Cybersecurity, Technology, and Society

Students in IT/CYSE 200T will explore how technology is related to cybersecurity from an interdisciplinary orientation.  Attention is given to the way that technologically-driven cybersecurity issues are connected to cultural, political, legal, ethical, and business domains. The learning outcomes for this course are as follows:

1. Describe how cyber technology creates opportunities for criminal behavior,
2. Identify how cultural beliefs interact with technology to impact cybersecurity strategies,
3. Understand and describe how the components, mechanisms, and functions of cyber systems produce security concerns,
4. Discuss the impact that cyber technology has on individuals’ experiences with crime and victimization,
5. Understand and describe ethical dilemmas, both intended and unintended, that cybersecurity efforts, produce for individuals, nations, societies, and the environment,
6. Describe the costs and benefits of producing secure cyber technologies,
7. Understand and describe the global nature of cybersecurity and the way that cybersecurity efforts have produced and inhibited global changes,
8. Describe the role of cybersecurity in defining definitions of appropriate an inappropriate behavior,
9. Describe how cybersecurity produces ideas of progress and modernism.

Course Material

Students in this course have completed a number of activities including a reflection essay, weekly technology and cybersecurity journal, write-ups, discussion posts, and several quizzes and exams. Included are some of these artifacts on this page, particularly the reflection essay, explaining what I did and how these projects helped me engage with the outcomes listed above.

 

 

Opportunities for Workplace Deviance Discussion Post

Prompt:

How has cyber technology created opportunities for workplace deviance?

Workplace deviance can take many forms, including policy violations, misuse of technology, insider threats, data theft, or unethical behavior involving digital systems. As organizations become increasingly dependent on technology, opportunities for cyber-related workplace deviance continue to evolve.

Response:

It goes without saying the benefits technology has brought to the modern workplace have been vital.  In that same vein, however, technology has also created opportunities for more deviance in the workplace, one example being cyber-slacking.  If an employee uses company devices on company networks for non-work-related activities or even downloads unauthorized third-party software or applications, that can harm the organization in more ways than one.  The deviance itself can range from minor time theft (like streaming videos or online shopping) to severe security compliance violations, putting the sensitive information and resources the company’s being trusted to keep safe in jeopardy.  

This type of behavior can be perpetuated by the workplace system itself.  Overly permissive access controls and a lack of proper endpoint monitoring tools allows employees to install or access restricted applications without triggering immediate alerts.  An organization with poorly defined or enforced Acceptable Use Policies also creates an environment where employees assume minor policy violations are acceptable or go unnoticed.  Boredom, fatigue, or simply the desire for convenience also can drive an employee to look for a shortcut or distraction during work hours.

The potential consequences for workplace deviance for organizations can be catastrophic.  If an employee is able to download a file from a third-party off the Internet, that introduces massive securiity vulnerabilities.  If that file contained malware and led to a data leak or cyber attack, all that sensitive information is now unprotected, and the company now faces potential regulatory fines due to non-compliant data handling, and a loss of trust by their customers and the general public.

To try to mitigate this type of deviance, the implementation of zero-trust architecture and the principle of least privilege can help employees stay on task.  With zero-trust, the system blocks the installation and execution of any software not explicitly verified and approved by the IT department, eliminating the possibility of compromising a company device by downloading any questionable software.

CIA Triad Write-Up

Cybersecurity involves much more than protecting computers from viruses or hackers. Organizations have to protect privileged information and data, systems, users, and business operations from a wide range of threats. One of the most basic and important concepts used to understand cybersecurity is the CIA Triad, a model designed to illustrate the importance of confidentiality, integrity, and availability when protecting information systems. These three principles provide a foundation for determining what an organization needs to effectively protect said systems, and how security controls should be designed.  Understanding the CIA Triad can help organizations identify vulnerabilities, respond to incidents, and make better security decisions to ensure the success of their businesses.

In the CIA Triad, confidentiality regards ensuring information is only available to users, devices, and systems authorized to see it. This is especially important when organizations store sensitive information such as personal data, financial records, intellectual property, or private communications. For example, a student’s educational records should not be accessible to another student simply because both individuals attend the same university. Organizations can help protect confidentiality through access controls, strong passwords, encryption, and multifactor authentication (MFA). Confidentiality is also important because a security breach can damage the trust that customers, employees, students, and other users have in an organization. In some situations, organizations can also face legal or financial consequences when private information is not adequately protected.

