INTRODUCTION

Cybersecurity professionals are an integral part of society as their efforts involve protecting the sensitive data of both individuals and infrastructures. More inconspicuously, however, their work is deeply rooted in the social sciences. It relies on multiple principles, such as understanding human behavior, fostering trust, and speculating and addressing the ethical implications of their and others’ actions. For example, social engineering exploits psychological vulnerabilities instead of technical or tangible flaws, displaying the necessity of integrating social science into cybersecurity practices. This paper explores the role of the Security Analyst, illustrating how their daily responsibilities correlate with the social sciences to safeguard marginalized groups, strengthen societal trust, and comprehend the complex relationship between man and machine in the efforts to protect our data.

CORRELATION TO SOCIAL SCIENCES

Security Analysts identify and mitigate threats, but to do so, they must not only be experienced with technology but also understand the facets of human behavior to prevent and combat cyberattacks. One notable example is social engineering, a technique hackers use to exploit people’s minds to access private information. It is rooted in the attacker’s ability to fool or trick the victim (psychology) rather than brute force the same victim’s accounts or data (technology). Attackers often use fear tactics or present themselves as someone of authority to manipulate individuals into giving them information, thereby bypassing any technical barriers (Xu, Golob, & Montanez, 2020). Security Analysts fight these challenges by incorporating behavioral sciences in their work. For example, they design and implement training and phishing awareness strategies that seek to educate individuals about the dangers and risks of this type of social engineering. This requires knowledge of cognitive biases and psychological triggers to be effective by reducing human error and strengthening individuals’ and organizations’ overall security awareness.

MARGINALIZED GROUPS

Furthermore, Security Analysts need to be aware of cultural and age-related biases that attackers often exploit to access accounts and financial assets. Siddiqi et al. (2022) highlights that phishing, in its various forms, is one of the most successful methods of attackers. This method incorporates psychological and social principles, such as authority bias, to coerce victims into revealing information or simply transferring funds directly. More specifically, attackers frequently target vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, who tend to lack technical literacy to prevent and recognize these scams (Carlson, 2006). For instance, in vishing attacks, a form of phishing performed over the phone, scammers impersonate government agencies or healthcare providers to exploit the trust and/or fear of this demographic, which can lead to financial hardship. To prevent these threats, Security Analysts apply social science methods, like social learning theory or ethical relativism, to create mitigation strategies geared toward this population. Research by Xu, Golob, and Montanez (2020), describes the urgency of creating educational materials for varying degrees of technical literacy. For the older generations, this may be a simplified awareness workshop or visuals to help identify red flags in emails, phone calls, and fraudulent advertising.

CONCLUSION

  In conclusion, the role of the Security Analyst emphasizes the relationship between cybersecurity and social sciences. By understanding human behavior, recognizing cultural and cognitive bias, and addressing vulnerabilities both technologically and socially, these cybersecurity professionals can not only combat the technical challenges associated with the protection of individuals and society but also to protect marginalized groups and build societal trust/confidence. Thus, the integration of social science principles such as social learning, ethical relativism, and behavioral psychology allows analysts to get to the root of the issue associated with risks and vulnerabilities of protecting data, ergo, human error.

Article Review #1

INTRODUCTION

The article titled “Cyberbullying and Psychological Stress among Female Employees,” published by Mohammed A. Al Doghan and Saman Arshad (2023) delve into the important and developing issue of workplace cyberbullying. The study, which took place in Saudi Arabia, seeks to understand better the consequences of cyberbullying on organizational commitment, sense of fairness (social justice), psychological well-being, and work satisfaction among female employees. This review explores how the study’s data adds to social sciences, examines the research topics and methodologies, and connects the issue to larger societal concerns, particularly for marginalized populations; also, how the study closely correlates with social science ideas, emphasizing the relationship between society and technology.

CORRELATION TO SOCIAL SCIENCES

To start, cyberbullying, a type of mistreatment performed in online environments, exemplifies how social behavior is changing in response to technological improvements. A lack of physical boundaries worsens this problem and displays larger workplace dominance and social justice patterns (Al Doghan et al., 2023). By examining how female employees are particularly impacted by cyberbullying, the study emphasizes the need for fairness, mental well-being, and ethical work conditions, all of which are fundamental concerns in social sciences such as sociology and psychology. The authors anticipated that workplace cyberbullying reduces employee job satisfaction through perspectives on fairness (interactional justice); furthermore, they predicted that cyberbullying would raise psychological stress, resulting in reduced organizational commitment (Al Doghan et al., 2023).

DATA ANALYSIS

The researchers utilized a quantitative approach, providing detailed surveys to female employees from several industries in Saudi Arabia. This strategy allowed the researchers to gather a wide range of information, assisting them in identifying patterns of cyberbullying occurrences and their psychological consequences. The research effort used regression analysis to determine the strength of the correlations between variables. The findings showed that cyberbullying dramatically lowers organizational commitment and work satisfaction while raising psychological stress (Al Doghan et al., 2023). Furthermore, Al Doghan and Arshad also found that the perception of fairness influenced the impact of cyberbullying on work satisfaction (2023). This suggests that if female employees thought their workplace was reasonable and fair, the negative implications of cyberbullying were less severe.

CONCLUSION

In short, the article addresses issues encountered by underrepresented groups, particularly women in the work setting, who are more prone to be victims of cyberbullying. In Saudi Arabia, where societal and cultural norms could make it tougher for women to report harassment, the article emphasizes the necessity of standards/policies in the workplace that address these concerns. By highlighting cyberbullying as a major issue influencing mental health and career satisfaction, that research encourages companies to develop healthier and more supportive work environments. It also contributes to the small collection of research on occupational harassment in other cultures, providing insights into how regional and socioeconomic variables might impact the experience of marginalized employees. Thus, this study offers useful information for companies, legislators, and professionals interested in combating workplace harassment and maximizing employee satisfaction.

REFERENCES

Al Doghan, M. A., & Arshad, S. (2023). Cyberbullying and Psychological Stress among Female Employees. International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 17(1), 1–10. https://cybercrimejournal.com/menuscript/index.php/cybercrimejournal/article/view/161

Al Doghan, M. A., & Arshad, S. (2023). Cyberbullying and Psychological Stress among Female Employees. International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 17(1), 1–10. https://cybercrimejournal.com/menuscript/index.php/cybercrimejournal/article/view/161

Journal #1

Review the NICE Workforce Framework. Are there certain areas that you would want to focus your career on? Explain which areas would appeal the most to you and which would appeal the least.

A: After reflecting on the various categories of the NICE Framework, the areas that appeal the most to me are design and development, implementation and operation, and protection and defense. These areas interest me the most because they are the most active regarding networking and cybersecurity. In each of these categories, there are careers where you are put on the front lines regarding defense. The areas that are least appealing in terms of my age and experience are oversight and governance. This area is solely management-based and can take years of experience to effectively oversee the responsibilities and challenges of the careers.