Relativism

The principles of science can be related to cyber security in a multitude of ways. The first Term that heavily relates to cybersecurity is relativism. Relativism, in this context, is described as all things being related to one another. An example of this can be found in some of the systems that we are tasked with protecting in the cyber security field. Such as the changes in the way our economic system has been slowly moving to a more digital friendly approach. Not many people carry around dollar bills anymore since the digitization of money is seen as more convenient and safer. Another system that is more closely related to the topic is the rise of new forms of crimes. Namely, cybercrime being a relatively new type of criminal activity that can have devastating consequences. These new cybercrimes are having an effect on our justice system since they now have to come up with reasonable judicial punishments for crimes that can vary immensely in degree. The sentencing of a simple phishing attack to steal some information and someone shutting down a nuclear power plant for ransom must be appropriately judged under new laws that have to be created. The relation of the judicial system and the technological systems of our society are clearly related. 

Objectivity & Ethical Neutrality

The next principle of science is objectivity. Objectivity is the way scientists’ study in a manner that is not focused on proving a point but rather to advance knowledge of the subject matter. This is crucial in cyber security in the technical sense when you are penetration testing the system you have secured. If you were going into the task only trying to prove just how safe your system is, you would never be able to improve on your system. In the sociological side of cyber security objectivity is seen when you have to make a tough decision that could be influenced by your personal opinion and morals on the topic. Such as using biometrics in order to authorize someone to view certain information. Some people may not believe in having their own or another’s personal eye or face scan in a system. Objectively speaking, using biometrics can greatly enhance the security of highly critical information. So, even though your personal opinion on the matter might go against it, you may have to make the objective decision to implement this technology into your system. This can also be related to the ethical neutrality principle of science which says scientists need to adhere to ethical standards when doing their research. Let’s use the previous case of the use of biometrics to secure information. Imagine if someone implemented into their system something that unwillingly used or collected someone’s biometric identity. That is an example of an unethical practice as well as a crime. Even in the case of someone consenting to giving their biometrics for authorization, but then the company uses the data for other unspecified things it would still be unethical.

Parsimony, Determinism, & Empiricism

Another principle of science I want to talk about is parsimony which promotes keeping the explanations as simple as possible. This is a bit harder to use in cyber security since it is very hard to explain behaviors of people. Nevertheless, it can be used while determining the reasons for cybercrime. One of the major characteristics used to describe cyber criminals is that they have low self-control. This paired with a need for instant gratification and belief in the low risk due to anonymity can lead someone to commit a cybercrime. This is something the scientific principle of determinism can be related to as well. Determinism is based on the belief that behavior is determined or influenced by previous events. Although, I don’t think just because someone has low self-control does not mean they are going to commit a crime. Using a deterministic approach, you would describe those characteristics as a crucial reason for a crime. The scientific principle of empiricism can also be thrown into this example as well. Empiricism means scientists can only study things that are real to our five senses. In the social sciences this means we can’t rely on hunches or opinions to understand cybercrime. In this example the use of the characteristics of self-control and need of gratification are things that follow this empiricist view.