Cybersecurity, Technology, and Society – My Views

The development of cyber technology brought about changes to all human activities through its ability to enhance communication and business operations and technological progress but it established new criminal paths for offenders to exploit. The digital environment allows cybercriminals to perform identity theft and phishing attacks and ransomware assaults and massive data breaches at minimal risk while obtaining substantial financial gains. Traditional crimes do not cross international borders but cybercrime faces major difficulties when it comes to detection and prosecution because it operates globally. A hacker operating from one nation can breach financial systems located in distant countries through rapid exploitation of software weaknesses and human errors.

Organizations create their cybersecurity plans through the cultural values and beliefs which dominate their organizational environment. European nations which value privacy maintain GDPR data protection standards yet multiple countries across the continent continue to monitor their citizens for national security purposes. International collaboration faces challenges because different cultural groups hold distinct beliefs about security and privacy which leads them to establish different security-privacy standards.

The security risks stem from the built-in design elements of cyber systems. The networked structure of systems allows a single weakness in one device or platform to trigger a chain reaction which endangers all connected systems. Security challenges exist in complex systems because new technologies develop faster than suitable defensive measures can be developed.

People experience criminal activities differently because of cyber technology which also leads to new ways for crimes to victimize individuals. Unlike traditional crime, many victims of cybercrime may never even know the perpetrator’s identity or location. Online security breaches create feelings of powerlessness which damages user trust in digital platforms and financial systems and public institutions.

Organizations face various ethical problems when operating in the cybersecurity domain. System protection measures that use mass data collection and monitoring and offensive cyber operations create risks to civil liberties while producing negative consequences that were not anticipated. Security needs of nations create conflicts with individual freedoms but organizations must determine if protecting data expenses exceed the costs of extensive monitoring activities.

The implementation of cyber technology leads to various positive results yet generates various negative impacts. The technology offers exceptional connectivity and progress but needs continuous oversight and strategic methods to defend against threats while maintaining digital ethics and trust.

Write Ups

Components of a Business

A business functions through various dependent components which work together to reach operational success and financial targets. The standard organization chart shows main functions including marketing and sales and finance and operations and human resources but several essential departments exist to support overall performance. These include legal services, internal auditing, supply chain management, vendor management, public relations, technical support, and knowledge management.The four areas function separately to achieve their distinct objectives since legal compliance with regulations falls under its responsibility while auditing protects internal accountability and supply chain handles product delivery from suppliers to customers and public relations upholds brand image.

The executive leadership team receives activity reports from all departments within this category. Legal often reports to the CEO, auditing to the CFO, and supply chain to the COO or operations leadership. Public relations frequently aligns with marketing because of its focus on communication and reputation. The reporting structure of vendor management and knowledge management depends on company structure because they function as cross-functional activities which may report through operations or specialized management offices.

The current business sector operates through IT as its fundamental operational foundation. IT functions used to belong to operations but now operate as an independent division which directly reports to the CEO through their CIO. The IT department handles all responsibilities which include infrastructure management and application development and database administration and system testing and security protection and technical assistance for users. IT professionals execute their fundamental work responsibilities through their skills which simultaneously create business innovation and sustain operational continuity and defend organizational data security.

The IT department follows a structured organization that includes separate teams for operations and development and security and project management and architecture and reporting and database administration. Security teams dedicate their efforts to defending systems against threats but operations teams maintain system availability and deliver assistance to users. Organizations can use project management and architecture to guide their IT projects toward business goal achievement. IT functions as a strategic force that drives business competitiveness and operational efficiency rather than serving as a basic support system.

Cyber Roles & Responsibilities

System Security Officer (SSO) functions as a vital position which defends computer systems against cyber threats. The SSO holds full authority to create and maintain security protocols which protect computer systems and networks from unauthorized access and cyber attacks. The SSO monitors all security protocols to verify their proper deployment and enforcement throughout the organization. The SSO develops security policies and enforces them through regular security audits to identify system vulnerabilities and create suitable protection measures. The SSO directs incident response operations through their role of leading security breach containment and resolution activities. The SSO requires ongoing expertise about modern security threats and technological developments to provide organizations with effective protection for their systems and data. The SSO protects computer systems and their data from unauthorized access while ensuring their confidentiality and availability and integrity.

The System Security Officer (SSO) functions as the main cybersecurity program leader who protects system operational security through their work. According to NIST SP 800-12, the SSO works closely with the system owner to ensure that all security requirements are implemented, monitored, and maintained throughout the system’s lifecycle. The partnership between security teams and developers creates a system which maintains security as an active process that evolves to protect against new threats and organizational requirements.

