Watch this video and think about how the career of digital forensics investigators relate to the social sciences. Write a journal entry describing what you think about the speaker’s pathway to his career.

In the video, the speaker explains how he was originally working in accounting that eventually led to him assisting in the company’s IT-related incidents; and how he became employed in one of the big four accounting corporations which led to him discovering his passion for digital forensics. 

The speaker’s pathway to his career, to me, is honestly very inspiring.  Finding a job where you can chase your passion is something that a lot of people don’t get to do unfortunately, so seeing something like that happen is refreshing. 

The stories that were described regarding the duties of digital forensic investigators and the important details that need to be considered in order to effectively do the job, aid in portraying how the social sciences are involved.  One example from the talk, was where the speaker was explaining how they would need to ensure that this messy desk looked exactly the same once they were done with their work as the actual user of the desk would be suspicious if they found anything changed with their workspace (relating back to a statement about confidentiality between a small number of people regarding the investigation).  This mainly relates to psychological aspects, specifically with something like subconscious memory, because the user is likely working there everyday over a number of months/years, so they will subconsciously realize that something has changed or is missing, even if it is something minimal.

Andriy Slynchuk has described eleven things internet users do that may be illegal. Review what the author says and write a paragraph describing the five most serious violations and why you think those offenses are serious.

Out of the eleven illegal internet activities, the five that stand out to me the most:  Collecting Information about Children; Sharing Passwords, Addresses, or Photos of Others; Using Other People’s Internet Networks; Using Unofficial Streaming Services; and Extracting Audio from YouTube.  The first of the five is serious for obvious reasons, obvious to me at least.  A kid doesn’t have the cognizance necessary for understanding why their data is being collected/tracked, so it wouldn’t make sense to collect their data for external use.  They can’t buy anything as they don’t have their own online payment methods like debit & credit cards, and they also can’t consent to having their data collected or not in the sense that they aren’t even going to regard the terms and conditions that come with consenting to data tracking.  No one that uses the internet really regards the terms and conditions, but most adults understand what’s happening without reading them at least.  It, all in all, does not seem ethical.  Sharing/exposing addresses online is known as doxing nowadays, and this is serious since there is zero certainty that whoever is living there will be safe unless they can afford some type of security.  There is zero certainty that whoever has the individual’s address doesn’t have malicious intent, so it’s essentially endangering a person whether it be by accident or not.  Using others’ internet networks can be serious depending on the intent as well.  If it’s a friend or family member that is using it without bad intentions, it doesn’t make sense that it’s illegal, but regarding hacking/abuse of the network, it makes sense as a lot of daily life will rely on that network whether it’s logging into a banking/financial site, social media site, institutional site, etc.  Using unofficial streaming services is copyright infringement, so it’s understandable for it to be illegal.  I believe it isn’t cracked down on a lot because there are too many people that actively participate in it; for a brief example, people will post entire movies on TikTok at times, and it won’t get taken down for a long while.  Lastly, extracting audio from YouTube is the one that really surprised me the most, but it is understandable as well.  It’s similar to the concept behind using unofficial streaming services; it’s like plagiarism but in a digital format relating to videos and should rightfully be acted upon depending on how serious the situation is.

A later module addresses cybersecurity policy through a social science framework. At this point, attention can be drawn to one type of policy, known as bug bounty policies. These policies pay individuals for identifying vulnerabilities in a company’s cyber infrastructure.  To identify the vulnerabilities, ethical hackers are invited to try exploring the cyber infrastructure using their penetration testing skills.  The policies relate to economics in that they are based on cost/benefits principles.  Read this article, and write a summary reaction to the use of the policies in your journal.  Focus primarily on the literature review and the discussion of the findings.

To summarize the key findings and discussion:

Estimated price elasticity of hackers is between 0.1 and 0.2, which indicates price inelasticity; hackers tend to be influenced by factors that are non-monetary whether it be to gain experience, or for fun or even revenge (as mentioned in past modules regarding hacker motivations outside of money/pay).

Findings of the 2SLS regression analysis conveyed that for any size company, bug bounties will be effective.  Moreover, findings conveyed that the size of the company does not matter when it comes to the information learned from bug bounties.

Findings of the 2SLS regression analysis also conveyed that bug bounties tend to produce less reports for companies in retail, financial, and medical industries in that order because of opportunity costs.  Moreover, to add additional context, the companies in these industries are more proactive about protecting data which would lead to an increased difficulty for any malicious activity.

