I’m interested in cybersecurity technology because cybersecurity is a field that has applications in all other professional fields and industry sectors, and I find that to be unique. Cybersecurity considerations impact nearly every aspect of the world we live in today. Our financial data, personal health information, personal photos, personal communication with friends and family, and our business communication is all at risk of being exploited or stolen at any time. The supply chains and services we rely on for food, electricity, gas, and commodities are vulnerable from being disrupted or degraded. Our national security depends on its ability to guard against cyber-threats to keep our military ready and our government functioning. I’ve found it very interesting to watch how our world has become increasingly dependent on information technology as time goes on and how criminal activities have become more technology based as well.

Another reason that I’m interested in cybersecurity is the development of artificial intelligence (AI), and the impacts and risks of cyber-attacks on AI. I think AI will eventually play an indispensable role in our global economy and society to a degree that many people man not expect. AI systems and entities will need to be protected not only from human criminals, but potentially also from hostile AI attacking domestic or personal AI. If the field of neuroscience develops to enable people to one day have AI elements implants in our brains, we would need to guard against our own bodies and minds being hacked into. I would have felt silly writing that twenty-five years ago, but now it seems like a plausible threat. I see the opportunity for the field of cybersecurity to grow in ways we can’t yet fully comprehend.

     I think each of the following ODU majors relates to cybersecurity in its own unique way: Accounting, African American & African Studies, Biochemistry, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Since the findings and research in the field of biochemistry are stored on such a wide variety of networks, from campus-area networks and private enterprise LANs to the internet, this likely creates a variety of opportunities for unauthorized access and other risks to that data. Adversarial nations could seek to steal or destroy U.S. Government defense data in this field, as well as private corporate data in healthcare technology. Supply chain risk management considerations would also be an important concern in the field of biochemistry, especially if a company’s external parties operate with a different cybersecurity framework from one another.

     Public and private GIS data on networks would present similar risks and the need for access control for GIS applications dealing with defense agencies and military assets would need to protect their data against unauthorized foreign disclosure. Insider threats that would seek to sell classified GIS information to adversaries and denial-of-service attacks from hostile entities around the globe would also be considerations.

     Accounting majors and professionals will certainly need to know how to keep their company or client’s financial data and financial account access secure from theft, including training users who have authorized access to not fall victim to phishing attempts or social engineering efforts by cyber criminals, as well as awareness of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and how those considerations impact their client or business.

     Those majoring in the field of African American & African Studies could consider the need to guard the websites and data used by the organizations in their field from racially motivated hacktivists who may wish to spread disinformation by altering or defacing organizational publications or articles in that field, or even engage in hate-based denial-of-service attacks.