Final answer:
It is true that determining the true value of information is extremely difficult, given the intangible nature of information and its susceptibility to being misvalued due to imperfect or asymmetric information. Examples include difficulties in the market for buying and selling information and incidents like the Target data breach, where signs of intrusion were misinterpreted.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that information security experts argue that it is virtually impossible to determine the true value of information and information-bearing assets is essentially true. The valuation of information is complex because information itself is an intangible asset, whose quality and usefulness can vary greatly depending on context, time, and the users' or buyers' perception.
When the quality of information is imperfectly understood, it can lead to difficulties in a market, as buyers and sellers may not agree on the value of the information or may misjudge its significance. An example is the security breach incident of Target in 2013, where security personnel failed to interpret the signs of a security breach correctly, possibly due to cognitive overload as demonstrated in the study by Bruno and Abrahão (2012).
In the same vein, the valuation of information assets becomes more challenging as digital data increase and the threats to information security soar, causing tension between individuals' privacy rights and government regulation. Imperfect and asymmetric information can create barriers to accurately pricing information assets in a market.