Cybersecurity Career Professional Paper: Information Security Analyst
Mason Phillips
School of Cybersecurity, Old Dominion University
CYSE 201S: Cybersecurity and the Social Sciences
Professor Yalpi
April 16th, 2026
BLUF
BLUF: Information security analysts work to protect a company or organization’s computer systems through monitoring systems and assessing them in order to implement proper security measures for them and this job plays an important part of protecting a company or organization’s systems. It is a quickly expanding job and is involved with the fast growing field of cybersecurity and information technology. This paper will cover the job itself and how it applies to social sciences along with other content and materials from the course.
Social Science Principles
The job of information security analyst easily relates to the social sciences because of the way that security and cybersecurity risks alike both come from human behavior and decision maker along with the psychology for why that behavior occurs in the first place. Principles of social science are integrated into cybersecurity because even though most of it is online, it all begins with humans. Human computer interaction (HCI) explores the ways that humans interact and use technology for both good and bad along with how humans respond to the technology, while user behavior analysis is used for tracking and monitoring user actions and behavior to better understand patterns in thinking and the overall way that the user may behave. These two points tie back into the information security analyst role as the information security analyst takes both of those points into consideration when implementing proper security measures.
Application of Key Concepts
The key concepts that I will be applying to this cybersecurity career are cybercrime, research methods and data analysis, and risk perception. An information security analyst’s main job is to protect against cyber attacks or threats against the company they work for. One type of attack they are trying to protect from is cybercrime, or criminal attacks on the company. The second concept, research methods and data analysis, is used every day by this career. This career’s main focus is analyzing data and systems in order to protect the organization or company. Risk perception, the final concept, is probably one of the most important concepts as being able to perceive and judge potential risks to security is a crucial part of their job. With these three concepts, the people working as information security analysts can better understand the potential risks and threats that they need to protect the organization or company from while ensuring compliance with legal requirements and standards.
Marginalization
Cybersecurity can have a multitude of effects towards marginalized or underprivileged groups. Some of these issues can include an unequal access to technology such as poor or third-world countries, heavily targeted communities such as older people or people who aren’t as good with technology, or areas that don’t have access to steady internet or networks. Some of the ways this career is working against some of these effects is to identify patterns of cyber attacks or threats that are geared towards a certain group of individuals and to create more inclusive and more accessible ways of training. The job market for this job is also continuously growing, offering more opportunities for employment every year.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a median salary of $103,590 and projects a 33% job growth rate (much faster than average) for information security analysts from 2020-2030.” (Simmons, 2022).
Career Connection to Society
The information security analyst role isn’t just one that you only find in top security companies, it is a role that can be found in computer companies, financial and business institutions, and also consulting firms. They play a very important role in these companies and in society as a whole by protecting them from attacks and threats, more so since more business and data moves online every year.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the information security analyst role is a majorly important role in today’s society, as it has deep connections to both the social science principles and in society itself. This role is also a quickly growing career and will open many opportunities for marginalized groups.
References
Simmons, L. (2022, December 8). A day in the life of a security analyst. Explore Cybersecurity Degrees and Careers | CyberDegrees.org. https://www.cyberdegrees.org/careers/security-analyst/day-in-the-life/
What does a cybersecurity analyst do? job description & skills. Degrees & Courses from Top Colleges and Universities: Learn.org. (n.d.). https://learn.org/articles/what-does-a-cybersecurity-analyst-do
What is an information security analyst?. What Is an Information Security Analyst? | The University of Tulsa. (2026, January 15). https://online.utulsa.edu/blog/information-security-analyst/