The SSO position requires technical expertise from someone who has experience in cybersecurity and system administration and risk management. The team members perform three main duties which include security operation management and policy compliance monitoring and incident response coordination. The job demands expertise in technical controls which include access control and auditing and vulnerability management as well as organizational policies. The SSO functions to connect security governance leadership with the teams responsible for executing security protocols.

An SSO system plays an essential role because most systems experience changes through updates and configuration modifications and user interactions which create new security vulnerabilities. The SSO maintains environmental surveillance to work with other cybersecurity stakeholders for fast identification and resolution of system vulnerabilities. The position allows organizations to meet compliance needs through their work on documentation and evidence creation for audits and assessments.

The SSO functions as a strategic tool which helps organizations manage risks through the conversion of security needs into specific operational steps that support their core objectives. The position protects system usability through security protocols which prevent system vulnerabilities from occurring. The SSO provides security awareness training to system users across multiple organizations which helps build shared responsibility awareness among users.

In short, the System Security Officer is an indispensable member of the cybersecurity team. System protection occurs daily through their work with system owners and administrators to meet security standards. The SSO’s active management of security operations protects organizations from security incidents and operational disruptions and compliance failures.

Write Up: Hacking Humans

The Forbes story “Hacking Humans: Protecting Our DNA From Cybercriminals” says moving gene data online opens a fresh play‑field for hackers, some call cyberbiosecurity. At‑home DNA kits store our genomes on cloud servers. If those servers get breached, the leaked file acts like an ID that cannot be changed like a password. It links us to health, family trees and background – things a credit number never does.

The piece compares DNA with typical personal data such as Social Security numbers. It hints that stolen genes could fuel fraud, be sold on black markets, or pressure people, because the code is permanent. It notes the first big leak in DNA testing, pointing out that criminals have not yet built a booming market for raw genetic data. Still, mere presence of such data widens attack surface for after loot. Some experts also warn that even limited access to genetic codes can empower black‑mail scenarios, reshaping power dynamics. It seems that the threat may grow faster than protections.

There is worry about bosses demanding gene reports, police possibly using the info, and privacy loss when users click “agree” without reading. The author appears to think the science will keep advancing, yet security must move forward too.

What can be done? People should ask companies how they guard our strands. Demand strong encryption and hold firms accountable when slips happen. Public awareness must grow; we cannot stay calm when a breach hits something as fixed as DNA. Indeed.

Takeaway: A combined push – better tech, clearer laws, and careful user habits – may be needed to protect DNA. Real safety will likely need both cyber tools and new legislation that defines ownership and lays out penalties for misuse of DNA.

Write Up: Exploring Attacks on Availability

Devices and data, it’s classified as an availability attack, which is basically the “A” in the CIA Triad,
when hackers target the access to your information. Coming from the Cybersecurity and
Infrastructure Security Agency, this kind of attack cripples services to the point where they’re
completely inaccessible or unusable.
Unusually, the main goal of an availability attack is to freeze up operations, taking away from
employees and systems access to the lifeblood of the organization, which is something that thieves,
on the other hand, would like to steal. One of the ways a cyber attacker achieves this is through a
Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack. They use a network of compromised computers,
known as a “botnet”, to overwhelm the targeted server or system with a mind-boggling volume of
internet traffic that absorbs all available bandwidth and processing power, rendering the system
unable to process any legitimate requests.
Another way availability attacks work is through ransomware, where malicious software encrypts
an organisation’s most valuable files, rendering them completely unreadable and inaccessible, and
in some cases, knocks the service completely offline.
The fallout from these sorts of attacks is severe, for companies, and includes financial losses,
restoration and clean-up costs, and a devastating blow to reputation and client confidence. It’s very
difficult to come back from this and you need to have a multi-layered defence strategy in place,
including DDoS protection services, watertight backup and recovery plans and employees who are
up to the challenge.
Source: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). “Understanding Denial-of-
Service Attacks.” Retrieved from: https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/understanding-denial-
service-attacks

My Favorite Discussion Boards This Semester

Discussion Board: Opportunities for Workplace Deviance
Cyber technology has impacted workplaces in a lot of ways. For one, a lot of employees are now using AI for drafting emails and a lot of other tasks. Using AI for emails can be very risky due to the security risks as well as the fact that AI can store a lot of information and company secrets. This can be leaked to the public which might contain vital company information especially if it’s secret and should not be public knowledge. A lot of companies are now fighting back on this. At DuPont (where I work as a senior network engineer) when you try to go to chatgpt or google gemini, it will take you to a sharepoint on AI usage at the workplace making those inaccessible. In turn, we have a secret chat agent “CoPilot” which is run by microsoft and is more secret. It uses gpt-5, none of the information that goes through company copilot will reach public servers anywhere because it’s a corporate run account network.

Quotes That Will Always Stick With Me