Integrity is the principle of ensuring information remains accurate, trustworthy, and protected from unauthorized changes.  It’s not enough for an organization to keep information private if anyone can secretly modify it.  If an attacker were able to change an employee’s payroll information or alter a student’s grade, the information would no longer be trustworthy. Integrity protects data from unauthorized modification, deletion, or destruction. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) explains that data integrity involves protecting information from improper modification or destruction and that organizations need effective ways to detect and respond when integrity is compromised (Cawthra et al., 2020). Through logging, access controls, constant monitoring, backups, and integrity-checking processes, organizations can promptly identify suspicious changes and recover from them.

Availability regards making sure authorized users can access information and systems when they need them. This part of the CIA Triad is especially important for organizations that depend heavily on technology for everyday operations. A system can have strong confidentiality and integrity controls, but if legitimate users cannot access it, the system is still failing from a cybersecurity perspective. System outages, ransomware, DoS attacks, hardware failures, and other incidents can all affect availability. Organizations can improve availability through regular system maintenance, backups, redundant systems, disaster recovery plans, and timely security updates.

The CIA Triad is an invaluable tool because it gives cybersecurity professionals and organizational leaders a common guide for how they protect data, build security policies, and mitigate risk. Instead of looking at cybersecurity as one large and complicated problem, organizations can evaluate whether a particular system or process effectively protects confidentiality, integrity, and availability. For example, an application with weak login controls could create a confidentiality problem, a system that does not properly record or prevent unauthorized changes could create an integrity problem, and an application that frequently crashes could create an availability problem. This framework can also be used as a diagnostic checklist during incident response to help determine what went wrong, contain the damage, and restore organizational systems safely.

At the same time, the three principles can sometimes compete with each other.. Increasing security does not necessarily mean simply making a system as restrictive as possible. For example, completely locking down information might improve confidentiality but make it difficult for authorized employees or students to access the information they need. Therefore, it’s so important for organizations to find a balance that provides adequate security without preventing people from effectively using the system. This makes the CIA Triad vital not only to cybersecurity professionals but also to organizational leaders who have to make decisions about risk, cost, usability, and business operations.

A recent example showcasing a failure of these principles was the 2026 cyberattack against Canvas, an online learning platform used globally by colleges, universities, and K-12 schools. The ransomware attack was perpetrated by the hacking group ShinyHunters, who gained unauthorized access to Canvas-related systems through vulnerabilities in the system, and obtained user information, the stolen data including staff and student names, email addresses, student identification numbers, and internal messages. The attack disrupted access to Canvas during the finals period, an important time for schools, affecting thousands of colleges and millions of users.  This cyberattack demonstrates both confidentiality and availability failures in the Canvas system. Confidentiality was affected because unauthorized individuals were able to access information belonging to users of the platform, creating a risk that personal and institutional information could be exposed. Availability was also affected because students and faculty temporarily lost access to course materials, assignments, communications, and other resources.

The impact of the incident went beyond the technical issue itself. Students who depended on Canvas to take exams or submit coursework could not access the platform when they needed it the most during finals. This created additional stress and potentially affected grades or academic deadlines, affecting faculty members as well because they depend on the platform to communicate with students and manage and administer assessments. At the organizational level, the incident damaged confidence in Canvas and raised concerns about whether educational institutions can safely depend on third-party technology providers. The University of California said across schools, “Canvas access will not be restored until we are confident the system is secure” (Treisman, 2026), demonstrating just how a cybersecurity incident can quickly become an operational problem rather than remaining solely an IT issue.

There are several cybersecurity practices that could reduce the likelihood and impact of similar incidents happening in the future, one important strategy being stronger authentication. Authentication verifies that a user, device, or system is who it claims to be, while authorization determines what that authenticated user is allowed to access. These concepts are closely related to confidentiality because organizations need to make sure that users are not only legitimate but also have the appropriate permissions. In the case of the Canvas cyberattack, the hackers were able to exploit a vulnerability in Instructure’s, the parent company of Canvas, “Free-for-Teacher” accounts.  Using multi-factor authentication (MFA) could have provided an additional layer of protection, allowing those with the proper authorization to utilize the platform in its intended capacity rather than those who might otherwise take advantage of the system to do harm.

