Week 2 | Discussion Board

I believe that determinism and computer hacking go hand in hand. Some instances of determinism via hacking are easier to spot than others, such as foreign government(s) attacking their enemy via hacking groups or other means. The reasons for participating in such activities could vary widely, from political power to monetary gain/loss, or even payback. This reaction could additionally come from individuals who others or institutions have wronged.

Week 1 | Discussion Board

Hello, my name is Aria Grant. I am a senior in cybersecurity coursework, and I plan to graduate at the end of the fall 2025 semester. Most of my classes throughout college have been online, as it is my preference. However, due to circumstances out of my control, I have not had the opportunity for an internship so far. I have used ePortfolio in the past, with my preference being WordPress (https://sites.wp.odu.edu/ariag201scyse/). My only goals after graduation are to get a job I enjoy and give my wife all she deserves.

Journal Entry #10

The article focuses on the changing aspect of warfare and how social cybersecurity has transformed from an unknown to the centerpiece of information safeguarding. The article correctly points out that cyberwarfare is becoming increasingly more common, while physical warfare is not. This brings a new type of control via the media that is allowed through a country, with social manipulation. However, this does not stand true for a nation as closed off as North Korea, which denies outside internet connections. Although social manipulation via media would be harder in a nation such as the United States where information is so incredibly accessible that creating a movement that follows that actions and reactions would be nearly impossible.

Journal Entry #9

After watching the video and scoring myself, I would have a two out of nine score, or less than that for what would be considered ‘disordered social media user.’ The items within the scale would be what I would consider the most prevalent and the most damaging of items regarding to a disorder surrounding social media use. With certain items, like persistence, being more prevalent in a place like the United States, different items show up more often in different areas of the world. This is most likely due to the differences in culture and law in these areas. With some countries having laws determining at what age and how much time one can use on social media or some cultures dissuade individuals that interact with certain types of content and cause issues more like deception or conflict.

Journal Entry #8

After watching the video, I can say that the media has a decent base of understanding about cybersecurity. While almost all clips contained flaws, many were at least believable to a certain point. Common faults seemed to be programs, code, screens, and devices. It seemed that the media understood that special programs were utilized, but did not recreate them in an accurate manner consistently. They also understood that specialized devices existed, but they looked too movie-magic for it to be considered ‘realistic’ in many scenarios. The media as a whole has a decent grasp on cybersecurity that will become more realistic in nature as time progresses.

Journal Entry #6

Fake websites are designed to pass with mostly a quick glance and not looking deeper into the site. The first way to tell if a site is fake is to read the page. Many fake websites will have spelling and grammatical errors littered throughout the site. A second way to tell the difference between a fake and real website is the certificates the site has. Looking for a sites’ organization or extended validation, OV and EV respectively, can ensure that the company is not only validated but also externally vetted as well. The third option one could use to spot a fake website versus a real one is the URL. There are many sites that are slight misspellings of very common websites, like Google, that are created to look like the page but actually be collecting information.

Article Review #1

Aria Grant

CYSE 201S

Professor Woodbury

February 18, 2025

Article Review: “Perceptions of Revenge Pornography and Victim Blame” by Tegan S. Starr and Tiffany Lavis

Abstract

This article review evaluates Tegan S. Starr’s and Tiffany Lavis’ “Perceptions of Revenge Pornography and Victim Blame.” The article contributes to existing literature on revenge pornography and victim blaming, offering strong evidence linking the length of a sexual relationship with a partner to receive social backlash. While the study is sound it could benefit from a broader pool of relationship length.

Summary

Tegan S. Starr’s and Tiffany Lavis’ article begins with an explanation of the terms “revenge porn” and “victim blame.’ They identify how an intimate image is obtained by the perpetrator, the length of time a relationship occurred, and the level of trust of the perceiver as the three factors contribute to victim blame in the context of revenge porn. Using data gathered from participants’ reactions to fictional scenarios, Starr and Lavis assessed the responses from participants.

Methodology

Starr and Lavis utilized a group of 186 participants that were majority female and Caucasian, with more than half of the participants engaging in intimate text messages or Snapchat messages (Starr & Lavis, 2018). An online survey was used to inquire about two separate scenarios of revenge pornography, with the lengths of the relationship being either one month or one year, and all relationships were heterosexual. All participants were shown images, without the individual’s face and asked to rate the image based on nudity and victim blame. A mean score and standard deviation were created for each question posed.

Findings

Starr and Lavis found that how the intimate image was obtained had a negligible difference in victim blame. However, a significant difference was found between the two lengths of relationship that were tested. The relationship that was stated to have lasted one year had a decreased amount of victim blame when compared to the one-month counterpart.

Conclusion

The article is a valuable addition to existing literature surrounding revenge pornography and victim blame. Future studies would benefit from the addition of Starr and Lavis’ findings. The article is from a peer-reviewed journal, no impartiality is identifiable within the study and the scientific method is present throughout the article. The article brings concern for the rising tide of intimate images being spread or created in retaliation by ex-partners or celebrities. This article contributes to the identification of revenge pornography, the biases that exist for the perceiver, and how these biases affect the perceiver’s viewpoint.

References

Starr, T., & Lavis, T. (2018). Perceptions of Revenge Pornography and Victim Blame. International      Journal of Cyber Criminology, 12(2), 427–438. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3366179

Journal Entry #5

Motives for cybercrime can vary wildly per person and case. Out of the seven multiple reasons is the most reasonable, as there is hardly ever one sole reason for anything in life. The second most reasonable is political, as we have seen the rise in political attacks via governments of countries attacking one another, as the reasons are usually for the gain of a country or group. The third most reasonable would be revenge, depending on the exact reason for revenge it could bee seen more as ‘an eye for an eye.’ The fourth most reasonable motive for cybercrime is money, lack of money and other resources is a leading factor for crime in general, to make oneself stable in life is a reasonable stance. Recognition is the fifth most reasonable, as society puts much emphasis on name recognition so if you could make your name known that would fulfill your goal. The sixth most reasonable would be boredom, with monotony becoming an ever increasing issue creating a different situation or dynamic to cure boredom could be seen as reasonable. The least reasonable is for entertainment, entertainment would likely entail hurting others in some fashion just for a laugh or joke.

Journal Entry #3

Researchers could get a great deal of information from PrivacyRights.org. For studying data breaches, this site would allow them to catalog breaches since the site’s creation. With this, larger trends can become clearer as time passes and how they change over time. Types of breaches could be grouped as well to see if there are repeating security breaches across companies and sectors. The amount of information is itself worth the researchers’ time, and the data that can be extrapolated is even better.

Journal Entry #4

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs sets a precedent for what each individual needs to survive and be happy. The first layer, physiological needs, can be completed with modern technology in hospitals such as ventilators. The second layer, safety and security, is easiest completed with modern security systems that can prevent harm to you. The middle layer, love and belonging, cannot be actualized through technology. The fourth layer, self-esteem, can be achieved with programs like photoshop, photo filters, and social media. The final layer in the hierarchy is self-actualization, which the modern internet/social media can assist with.