  Dedicated cyber-security functions are common in commercial businesses, who
are confronted by evolving and pervasive threats of data breaches and other
perilous security events. Such businesses are enmeshed with the wider societies
in which they operate. Using data gathered from in-depth, semi-structured
interviews with 15 Chief Information Security Officers, as well as six senior
organisational leaders, we show that the work of political philosopher Thomas
Hobbes, particularly Leviathan, offers a useful lens through which to
understand the context of these functions and of cyber security in Western
society. Our findings indicate that cyber security within these businesses
demonstrates a number of Hobbesian features that are further implicated in, and
provide significant benefits to, the wider Leviathan-esque state. These include
the normalisation of intrusive controls, such as surveillance, and the
stimulation of consumption. We conclude by suggesting implications for
cyber-security practitioners, in particular, the reflexivity that these
perspectives offer, as well as for businesses and other researchers.
