Cybersecurity, Technology, and Society

Students in IT/CYSE 200T will explore how technology is related to cybersecurity from an interdisciplinary orientation.  Attention is given to the way that technologically-driven cybersecurity issues are connected to cultural, political, legal, ethical, and business domains. The learning outcomes for this course are as follows:

1. Describe how cyber technology creates opportunities for criminal behavior,
2. Identify how cultural beliefs interact with technology to impact cybersecurity strategies,
3. Understand and describe how the components, mechanisms, and functions of cyber systems produce security concerns,
4. Discuss the impact that cyber technology has on individuals’ experiences with crime and victimization,
5. Understand and describe ethical dilemmas, both intended and unintended, that cybersecurity efforts, produce for individuals, nations, societies, and the environment,
6. Describe the costs and benefits of producing secure cyber technologies,
7. Understand and describe the global nature of cybersecurity and the way that cybersecurity efforts have produced and inhibited global changes,
8. Describe the role of cybersecurity in defining definitions of appropriate an inappropriate behavior,
9. Describe how cybersecurity produces ideas of progress and modernism.

Course Material

Students in this course have completed a number of activities including an reflection essay, weekly technology and cybersecurity journal,  and several quizzes and exams. Please include some of these artifacts on this page, particularly the reflection essay, explaining what you did and how these projects helped you engage with the outcomes listed above.

Weekly Journal 1

How does your major relate to cybersecurity technology?

My major is cybersecurity, so cybersecurity technology is a fundamental part of my major and a requirement to learn about. The importance that cybersecurity technology holds is paramount for someone going into cybersecurity making it impossible to do the job without knowing about the technology and methods associated with the job. To learn the technologies that are important in the cybersecurity world is one of the most important things someone can do especially if they are pursuing a degree in cybersecurity and a job which I am pursuing. I hope to rally understand and grasp the concepts and technology that is discussed in this course and hope that leads to build a great foundation for me moving forward so that I can have a successful rest of my college career and soon to be professional career. In the future I hope to become a cybercrime investigator/analyst with a clear understanding of cybersecurity technology it can help lead me towards achieving this goal by giving me an understanding of what is used to determine a cybersecurity system a how it works would lead to me having a much more successful career when it comes to investigating cybercrimes. The idea to learn about things like risk management and the tiers to cybersecurity really help to push me deeper into my major so I gain a better understanding of what it is I have chosen to do for my major and hopefully future career. This class really allows me to have a really great building block as to see what the world of cybersecurity is like and all to the technological terms and what it is to be expected as someone inside the security business. In conclusion this class will help me better in my major by acting as a building block for class down the line and later professional dreams. 

Weekly journal 2

Select four other majors offered by ODU and explain how those majors relate to cybersecurity.

A major that relates to Cybersecurity that is offered by ODU is Cybercrime. In cybercrime you basically are a person looking into people who commit cybercrime which is like the step taking after someone has breached cybersecurity protocols. Also, when you obtain a degree in cybersecurity it helps to be able to get into to the same fields as a degree in cybercrime meaning that they are not to fair different in approaches. Another major that ODU offers that is related to cybersecurity is information system & technology to have an understanding of cyber security you would need to take some information system & technology classes so you would be able to be proficient in the cybersecurity field. In information systems you talk about how to understand thing that are offered on the internet and how to correctly understand the computer software and hardware. Systems engineering is another major that is offered that connects to cybersecurity because in systems engineering it is their job to think up new and design systems that could be used to advance servers and infostructures Which could make for the betterment of the cybersecurity as in the cybersecurity field you protect these servers from data miners and hacktivist groups who may try to erase data or steal it for personal gain. Computer science is another major that is related to cybersecurity in computer science you study all different types of technology and mobile systems and software. It is the Job of cybersecurity to take software and hardware and use tit to protect the data that is being used by computer science and business with data that need to be protective. The majors of computer science, cybercrime, information systems & technology, and systems engineering all play a role and are connected to the major of cybersecurity. 

Weekly journal 3

Describe four ethical issues that arise when storing electronic information about individuals.

