Explain how the principles of science relate to cybersecurity
Cybersecurity relates to science because it is by nature an interdisciplinary study, with its roots stemming from different aspects of the sciences. It’s the fusion of computer science, and the need for security from those who would abuse other computer systems for their own selfish gains, and immoral actions against other people. Cybersecurity as a science is very relevant today because it is essentially part of every piece of technology today. Even the device you’re reading this journal on, you had to log into it, correct? The password, or thumbprint that was required is an aspect of cybersecurity. When you check your bank, or buy groceries with your card and need to input your pin, that too is cybersecurity. It has it’s roots in different aspects of social and natural science and has grown to be apart of every aspect of our lives, even outside of those sciences.
Objectively, it brings up many questions as well, regarding how people should be punished for abusing cybersecurity, and seeking to use it against other people. It also brings up questions about censorship online, which is a very controversial, touchy subject in today’s world. In terms of parsimony, many people outside of the cybersecurity world have a very hard time understanding terms and concepts, meaning we have to keep things simple for people to understand. Even while studying these subjects, I get confused and lost at times. Teachers who are able to explain it clearly or provide analogies to help students better understand aspects of it are incredibly helpful. Parsimony is key in the sciences to help those who aren’t knowledgeable in these topics to understand and follow along with as little handholding as possible.
Empirically, we need to experience cybersecurity to really understand it. We can’t rely on opinions, or news to explain it to us. We need to experience it to truly get a grasp of it. An example of experiencing it might be, again, unlocking your phone every time you check it, or requiring 2-factor authentication. Cybersecurity also has aspects related to ethical neutrality; cybersecurity in and of itself is a tool, and a tool can be used for good or for ill, depending who uses it. The tool itself isn’t ethical or unethical in nature, it simply gets used for a purpose. If someone uses it to defend their company, it’s ethical, but if someone abuses cybersecurity to hack into an account and steal someone’s info, it is used unethically.
Determinism is another principle of science examining why something is caused. We did a discussion board this week looking into the determinism of hacking, and there I started a person can not simply be forced into hacking or abusing cybersecurity. It is a choice they have to make, and at the end of the day, for whatever reason, if they abused it, it is an immoral decision. Very few cases of someone being forced to hack into a network exist, and even fewer of those can be justified.