issues” call for attention to new forms of threats induced by computer networks. Cyber threats continue to evolve rapidly around the world, with the frequency and intensity of cyber scams, crimes and the number of data breaches increasing every year. This situation caused huge losses for businesses, public institutions etc. A risk-based security report found that in the frst nine months of 2019 about 7.9 billion pieces of data were exposed to cyber- attacks. These fgures represent more than double (112%) the amount of data exposed during the same period in 2018 (Risk based Security, 2021). In 2020 the global cyber security market size was valued at USD 167.13 billion. In the period from 2021 to 2028 it is expected to grow from USD 180.33 billion in 2021 to USD 372.04 billion by 2028, recording a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.9% (MarketResearch, 2021). The growth of the market can be attributed to the growing sophistication of cyberattacks. Businesses worldwide had increased the spending on advanced information security technologies in order to improve their in-house security infrastructure. Cyber Threat Report CEE report stated that Romania’s region has a dynamic market for cybersecurity products and services that is much stronger than the rest of Europe (Kosciuszko Institute, 2018; Vevera, Georgescu & Cirnu, 2021). Romania is on the 24 th place in the world according to National Cyber Security Index, 62th according to Global Cybersecurity Index, 58th according to ICT Development Index and 49th according to Networked Readiness Index (e-Governance Academy, 2021). Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, a growing attention has been paid to health and the economic challenges posed by the new global conjuncture. During the Covid-19 pandemic the number of cyber-attacks has increased. This made companies to face new security threats. As a result, new cyber-security solutions are needed. Any valuable information that can be used to identify, characterize or assist organizations in the response to cyber threats is commonly referred to as Cyber Threat Information. The analysis of this type of information can produce intelligence that may be used to inform companies about threats to their system. The market growth was stimulated by the increasing adoption by companies of threat intelligence security services and products to detect cyber threats and future vulnerabilities that might occur in their cyber systems. In the market there are several cyber-security providers that are ofering a large variety of CTI services and capabilities to their customers. The wide variety in the CTI service ofered by diferent providers makes it difcult for the security experts to decide which service provider is the most suitable according to their security program requirements. The CTI customers have diferent cyber threats Studies in Informatics and Control, 31(1) 13-23, March 2022 https://doi.org/10.24846/v31i1y202202 A Multi-Attribute Approach for Cyber Threat Intelligence Product and Services Selection Adrian Victor VEVERA, Carmen Elena CÎRNU, Constanta Zoie RADULESCU* National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics – ICI Bucharest, 8-10 Mareşal Averescu Avenue, 011455, Bucharest, Romania victor.vevera@ici.ro, carmen.cirnu@ici.ro, zoie.radulescu@ici.ro (*Corresponding author) Abstract: Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) is a signifcant feld in Cyber Security research. It enables organizations to share threat data and allow a proactive defence against sophisticated intrusion attempts. The wide variety in the CTI products and services ofered by diferent providers from the market, makes it difcult for the security experts to decide which CTI provider is the most suitable according to their security program requirements. CTI products and services provider selection is a complex decision-making problem that involves multiple criteria. The aim of the present paper is to propose a multi- attribute approach based on the VIKOR method for CTI providers ranking and selection, according to a set of criteria. A case study based on the users’ evaluations reviews about the security threats intelligence providers is studied. The impact of the VIKOR user parameter variation on the CTI providers ranking is analysed. The proposed approach is a support tool for the security program leaders faced with the decision of selecting the CTI providers. It also helps the CTI service providers to improve the quality of their products and services. Keywords: Cyber Threat Intelligence, Threats, Multi-attribute approach, VIKOR method, Security threat intelligence providers, CTI providers selection.