Cybersecurity can be viewed as the multidisciplinary approach in which several related disciplines come together to create new advancements and growth in Cybersecurity. Proof of this can be seen by several other majors offered here at ODU.
One such major that relates Cybersecurity would be Criminal Justice. Criminal Justice focuses on how we should prevent crimes, how we could detect crimes, the appropriate punishment for a crime and how the judicial system should respond to such criminal activity. Cybersecurity also focuses on how to prevent, detect, and respond to crimes in cyberspace. The lessons learned from Criminal Justice could be applied to Cybersecurity due to the similarities between the two majors.
Another major that has some relation to Cybersecurity would be Information Technology (IT). As defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA) as IT is “the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware.” As such IT is what allows organizations to safely operate their data systems while also protecting the organization’s assets from cyber threats. Therefore, Cybersecurity relates to IT as both majors seek to protect an organizations’/individuals’ personal assets whether it be software, hardware, or network related.
The next major that relates to Cybersecurity would be Computer Science. Computer Science is the study of events and actions related to computers. Due to such a broad study, one such focus that exists within Computer Science would be Cybersecurity as it relates to computers.
One more major that has some relation to Cybersecurity would be Criminology. Criminology studies who commits the crime, why such a crime was committed and what are the consequences of those actions. When we are able to find the reasoning behind the criminal and why they went to commit the crime that they did, we are able to establish patterns to be cautious of when dealing with individuals and create countermeasure to prevent illegal actions from occurring when possible. Cybersecurity must also focus on the reasoning behind criminals who are threats via cyberspace. In doing so, they would similarly establish methods to prevent cyberthreats from occurring when dealing with already seen criminal behavior.
Therefore, while Cybersecurity is not necessarily a broad discipline it is not small either. This can be seen by the fact that there are several other disciplines who have some relation to Cybersecurity and how those related disciplines can influence the methodologies of Cybersecurity itself.