#1 Review the NICE Workforce Framework. Are there certain areas that you would want to focus your career on? Explain which areas would appeal the most to you and which would appeal the least.
After reviewing the NICE Workforce Framework, the area that seems the most interesting to me is exploitation analysis. This involves using a company’s resources to get through to their network. You have to find vulnerabilities and threats to penetrate through the system. Then you will work to create security measures for the system. Design and Development is an area that doesn’t sound as appealing to me. I enjoy programming to an extent, but I wouldn’t be completely comfortable in trusting my ability to create and develop software. It doesn’t seem as fun having to do my own research for technology systems. I think investigation would also be an interesting area to explore. Specifically digital forensics which would require a lot of analysis and knowledge of cybers laws and regulations.
#2 Explain how the principles of science relate to cybersecurity.
The main principles of science are to test theories, collect data, and gain knowledge about the world. When we apply science principles to cybersecurity, it makes it easier to understand threats and create better systems against them to stay prepared. An example of this is evolution, in the same way living things evolve, so does technology. It is advancing rapidly every day, which means new methods of attacks can happen. So, we have to adapt to these changes to make better defenses. Understanding why people, specifically hackers make the choices that they do, can help prevent and mitigate other attacks from happening.
#3 Visit PrivacyRights.org to see the types of publicly available information about data breaches. How might researchers use this information to study breaches?
A breach of a computer system means unauthorized access to computer data that compromises security. Personal information is someone’s first or last name, or a form of identification. The available information about data breaches from the Privacy Rights Organization states paper records and encrypted info are not classified as breaches. However, biometrics like fingerprints, retinas, or other body characteristics are considered personal information which is protected by the law. There has been a steady increase of data breaches since 2002. Researchers can use information like this to determine what it is that hackers want when accessing people’s data. They can also create better ways to protect consumers from having their personal information being accessed if they are ahead of technological advancements.
#4 Review Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and explain how each level relates to your experiences with technology. Give specific examples of how your digital experiences relate to each level of need.
In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, they each can relate to my technology needs. My physiological needs are a computer, a network, and WiFi. My safety needs would be things like a password, 2 factor authentication, or even a security camera. My love or belonging for technology is social media, and video messaging apps because that is what allows me to feel connected to others. My esteem needs would be the number of followers or likes I have on specific platform because that can strive me to want to continue. Self-actualization would be certifications or courses I complete that help me to continue learning about technology.
#5 Review the articles linked with each individual motive in the presentation page or Slide #4. Rank the motives from 1 to 7 as the motives that you think make the most sense (being 1) to the least sense (being 7). Explain why you rank each motive the way you rank it.
1. Money is a great motivator to make people do things because it can get you things that you’ve always wanted.
2. Revenge can cause people to act out of character especially when they are getting revenge for someone they care about.
3. Entertainment in this society is what causes a lot of young people to act the way they do if it means making great content.
4. Recognition would allow for people to have more access to certain things which can be a good motivator.
5. Boredom is more so impulsive but can be a factor in causing people to act irrationally based on wanting to seek something thrilling.
6. Political isn’t as highly ranked but it can be catastrophic because it causes people to do terrible things in the name of justice.
7. Multiple Reasons doesn’t seem as common as the others, but it can cause someone to commit crimes.
#6 Can you spot three fake websites and compare the three fake websites to three real websites, plus showcase what makes the fake websites fake?
Most fake websites would have a lot of grammatical or spelling errors in the text. There could be links and URL’s throughout the site that the scammer would want a user to click on to and lead them to phishing pages. Through these pages they would be able to access personal information like passwords and or usernames. The overall design quality of the site is poor. The link itself could be unusual and have unique symbols. Most sites start with “https”, or have a lock in the corner to show it’s secure and a fake website would not have this. The goal of fake websites is to deceit a user onto a site for the scammers benefit to allow them to commit cybercrimes.
#7 Review the following ten photos through a human-centered cybersecurity framework. Create a meme for your favorite three, explaining what is going on in the individual’s or individuals’ mind(s).
#8 Watch this video and pay attention to the way that movies distort hackers.Hacker Rates 12 Hacking Scenes In Movies And TV | How Real Is It? – YouTubeLinks to an external site.
After watching the video, write a journal entry about how you think the media influences our understanding about cybersecurity.
I think the media has caused cybersecurity to look over exaggerated and has greatly influenced how we perceive cyber threats. In many movies or tv shows, they will have an actor play the part of a computer expert to try and hack into something or respond to a cyber threat. The media will play it up dramatically and cause things to appear on the screen. However, a lot of cyber threats aren’t as fancy as they make them out to be. Some are simply done by just clicking on the wrong link, and you may not even be aware of the fact that you’ve been hacked until later when your computer malfunctions or you receive weird feedback.
