As I have written about many times throughout this course, the rapid expansion of the use of technology, computers, and networks has opened the door for more and more vulnerabilities and exploits that must be secured and protected to ensure the safety of important data stored on these devices. The rise in cyber crime can be attributed to the rise in opportunities provided by the widespread use of technology.  

Cybersecurity overlaps with pretty much every industry in some shape or form in this modern world that we live in. Any entity that uses computers or devices with network access must be vigilant about their security pratices to ensure their sensitive data remains out of reach of unauthorized users.  

Criminals may tend to lean into more cybercrime opposed to regular crime over time due the perceived anonymity and the issues that come with prosecuting cyber crimes. Not to mention, the large amount of valuable sensitive data that is stored on networks and the critical infrastructure that computers control can be enticing to criminals looking for high reward payoffs or criminals who want to cause severe damage to infrastructure or the lives of those who work with them.  

With this rise in opportunity comes the need for criminal justice professionals to be well versed in proper cyber crime investigations and fields like digital forensics. The rise in cyber related crime has led to a lot of the criminal justice programs across the country introducing some form of cyber security focus into their curriculum. This however is far behind the curve, with some programs and universities still not integrating cybersecurity at all, and the ones who do don’t go far enough in depth to keep up with the rise in incidents that continue to occur.  

Cybersecurity plays a large role in everyday life. With computers controlling important and dangerous functions more than ever, the need for cybersecurity to overlap into all professions continues to grow.