Four ethical issues that arise when storing electronic information about individuals are privacy and confidentiality, security breaches, system implementations, and data inaccuracies. Privacy and confidentiality come into an ethical situation when deal with it being stored online because if the information is online it is always a chance that the data can be seen by people who either should never see the information, or the patient is not given the option to keep the medical files private from employers who may try to use a medical issue that exist to exclude the candidate from a job.  The ethical issue of security breaches come in to play when medical files are stored online when a data breach occurs it is up to the investigators to determine what was stolen and how but when digging for the truth the investigators run into the possibility of having objection by the people who data was stolen because when recovered it is a possibility that data is exposed to the investigators looking into the situation. system implementations one thing to store medical records it would require a huge system with extensive software and firewalls to effectively protect patient’s data and file records. Which would cause for an increase in money required to be made by the medical facility possibly driving up the prices and making it hard for people to receive care in medical facilities. Data inaccuracies is also an issue that is face ethically when storing electronic information how do you know for sure that the information that is being stored is correct there is always the possibility that the information has been altered to tampered with and with files being stored electronically it just becomes easier for people to possibility falsified the information and change it.

Weekly journal 4

Compare cybersecurity risks in the U.S. and another country.

The difference in cybersecurity between the U.S. cybersecurity and china is not that big of a difference. Yet china is the number 1 country when it comes to cybersecurity both countries look to really put a control on what can be accessed by their people on the internet. Also, inside of China there is an elite hacking group that operates inside of the army that Job is to launch attacks against enemies and Protect the country from cyber-attacks. The Group of hackers are known as Cyber team blue. This team is an exceptional team of hackers that are very skilled in attacking but not so much as defense which is a lacking are in China because they focus most of the cybersecurity efforts in learning to attack instead of defending. In the US the cybersecurity we practice is more catered to the idea to defend first before we attack, and the Defense is disturbed amongst an entire government organization instead of leaving it up to a group of five people like they are in china. China does have a big vulnerability though they are still vulnerable to cyber terrorism because of their weak internet security protection. Inside of the use our Internet security protection is a bit stronger than Chinas, but our capabilities lack more when it comes to the offensive side of the cybersecurity spectrum. Also, there is glaring holes of telling when data has been taken from some government agencies. Also, the time where there isn’t a constant update of software inside of these agencies which leaves holes and weakness as time passed. Another problem that is faced inside of the U.S cybersecurity system is that there is at times a slow reaction time to breaches or mishaps inside the system which creates a large window for something greater to develop.

Weekly journal 5

Use the letters of the word CYBERSECURITY to list legal ways to make money in cybersecurity.

Create a response team that deals with recovering or destroying data that has been stolen and charge per job
You could offer consulting service on cybersecurity matters
Become a cybercrime investigator sand get paid to figure out who commits cybercrimes 
Effectively created plans for companies as far as how they should set up their security 
Recreate attacks that have been successful on  security system  to test if the security programs are ready and get paid
System auditing is a way to make money
Engineer a cybersecurity mainframe that filters harmful malware 
Create a secure network where ideas can be shared without fear of it being stolen charge a subscription price
Use fishing techniques to test the level of security a company has 
Reinvent the way we look at cybersecurity by developing a way to see data be taken in real time  
Invest a serve and charge people to use your secure server 
Teach others the importance and ways how people become vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks 
Yield malware attacks by creating a software that targets malware and kills it 

Weekly journal 6

How has cyber technology created opportunities for workplace deviance?

In the workplace where cyber technology is present there is always a chance that people can target these specific places because when it comes to taking information there is a lesser physical threat to the thief in order to make a profit. Like inside the medical fields and education because these fields usually hold high information on people that could lead to stolen identities these fields are usually targeted when it comes to cyber-attacks. The work deviance occurs with this cyber technology because they provide such an easy target for hackers with ways to obtain information easily because for the most part the networks that are protecting the business is not that strong or it has a very high vulnerability that is easily exploited. Inside of the medical field they are targeted because they hold information like social security numbers, and other data that is highly covet by criminals because it makes it so much simpler to obtain money from having someone’s social security number. Inside of the education sector people could possibly hold a bias and use the job position to take advantage of the technology. Like a mother who has a child that is trying to get into a prestige school if the mother worked for the school, she could possibly get a hold of the records and change something about a student so they are not able to attend the school so her child could, or she could just add her child to the list, and he is in the school. Workplace deviance is something that can happen at any time and there are a number of factors that can cause them and because of cyber technology it can make the likely hood of the deviance occur because it is easier to do and there is a chance that you are not caught.

Weekly journal 7

What are the costs and benefits of developing cybersecurity programs in business?