Organizations should also take a proactive approach to security rather than waiting until after a vulnerability has been exploited. Vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, constant and consistent security monitoring, and ethical hacking can help identify weaknesses before malicious actors discover and exploit them. This is particularly important for software vendors whose products are used by large numbers of organizations. The Canvas incident demonstrates the enormous risk created when one technology platform supports many institutions at the same time, and how a vulnerability in a widely used platform can have consequences across an entire sector.

The CIA Triad provides a straightforward way to understand some of the most important goals of cybersecurity. Confidentiality protects information from unauthorized access, integrity protects information from unauthorized changes, and availability ensures that authorized users can access systems and information when needed.  A cybersecurity failure can expose sensitive information while also interrupting important services that people depend on, so for organizations, effective cybersecurity therefore requires more than reacting to attacks after they occur but rather being proactive in lowering the risk of threats before they happen. By using strong authentication and authorization, preemptive vulnerability management, monitoring, incident response, backups, and recovery planning, organizations can better protect their systems and reduce the impact of future cybersecurity incidents.

SCADA Write-Up

With the ever-growing population in this modern era, the need for larger-scale critical infrastructure systems grows with it.  Because the number of people who utilize these vital systems, like sewage, water treatment, and electrical power plants, every day has no intention of slowing down, it’s impossible to monitor these systems manually, so the use of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems is imperative to ensure continuous operation. SCADA systems play an important role in modern industrial operations and critical infrastructure, the combination of software and hardware tools that allow organizations to monitor, collect data from, and control industrial equipment both locally and remotely in real time. These systems are used to help organizations understand what is happening across their operations and respond when changes are needed, and because SCADA systems are connected to physical equipment and processes, security of these systems is especially important.

One of the primary purposes of a SCADA system is to give an organization a broad view of its industrial operations. Instead of requiring an operator to physically inspect every machine or piece of equipment, SCADA allows information to be collected and displayed in one central location. This gives operators the ability to monitor equipment, configure machines to meet business requirements, and start or stop processes whenever and wherever necessary. Ultimately, the purpose of utilizing SCADA systems is to focus on and optimize efficiency, uptime, and control because it provides organizations with the information needed to keep industrial processes operating smoothly. This capability is particularly important in critical infrastructure, where an interruption in operations can have consequences beyond the organization itself.

SCADA systems are used in many different industries, including energy, transportation, water management, healthcare, and manufacturing. In a water treatment facility, for example, sensors and field devices such as flow meters, pressure gauges, and chemical-level sensors are placed throughout water tanks, treatment areas, and distribution pipelines. These devices collect information such as water levels, chlorine concentrations, and pipe pressure, and other devices like Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) or Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) then collect the raw signals from these sensors and convert them into digital information. The collected information is then transmitted through wired Ethernet, cellular networks, or radio links to a central control room. At the control room, SCADA software collects and organizes the information so that a human operator can monitor the system through a graphical Human-Machine Interface (HMI), providing a visual representation of the facility and its equipment, and allowing an operator to see the conditions across the facility without having to physically inspect each location. If the information shows that something is outside of normal operating conditions, the operator can respond accordingly, from the control room, able to instantly manipulate the system by turning on and off wherever any issue may be occurring. This demonstrates how SCADA combines physical equipment, communication networks, software, and human decision-making into one system.

Although SCADA systems provide major operational benefits, there are also inherent cybersecurity risks, one of these vulnerabilities being weak password management. A large SCADA environment can contain a significant number of devices, making it difficult for operators to maintain different passwords for every system. As a result, organizations tend to rely on simple or shared passwords to make access easier. These passwords are rarely changed, if at all, even after operator turnover. Shared or weak credentials can make it easier for an unauthorized person to gain access to systems that control important industrial equipment. This problem becomes even more serious when remote access is available because an attacker may not need to be physically present at the facility to attempt to compromise the system. Most common SCADA protocols were originally designed for closed internal networks rather than today’s highly connected environments. Because of this, many systems lack typical security features such as strong encryption and other protections expected in modern IT environments (An0n Ali, 2025), making them even more susceptible to attacks. Engineering and industrial control systems can also often fall behind newer cybersecurity technologies. Remote devices may be physically difficult to access, and replacing or upgrading an entire industrial system can be extremely expensive (Bowman, 2025). Organizations therefore face the challenge of improving security without disrupting the industrial processes that depend on these systems.

