Charles Phillips
Professor Diwakar Yalpi
CYST 201S
17 April, 2025
The Role of Social Science Principles in the Career of a Cybersecurity Analyst
BLUF: Just like in many of the disciplines of social science, cybersecurity analysis is complex,
ethical, social, and technical. Cybersecurity analysts rely on their knowledge of social science
principles in accounting for and managing the complexities in their daily work. For example,
when programmers code systems, consideration of social science elements like relativism,
objectivity, parsimony, empiricism, and ethical neutrality aspects may help analyze human
behaviors, secure sensitive data, and formulate equitable security solutions to benefit society,
including disadvantaged communities.
Introduction:
Cybersecurity is often taken to be a technical field, involving understanding of both subject
matter (technologies) and systems, but it inherently requires a similar understanding of human
behavior, moral choices, and social context. The role of a cybersecurity analyst is an example of
the crossroads of cybersecurity and social science given COVID-19 has escalated the impact of
human factors to threats in cyberspace. The understanding of social science principles can
provide cybersecurity analysts with foundational principles to conduct ethical investigations, risk
analyses, and manage diverse populations of users. This paper builds on what the informed
cybersecurity analyst will need when examining how social science principles and research are

invoked in their day-to-day work, particularly when working with marginalized groups and
society at large.
The Role of a Cybersecurity Analyst:
Cybersecurity analysts protect an organization’s digital environment by identifying weaknesses
in systems, defending against attack and threats, and preventing future attacks. Their role
includes monitoring and inspecting network traffic and help with penetration testing of systems
and producing reports for stakeholders. More than these tasks, though, analysts need to
understand the motives and actions of malicious users and legitimate users. This is where the
value of social science principles come in (Information Security Analyst Career, 2024).
Applying Social Science Principles in Cybersecurity Analysis
Relativism and Objectivity:
Cybersecurity analysts work in multicultural and worldwide environments. In this context,
relativism, or the understanding that values and norms differ between cultures, is important. For
example, one culture may consider something to be an ethical practice that another country may
find invasive. Analysts are required to adjust their security practices according to these
differences while maintaining organizational security. At the same time, objectivity helps
analysts minimize personal biases from entering into their analysis or decision-making, so that
they can objectively analyze case studies regarding insider threats or user behavior. Objectivity
also helps analysts compose reports in a neutral and evidence-based way (Writers, 2023).
Parsimony and Empiricism:

In cybersecurity, parsimony directs analysts to consider the simplest explanations for abnormal
behavior on a network or an unusual encounter with a system. Parsimony helps prevent
over-the-top complexity that can waste precious resources(Writers, 2023). Empiricism is the
reliance on observed and measurable evidence. So, for example, analysts should arrive at a
conclusion based on data and patterns rather than speculation as prescribed in ATTR. Parsimony
and empiricism each help facilitate due diligence regarding the complex and sometimes
convoluted process of threat detection and response. Analysts utilize empiricism daily when
looking through system logs or equipment or when receipt of intrusion detection alerts–they first
acknowledge the evidence in the logs first and deal with explaining what it might represent
afterwards!
Ethical Neutrality and Skepticism
Ethical neutrality is necessary for analysts who have to be even-handed in their district or other
cities regardless of opinions they may personally have about the users or suspects. Analysts need
to be neutral regardless of whether they are assessing employees or external hackers. Skepticism
is a serious analytical principle pertaining to the ideas of the analyst questioning that which
seems anomalous and reserving judgment about digital evidence all the way until the end of the
analysis. Having drama and ambiguity around data circumstance and the inability to discern
between what is human error and malicious intent matters in a cyber investigation. With data
breach scenarios, skepticism should compel the analyst to probe ambivalence about whether an
incident was a breach or not and prompt the analyst to dig deeper to rule on whether it was an
incident, where it came from, and what if anything occurred (Your Next Move: Cybersecurity
Analyst, 2023b).

Determinism in Behavioral Analysis
Determinism- the idea that our behavior is a result of previous causes- supports the behavioral
analysis area of cybersecurity. Analysts use this to understand why particular users fall victim to
phishing scams or why the threat actor may have used a certain attack vector. This understanding
allows us to create improved training programs and security controls for user’s behavioral
patterns.
Interacting with Marginalized Groups and Society at Large
Cybersecurity analysts need to acknowledge their work has an impact on different groups,
including marginalized communities. These communities often face more cyber-related risks due
to a lack of digital literacy or secure technology(Information Security Analyst Career, 2024).
Using the principles associated with social science, analysts can develop inclusive policies
protecting against threats that are fair and equitable. To illustrate, the principle of ethical
neutrality would prevent analysts from profiling a user based on their socio-economic status,
racial background, or where they live when conducting analyses of suspicious activity.
Empiricism ensures that no user is judged based on anything other than be haviour and evidence
against them and not through any form of bias. Communities that are marginalized undergo a
higher rate of cyber victimization – such as identity theft and phishing schemes that are targeted
at low-income individuals or ethnic minorities. By utilizing an approach informed by social
science, cybersecurity analysts can provide educational campaigns and support mechanisms to
mitigate these risks(Information Security Analyst Career, 2024). The principle of relativism
enables analysts to appreciate the specific vulnerabilities of various communities, allowing them
to develop appropriately tailored and culturally relevant cybersecurity resources.

Challenges in Practice
Analysts within cybersecurity encounter three fundamental challenges, as evidenced by:
Balancing security and privacy: Analysts are expected to utilize effective security procedures
to meet their duties; the challenge is to do this while respecting user privacy. Objectivity and
ethical neutrality can help cyber analysts determine the appropriate degree of monitoring.
Addressing the many facets of the digital divide: There are many communities that experience
marginalization and poverty that do not have access to the specific resources required for not
only effective cybersecurity, but also basic levels of internet security. Relativism and empathy
can help analysts grasp and work within those situations and address the gaps related to policy
and advocacy.
Applying ethical principles for data: Analysts often deal with sensitive data, data specific to
individuals or institutions, and are expected to handle it ethically, responsibly, or with the highest
ethics possible. Ethical neutrality and empiricism will help ensure that manner of reasoned
decisions will follow the facts and objective data analyses rather than interpretings or the
implications of an analyst’s latent biases or assumptions.
This underscores the importance of having a holistic perspective that goes beyond technical skill.
Using social science principles will better prepare analysts to engage these dilemmas with
equitable solutions.
Conclusion:

Cybersecurity analysts are responsible for protecting not just digital systems but also everyone
that relies on a digital system. Their work draws on a number of social science principles that can
assist with ethical decision-making, understanding and analyzing behavior, and cultural
considerations. Applying relativism can provide greater inclusivity, while empirical statements
can help identify and clarify data-driven investigative steps. Overall, the ways in which social
science practices connect to cybersecurity are at the heart of how cybersecurity analysts do their
work in the digital world. The addition of social science practices into the cybersecurity toolkit,
can help cybersecurity analysts better do their job(s) and fulfill cybersecurity activities that serve
society as a whole, and in this case, fulfill that role equitably for those disproportionately
affected by society’s institutions.

Reference:
Information Security Analyst career. (2024, September 16). Western Governors University.
https://www.wgu.edu/career-guide/information-technology/information-security-analyst-career.ht
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Writers, S. (2023, March 20). Security Analyst Career Overview | Cyber Degrees. Explore
Cybersecurity Degrees and Careers | CyberDegrees.org.
https://www.cyberdegrees.org/jobs/security-analyst/
Your next move: cybersecurity analyst. (2023b, July 7). CompTIA.
https://www.comptia.org/blog/your-next-move-security-analyst