Cybersecurity programs can be expensive depending on the level of the business and the information they need to protect the price tag regarding cybersecurity can be a very heavy one with the need for things like hardware, software, and anti-malware programs on the systems that are inside of the business. Depending on the type of business there is a chance that you could not need all of this, but you will definitely need some of it for it provides your business with the benefits of being safe and protected from potential hackers, business rivals, and people out to destroy your business. The benefit that cybersecurity gives you when going up against hackers is that with a cybersecurity program your business is able to repeal some hackers instead of just constantly being attacked and potential have all of your assets stolen or have them erased by the hackers. Another benefit of having a cybersecurity program is the safety you gain from your business partners if you have an amazing or major cybersecurity program customers will trust your business more than your competitors because they know for sure they can trust that their information is safety with you because you have such an amazing cybersecurity program.  Another benefit of a cybersecurity program is the possibility of increasing your businesses work output with a cybersecurity program that protects the computers it helps to keep things away from the computer that might slow down the processing power of the computer which will indefinitely slow down the work process of the employees if they have to deal with a slow computer. Another benefit of a cybersecurity program is that it really helps when it comes to the IT department doing their job with a cybersecurity program it professional benefit from the system that is running smoothly because there is no presence or a very low presence of spyware and adware.

weekly journal 8

How can you tell if your computer is safe?

 You can tell If your computer is safe based on following for step the very first step to telling if your computer is safe is by visiting your settings and you want to check on all of your files and setting on whether your computer accept cookies or not wand if the computer blocks incoming harmful virus. Another thing you do is to update your browser plug-in you want to always make sure that you are using the latest browser plug in because as time goes on there are always improvements to help increase the protection on these browsers and the more you fall behind in browsers the more vulnerable you are to attacks. You always want to at times test your firewall to see if it is easily broken if you break through your firewall easily than more than likely you have a problem and potential have had a breach in your security already. The firewall is a very important piece of software as it a pretty big part of your computer’s ability to stop viruses from attacking your computer and if you have a weak firewall or no firewall at all then more than likely your computer will not be safe, or it will not be safe for very long. Also, permanently deleting files is another step you must take in order to tell if your computer is safe or not if you have files still lingering around it is not that hard for hackers to mine the data and easily find the files that you may have meant to never been seen. If your computer is constantly crashing or is have long loading times with heavy ad spams more than likely your computer is not protected because these are signs of a potential virus or malware that is causing these symptoms inside of your computer.

Weekly journal 9

Describe three ways that computers have made the world safer and less safe.

Computers have made our world safe by removing the humane element from security a little. What I mean is that it can be hard for one human to constantly monitor something for 24 hours, so computers have made it easier to achieve this.  Another way computers have made our loves safer by providing us with easier solutions to challenges that were once seemingly impossible because of computers we can monitor people for sickness earlier and detect diseases before they come to fruition and save people lives all because of computers. Another way computers have made the world safer by being able to take on jobs that are considered detrimental to human life like being used in bomb defusing situations and being used in situations like forensics to be able to create and come up with answers much faster so people can be safer. Away that computers have made the world less safe is by making it easier for someone to gain control of important information that can hurt people like being able to get a hold of someone schedule and use that person information to cause them bodily harm. Another way computers have made the world less safe because they are computers they can only do what they are program to do and cannot use emotions and cannot make decision on their own computers cannot tell right from wrong and constantly handle the changing of a situation that may require the complex decision making that humans can. The third and final way computers have made the world less safe is easy access to things and pollution in order to create computers there is a huge manufacturing problem that creates a pollution factor inside of the world destroying the ozone layer which will destroy the world. The easy access part is referring to the way computers are almost at the forefront of everything and they allow for people to control them.

weekly journal 10

How do engineers make cyber networks safer?

Engineers are people that play an important part when it comes to networks and building network safety. What engineers do is build software that can handle multiple ty pes of disasters such as natural disasters that may cause harm to the hardware of the network and they create software that helps against malware and cyber-attacks that may look to take out such networks. Engineers also can act as the architects of the network at times they help to create and maintain the frameworks and help to mold the said network to help filter out and create a network that is strong and able to handle the request that can come inside of the network.  The whole purpose of the engineer is to test the network for vulnerabilities and identifying said vulnerabilities. Another thing that engineers do to make a cyber network safe is respond to all network and system breaches in order to know and be able to develop a more adjusted networks so something like that said breach won’t happen again. According to Robert half “A Security Engineer job description should include the responsibility of completing a thorough risk assessment, identifying vulnerabilities within a network, and creating firewalls, or configuring systems to enhance existing security features. Security Engineers are expected to respond to, and document, any security threats, resolve technical faults and allocate resources to deliver real solutions in a cost-effective way”.  The description provide by Robert helps to tell the story and get a real feel to as how and what an engineer does in order to help protect a network and how they really try and boost the network in order to create a stronger safer network that won’t be as easily challenged and will stay strong when it comes to going against thing like malware attacks and things of that nature.

weekly journal 11

What is the overlap between criminal justice and cybercrime? How does this overlap relate to the other disciplines discussed in this class?