A cyberattack against a SCADA system could have serious consequences for an organization and, depending on the system involved, for society as well. One immediate consequence could be operational downtime. If an attacker interferes with a manufacturing plant, production line, or refining operation, depending on the severity of the interference, the organization may be forced to an immediate halt. This downtime can result in significant financial losses, especially if it continues for an extended period, the consequences only compounding with time. In industries where continuous operation is necessary, even a relatively short interruption can create problems that continue even after the system is fully restored.

A SCADA attack can also cause physical damage. Unlike an attack that only steals information from a traditional computer system, an attacker who gains control of a SCADA environment may also be able to manipulate physical processes. For example, an attacker could attempt to override safety limits by changing pressure levels, valve settings, or turbine speeds. If these controls are manipulated beyond safe operating levels, equipment could overheat, break, or potentially explode. This illustrates why cybersecurity for SCADA systems is not just a technical issue but also a physical safety issue, as the effects of an attack can extend beyond computers and networks to machinery, facilities, employees, and the surrounding community that utilize those systems.

There can also be legal and financial consequences to a SCADA attack. Organizations responsible for public utilities or critical industrial infrastructure can face regulatory penalties and lawsuits if a security incident causes harm or places the public at risk. A serious incident can also damage an organization’s reputation and reduce the trust that customers and the public have in it. To ensure business continuity, SCADA cybersecurity cannot be viewed simply as an IT concern, but also as one of physical safety, financial stability, and public trust.

Organizations can take several steps to improve the security and resilience of SCADA systems, one important strategy being continuous monitoring. Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS) can provide greater visibility into network traffic and help identify any abnormal or suspicious activity or unauthorized devices in real time. Early detection is valuable because it can give security personnel the opportunity to respond and take action against any exploited vulnerabilities and prevent incidents before they can occur.

Organizations should also maintain effective patch and vulnerability management programs. Industrial devices should be updated when compatible patches or firmware are made available, but patches should be carefully tested before they are deployed. This is particularly important for SCADA environments because applying an untested update could potentially interfere with industrial operations, resulting in possible damage to systems or even downtime. Organizations must balance the need for stronger security with the need to keep critical systems available.

Strong access controls can also greatly reduce the opportunity for attackers to gain unauthorized access. The enforcement of least privilege would grant operators only the minimum access necessary to perform their responsibilities.  Using this principle in conjunction with multi-factor authentication (MFA) for any remote or administrative entry ensures that there is no centralized power, that not one HMI has the capability of controlling the entire SCADA. Together, these practices can make compromised credentials less useful to an attacker and provide another layer of protection for critical infrastructure systems.

In the 21^st century, SCADA systems are an important part of modern industrial operations and critical infrastructure because they allow organizations to monitor equipment, collect information, and control physical processes in real time. Their usefulness, however, also makes them an important cybersecurity concern. Weak passwords, outdated security protocols, difficult-to-upgrade remote equipment, and other vulnerabilities can create opportunities for cyberattacks. The consequences can include financial losses, operational downtime, equipment damage, legal problems, and risks to public safety. Organizations can reduce these risks through continuous monitoring, careful patch management, strong access controls, and MFA. Protecting SCADA systems is therefore not only about protecting computers and networks; it is about protecting the physical systems and services that organizations and communities depend on every day.

Human Factors in Cybersecurity Write-Up

Often cybersecurity is associated with protective technology such as firewalls, antivirus software, encryption, and other security systems. While these technologies are important, cybersecurity also depends heavily on the people who utilize and manage those systems. This is known in cybersecurity as the “human factor”. The human factor refers to the way people’s behaviors, decisions, mistakes, and interactions can affect the security of an organization. Even when an organization has strong technical security measures in place, a single human mistake can create an opportunity for a cybersecurity incident. Because of this, understanding human behavior is an important part of protecting an organization and its sensitive information.

Human error is the greatest weakness in a security system, and human behavior can contribute to cybersecurity vulnerabilities in several different ways. The strongest security measures could be in place, but human behavior (like falling for social engineering, having poor password hygiene, and using unauthorized personal devices on company networks) can create vulnerabilities. These actions may not be intended to cause harm, but they can still expose an organization and all its sensitive data to significant risks. These are a challenging threat to mitigate because they’re difficult to predict and, therefore, prevent. Unlike simply installing an IDS/IPS to detect and prevent an intrusion, there’s no software to protect against vulnerabilities brought from human error.

