Article Review 1: People’s Responses to Cyber Threats and Policies

Article link: https://academic.oup.com/cybersecurity/article/7/1/tyab019/6382745?searchresult=1 

Kirk J. Turner

Department of Cybersecurity, Old Dominion University

CYSE 201S: Cybersecurity & Social Sciences

Professor Diwakar Yalpi

September 30, 2024

Introductory Overview

Cybersecurity policies are a topic of much debate in the global society. Ideas for stricter governmental policies are brought up that may limit people’s online privacy in attempts to make cyberspace a safer realm for anyone who uses it. This article delves into civilian thoughts on stricter regulations towards the digital world by comparing people’s experiences to varying levels of cyber attacks. Through a study conducted by the University of Haifa, researchers were able to provide conclusive data which supports the idea that as an online threat perception of the public increases, it would do governmental agencies good to address their citizens’ thoughts on new cybersecurity policies. 

Research Method

Researchers in this study question what determines the willingness of citizens to accept federal intervention in cybersecurity. The two main hypotheses of this experiment are “1: Exposure to lethal cyberattacks (LC) or nonlethal cyberattacks (NLC) will lead to greater support for adopting cybersecurity policies compared with people who were not exposed to any cyberattack… 2: people who are exposed to LC will exhibit to higher support for adopting cybersecurity policies than people who are exposed to NLC” (Snider et al., 2021). 

Researchers put their theories to test through means of a controlled survey experiment of over 1,000 participants. Participants were split into three groups: lethal treatment group, nonlethal treatment group, and control group. The lethal and nonlethal treatment groups were exposed to simulated news reports, whereas the control group was left out of this. The lethal group viewed reports on cyberattacks that resulted in one or more deaths in their country, emphasizing fatal dangers of digital threats. Meanwhile, the nonlethal group was exposed to lesser cyberattacks which depicted the financial threats that may result. 

Participants were surveyed before and after viewing the simulated news broadcasts in regards to their thoughts on the importance of cybersecurity. Results indicated that the lethal group displayed the most support for cyber policies, and the other two groups showed lesser support. Additionally, these results were examined for levels of threat perceptions amongst the groups. The control group did not perceive cyberattacks as a great threat compared to the other two groups. 

Ethical Issues

Questions may arise surrounding the ethics of this experiment as the experimental groups were uninformed that the news broadcasts were inauthentic. Some might argue that putting these participants through this procedure would inadvertently cause emotional distress due to the sensitive nature of the broadcasts, especially for the lethal group. On the other hand, others might propose that deductive research like this is necessary in order to better understand how humans react to and deal with digital threats that are possible to arise. 

Social Science Principles

The researchers involved in this experiment exercised the principle of skepticism, as they first asked many questions regarding the global acceptance of harsher online policies as well as the effects of different levels of exposure to cyber threats. Furthermore, they critically examined and discussed the results of their study in order to determine if their data accurately aligned with their hypotheses. Additionally, a lack of opinion throughout this article shows that objectivity was practiced by those conducting these tests; the information was proposed in an unbiased,  value-free manner. Lastly, the principle of relativism can be applied to the findings of this study. For example, as a result of participating in this experiment, many of those involved within the surveys gained a greater knowledge of cybersecurity and cyber attacks. From this newfound knowledge, these participants might change their views or actions related to the online realm. 

Societal Contributions

The information resulting from this study can be used to inform those who are unaware of some of the more severe damages associated with cyber attacks. These findings indicate that a basic introduction to online risks can greatly increase an individual’s perception of the threats associated with the digital world, and that exposure to cyber attacks can help people understand some of the preventive measures that can be taken to fight such threats. This is especially true for marginalized societies where, most of the time, people have an increased vulnerability. Additionally, this experiment brings to light how stricter online policies might be required in the future in order for a safer cyberspace to operate. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, this article was informative in regards to the differing reactions of people towards online mandates based on various levels of exposure to cyberthreats. It certainly makes sense how those exposed to harsher cyber experiences would favor a more regulated online space. However, the question remains to what extent do we as humans give up our privacies and online liberties in order to participate in a more secure cyberspace?

References:

Snider, K. L. G., Shandler, R., Zandani, S., & Canetti, D. (2021, October 7). Cyberattacks, cyber threats, and attitudes toward cybersecurity policies. OUP Academic. https://academic.oup.com/cybersecurity/article/7/1/tyab019/6382745