The overlap that happens between criminal justice and cybercrimes is the fact that the rules and the theories that re practiced and applied in criminal justice can be used in cybersecurity. In criminal justice there are theories that are applied to criminals and people to help and try to understand why they commit the crimes that they commit and sometimes uses the data to help to either catch people in the future or to better understand what is going on. This concept can come in handy when you take a look at the cybersecurity field because it can help you to understand how criminals think and with the knowledge of how criminals think you will know how to stop them. In this class we have visited various disciplines inside of this class and one discipline that we took a look at work place deviance is possibly as concept that is in the realm of cybersecurity and criminal justice when there is deviance and a work chooses to use their position to steal assets or secrets from the company it comes down to the question being asked of why did they choose to take this route and if there was a risk factor that could have possibly lead people to see that this person may be a threat. Another concept that we have taken a look at is the theory of neutralization which is when someone commits a crime and tries to justify why they did the crime. The cybercrime and criminal justice realms are on that interact quite bit because the concepts that are used in the criminal justice realm can be used to help define and describe the criminals in the cybercrime world crating this kind of big importance for those inside of the cybercrime world to have some degree of training or understanding of criminal justice in order to understand the cybercrimes that are committed and why they are committed. 

https://www.roberthalf.com.au/employers/it-technology/security-engineer-jobs

weekly journal 12

How does cyber technology impact interactions between offenders and victims?

With the ever-increasing advancement in technology and as it becomes increasingly easier for people to interact with each other it is easier for people act and behave in ways that they many not in person because they fell as they there is no fear because these people feel as though there is no consequences when it comes to their behavior online. That these people who are offenders can really use technology in order to inflict a lot of harassment and pain on their victims just because it is even more convenient now because of technology. Due to a low-risk control people online are more likely and fill empowered at times when they cause their victims to feel as though their life is insignificant or less than theirs and all that does is just fuel the fire to say and causes these offenders to want to continue their path a victimizing people online and continue to harass them. According to the Holt and bolden “several users asked questions about the use of Tor, a free proxy service that helps to anonymize an individual’s web traffic. In fact, a whole thread was dedicated to proper implementation and use of Tor in order to hide an individual’s location”. Show that when it comes to online interaction people usually use technology to hide themselves manly the offenders who try and use there cover to say and do things that are not right with the hope of getting away with it because of the cyber technology. Cyber technology has at times allowed for the victims to take what the offender s says and use it against them with the development of better cyber technology people are bale to connect what an offender says and be able to track them down and bring justice to them for what they did at times.

weekly journal 13

How should we approach the development of cyber-policy and -infrastructure given the “short arm” of predictive knowledge?

I believe that when it comes to the development of cyber-policy and infrastructure, we must use our foresight and try to understand what could potentially become a problem or is becoming an active problem within the cyber landscape. We should take a look at the trends that the technology around is progressing and potential using these advancements in technology to our advantage with such a low level of predictive knowledge it is almost as when it comes to of cyber-policy and infrastructure, we must be reactive meaning must monitor all events that have and are happening and constantly updating and constantly creating new polices to handle all of the changes that comes with the ever-increasing world of cyberspace. Another approach we can take when it comes to the development of cyber-policy and infrastructure is look at the past trends and try to make an advancement in policies. I believe that they way to create cyber policies and infrastructures for the future we should look at it as if we are developing a new civilization that need new rules and sets of guides in order to obtain the order need in order for the cyber verse to thrive and become the ever-expanding infrastructure that it is. We should not use the “short arm” of predictive knowledge as an excuse to effectively overcome the “short arm” of predictive knowledge we must come together as a community in the cyber verse and put our heads together effectively monitoring the state of thing today as far as the effectiveness of cyber-policies and how do people react to these policies in place and what is not covered inside of these policies and incorporate these findings and creating an more effective policy and infrastructure that can really hold up and protect people on in the cyber world.