#9 Complete the Social Media Disorder scaleLinks to an external site.. How did you score? What do you think about the items in the scale? Why do you think that different patterns are found across the world?
I scored an 8/9 which would make me a “disordered social media user”. The only question I would say no to is last one which asks if I got into arguments due to my social media use. I think the questions asked are a good indicator of harmful habits and addictions on social media. This is not only something that I struggle with but many of my peers, as well as adults in my life, and that is concerning to me. I believe that different social media patterns are different across the world because of the society they live in. In America we are used to having a device in our back pocket which means you should always be on standby for family, friends, and even work, because that is what’s expected of you. In some other countries it could be seen as crazy to always be on social media. I’m sure other places in the world are more conscious of the effects of social media and want to protect their society by keeping it to a minimum.
#10 Read this and write a journal entry summarizing your response to the article on social cybersecurity
In the article you learn social cybersecurity is a new field that is emerging and is vital to national security. The main focus is protecting people from misinformation, and propaganda. It discusses the manipulation that occurs psychologically to influence public opinion and the actions they take. Furthermore, these tactics used can cause distrust in certain institutions in our society such as the government. This is why social cybersecurity is important for national security and should be protected to keep the integrity of society’s values. Keeping individuals educated on media literacy and having the knowledge to decipher between real and fake is more important than ever. Another point made was the value of having interdisciplinary fields involved in cybersecurity such as psychology, sociology, and political science. These would help to understand the social side of cybersecurity and create defenses.
#11 Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYtmuHbhmS0Links to an external site. As you watch the video think about how the description of the cybersecurity analyst job relates to social behaviors. Write a paragraph describing social themes that arise in the presentation.
Cybersecurity analysts relate to social behaviors by understanding human behaviors and the human elements to cyber threats. Analysts have to work to detect and mitigate the tactics of social engineering like manipulation and misinformation. They study patterns of online behavior and help to protect organizations.
#12 Read this https://dojmt.gov/wp-content/uploads/Glasswasherparts.com_.pdfLinks to an external site. sample breach letter “SAMPLE DATA BREACH NOTIFICATION” and describe how two different economics theories and two different social sciences theories relate to the letter.
One of the economic theories that I saw in the letter was Keynesian Economic theory because of the interference that was needed from the government to step in and help the company investigate the matter. The other theory I noticed was Marxian Economic theory. The customers valuable information was taken from them. The intruders are the ones with power, while the customers were exploited and have no power in the situation. One social science theory I read thought about in the letter was Reinforcement Sensitive theory because with this theory it is known that those who commit cybercrime have higher levels of rewards. By taking peoples personal information, they are risking a lot, but they could benefit a lot from it financially. The other theory is personality theories and specifically extraversion because the attackers put their interests first rather than the good of others.
#13 Read this article https://academic.oup.com/cybersecurity/article/7/1/tyab007/6168453?login=trueLinks to an external site. and write a summary reaction to the use of the policies in your journal. Focus primarily on the literature review and the discussion of the findings.
Bug bounties are cost effective because companies get to learn the problems of their security system while paying a reward to those who find it. These bounties give a chance for even small businesses to succeed because many suffer from a data breach in the early stages of the company. Depending on the industry they may receive more reports than others. Businesses that have to do with finances are seen as more valuable, so they don’t want to have bug bounties as much because they can be exploited for people’s information. While social media companies hold logins and what not, businesses want to ensure their users privacy, so they’ll compensate the hackers generously for their work. As a bug bounty program starts to age, less bugs are reported because the bugs have become harder to find.
#15 Watch this video: Digital Forensics | Davin Teo | TEDxHongKongSalon, and think about how the career of digital forensics investigators relate to the social sciences. Write a journal entry describing what you think about the speaker’s pathway to his career.
Digital forensics uses analysis as well as tools to uncover cybercrimes. The work is done covertly with an investigator going in and collecting digital pictures of a workspace to make it as though nothing has changed, or overtly by an investigator going in with legal counsel and doing their work. Social sciences involve understanding human behavior. This can help solve cases of cyberbullying, online fraud, or other online privacy concerns. These fields work together to uncover cybercrimes and motives. The speaker has a background in commerce and finances, but it was interesting hearing how he got into digital forensics simply because the company emailed about starting a new digital forensics team. David took a chance and decided to get into it because of his background in technology.