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

When storing an individual’s or organizations information and data, there are a number of ethical issues that can arise when mishandling and improper protection of the information is rampant in the organization collect such data. A common ethical concern is the collection methods of individuals online habits. This can be considered an invasion of privacy in the person as they may not realize their actions are being tracked and recorded, giving a false sense of anonymity to the person. An example of this is Facebook tracking a users browsing habits for tailoring targeted ads, many Facebook users would not be aware that Facebook can track a users searches outside of the main social media site so it becomes a question if this is information that the person would willingly offer up or not. Another common ethical issue is what happens in the event of a breach, how much at fault is the company for storing and improperly securing the data they have collected? Since this data can often contain sensitive information such as passwords or personal identifiers, it can put affected individuals at risk for identity theft and having other personal information stolen that could put assets at risk. An ethical issue that can arise is who is allowed to have access to this personal information? If an individual who is having their data collected where to run into legal trouble, should the authorities be granted access to that persons data and at what level should they be granted access? This puts into question if companies have a right to have sole access to the data even if it could be critical to solving a case and if an individual’s privacy or a the justice system is more important. The last ethical dilemma I discuss about in means of storing electronic information is how long does a company have a right to an individual’s information they have collected? Companies are amassing years of data on individuals, do they have a responsibility to discard that data after a certain point as it should be deemed no longer relevant to any financial interests? Or are they allowed to hold onto personal data for as long as possible to study behavioral patterns over the years in order to refine processes that use that information? Does old information even put the individual at any more risk than information being currently collected? The collection and storage of someone’s electronic information about individuals is a highly nuanced discussion that deserves attention as companies grow their data bases.

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

The study of cybersecurity is multidisciplinary, drawing on other fields to best understand and secure against outsider threats, so it is important to understand how other fields interact with cybersecurity. One field that is emerging with cybersecurity is criminal justice. Criminal justice has much crossover, with the rise in cyber crime, criminal justice experts must be well versed in the field of cyber security to better understand how these crimes are committed and best practice at preventing breaches. The better Criminal justice understands cyber crime, the more data security analysts can get about the demographic of attackers and how to de-incentivize these attacks. Computer science also has a lot of crossover with security. Many security breaches look to exploit systems already in place, so understanding how the code works in our system helps us understand what its weaknesses are and how the systems get taken advantage of. Computer engineers interact with security a great deal on the hardware side, there are often physical barriers we can try to put in place to make systems safer and more secure and understanding how physical systems can be exploited will serve to help create more secure systems. On the industrial side, mechanical engineering and mechanical engineering technology have need to interact with security analysts, large corporations with are particularly at risk of an attack as hackers can take systems at ransom and cause lost profits or cause systems to start interfering with each other, with heavy machinery this can become a more physical threat as on top of financial. Leadership may be the most important major that crosses over with cybersecurity. The basis of all security plans is making that staff is well informed of vulnerabilities and best practices to combat outside attacks. It starts with good leadership being well informed on current cyber events and working with analysts to formulate plans and presentations to pass along to all employees.

Why are you interested in cybersecurity technology?

The reason I am interested in cybersecurity technology is that it is an incredibly fast paced emerging field. I believe there is a lot of new innovations in this field and much opportunity for a diverse number of projects and positions. What attracts me most to this field though is that the philosophy of this field often falls into a realm of balancing innovation and improving previous concepts. I believe this allows those working in this field to be more creative in their approaches and encourages a level of team work between colleagues for things such as testing and strengthening barriers and code. I also am attracted to the social aspect of this field where it is only to your benefit to interact with teammates as to help each other find different angles to attack projects and help balance and improve current working operations. I think also with this being a newer field it is perfect for younger candidates to join and be able to make a significant impact, coupled with the fact that there are always new emerging threats as the worlds technology advances, I think that this field also creates a unique opportunity for new people entering the field to still be on the cutting edge of the development and combatant process of their respective assignment. The field of cybersecurity also provides many different avenues for you to take your work, whether it be in a business setting, trying to adjust framework that is able to maximize an organizations security for both their clients and their own safety, or in a healthcare setting where you are protecting personal information on clients. The field of cybersecurity also has much translation to personal life, the things learned in this major can also help you protect your own information. I believe the field of cybersecurity technology will continue to be a growing field that offers those who work in it a chance to be fulfilled with their careers knowing they are able to make a real difference in their workplace and possibly even broader.