One example of a human-related cybersecurity risk is delaying system updates. Software and operating system updates often periodically include security patches designed to fix known vulnerabilities. When an employee repeatedly postpones an update, the device can become exposed to a vulnerability that otherwise would have been corrected. This becomes a problem because cybercriminals can take advantage of known weaknesses in outdated systems. The employee may not understand the importance of the update or simply consider it inconvenient to stop working and install it, however, what seems like a minor decision can potentially create a larger security problem for the organization if continuously left unattended, demonstrating how everyday decisions can have consequences beyond the individual employee.

Another example is oversharing information on social media. Employees may publicly post information about their jobs, workplace projects, travel plans, coworkers, or responsibilities without considering how that information could be used against them. Cybercriminals can collect these details and use them to create more convincing social engineering or spear-phishing attacks. For example, knowing an employee’s job title or the project they are working on could help an attacker create a message that appears legitimate. The employee may be more likely to trust the communication because it contains information that seems familiar. On its own, shared information can seem harmless, but that same information can become extremely dangerous in the wrong hands, now useful to an attacker when combined with other available information made public by the user.

To better protect their information systems, it’s important for organizations to address cybersecurity as both a technical and human problem. One important approach to help reduce human-related cybersecurity risk is through engaging awareness training. Training should not simply consist of a single lecture or annual presentation that employees quickly forget; rather, organizations should provide regular and practical training that allows employees to recognize realistic threats and practice responding to them. Training can include examples of phishing messages, simulations, social engineering techniques, strong password security, and appropriate responses to suspicious activity. When individuals understand their role in protecting the information and systems they utilize every day, the importance of cybersecurity is emphasized and strengthened company-wide (Sangwan, 2024).

Organizations can also reduce human-related risks through intentional security design. Security procedures should take into account the natural limitations of people rather than assuming that employees will always make perfect decisions. When secure behaviors are easy to follow, employees are more likely to follow them. For example, organizations can use automatic software updates, multifactor authentication, password managers, and other security controls that reduce the amount of security responsibility placed entirely on the individual. These measures do not eliminate human error, but they can greatly reduce the opportunities for a simple mistake to become a serious incident.

Organizational culture is another important part of reducing cybersecurity risks. Employees should feel comfortable immediately reporting mistakes or suspicious activity. If workers are afraid that admitting a mistake will automatically result in punishment, they may delay reporting it, giving an attacker more time to cause damage. A strong cybersecurity culture should encourage communication and make employees understand that reporting a problem quickly is part of their responsibility, identifying the human element as an important consideration when developing their cybersecurity practices for an organization (SecurityScorecard, 2024).

Because humans by nature are not mindless computer programs and can be affected by their environment, there are social factors that can also influence how employees make cybersecurity decisions. People often look to the behavior of coworkers when deciding how they should behave themselves. This can be described through subjective norms, where individuals are influenced by what they believe people around them normally do. If employees regularly see coworkers ignoring security procedures, they may begin to believe that those procedures are not important and ignore them themselves, negating the whole intent of the safety measure in the first place. On the other hand, when security-conscious behavior is common throughout a workplace, employees may be more likely to follow those behaviors themselves.

Social proof is another social factor that can influence cybersecurity behavior and decision-making among employees. An attacker can use social engineering to create a situation that makes an employee believe other people have already approved or completed an action, making the attack seem more believable and trustworthy. For example, an attacker might claim that a manager or another employee has already provided information or completed a request. The employee may be more willing to comply because the request appears normal or socially accepted. Trust also plays an important role. Employees naturally develop trust in familiar people, organizations, and communication methods, but attackers can take advantage of that trust by imitating those familiar sources.

Ultimately, cybersecurity is not only about preventing technological attacks, but also about understanding the people who actually interact with the technology every day. Human error, poor security habits, social engineering, and workplace behavior can all create vulnerabilities even when an organization has strong technical protections. Organizations can reduce these risks through ongoing training, thoughtful security policies, systems designed around realistic human behavior, and a workplace culture that encourages employees to communicate about security problems. Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, and when organizations recognize the human factor as an important part of cybersecurity rather than simply viewing employees as a weakness, they can create a more effective and practical approach to protecting their systems and information.