There was no evidence to suggest that new programs affect the number of reports received by companies; but there was evidence to suggest that if programs do not increase their bounties as they mature, then those programs will receive fewer reports over time.

Lastly, the 2SLS regression analysis indicates that there are a multitude of external factors between programs that result in variation in the bug bounty reports, with examples being revenue and brand profile, where unidentified variables (scope and bug severity) could account for some of the variation.

Read this sample breach letter, “SAMPLE DATA BREACH NOTIFICATION,” and describe how two different economics theories and two different social sciences theories relate to the letter.

A good way to approach this type of situation, and apply social & economic theories, would be to incorporate theories based off of four perspectives that could be involved:  the attackers, the victims, the company/corporation, and the companies/corporations outside of it.

On the attackers’ side of the equation, the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) could provide insight as to why they may have committed the act; and it could also help the victim understand it as well from an objective point of view.  RST, in short, posits that people will behave differently based on different sensitivities of brain systems.  This theory involves factors like reward interest, goal-driven persistence, reward reactivity, and impulsivity; neural responses to these factors will influence a person’s likelihood of getting involved with cybercrime, such as the data breach referenced in the breach letter.  Furthermore, the Neutralization Theory could add external context relating to the justification of the crime.  Neutralization Theory suggests that people know right from wrong, but they have already justified their behavior prior to committing the crime.  A common example could be that the crime was committed for the benefit of their group or even their familial needs.  It could be seen as immoral from the victim standpoint, but to them they’ve already created the scenario where it isn’t.

On the company’s or corporation’s side of the equation, the Rational Choice Theory could provide insight as to what corrective actions were & should be taken, as well as how they planned to go forward with those actions.  The Rational Choice Theory suggests that people/businesses act in their best interest; in this case, there was a data breach that lasted from Feb-Dec that put customer payment info at risk.  It was in their best interest to delay notifying the customers until a time after the breach was discovered for the benefit of the investigation into the attack; following that, it was in their best interest to dedicate resources to work with a cybersecurity firm to ensure that no further damage was done to aid in maintaining customer satisfaction and loyalty.  Moreover, Expected Utility Theory, a theory that suggests people make decisions based on the expected utility of different outcomes, would align well with this situation and the actions that were taken.  Evaluating the pros and cons of dedicating more resources to the prevention of another attack would tie right into this theory.

Lastly, from the perspective of other companies or corporations, this entire incident could be perceived as a risk for cooperation.  It’s going to be difficult to not take a hit to reputation after any type of cybersecurity incident.  Companies and corporations actively try to keep their reputations as clean as possible; negative events such as this data breach will inevitably lead to attempts at/strategies for recovering for this reputation decrease.  Impression Management Theory encompasses this concept well; it focuses on how people manage their image and how they are seen by others, as well as how negative events can affect their image, leading to actions/efforts to mitigate the damage done, similar to how the events in the breach letter unfolded.

Watch this video.  As you watch the video, think about how the description of the cybersecurity analyst job relates to social behaviors.  Write a paragraph describing social themes that arise in the presentation.

The main social theme that arises involves digital defense, specifically the combination of cybersecurity and digital defense as a social theme.  Some of the responsibilities of a cybersecurity analyst, as described in the video, are being the front-line defenders of the network, responding to incidents of phishing attacks (or various cyberattacks in general), training individuals for increased user awareness, patching computers, etc.  There was a study in a past module for the current CYSE201S course that described how individuals that work in cybersecurity are typically less trusting than other fields that could make the following statement seem a bit contradicting, but that level of trust typically comes from a place of critical analysis rather.  As a cybersecurity analyst is the front-line of defense for a network, they will have to have increased levels/ability of collaboration, or to collaborate.  It won’t be possible to get the job done effectively without this skill.  Under the same umbrella of cybersecurity and digital defense, as well as a responsibility that is included in the duties of a cybersecurity analyst, cybersecurity awareness/education is another social theme that will always exist as long as technology and the internet/any type of ability to connect to that technology exists.  Raising cyber awareness is a necessity for keeping individuals up to date with the best practices for keeping themselves and the network they occupy safe, and in turn keeping others safe on that network as well.  All in all, the social theme of digital defense emphasizes the critical role of a cybersecurity analyst in this day and age in their various duties/responsibilities.

Read this and write a journal entry summarizing your response to the article on social cybersecurity.

The article, referenced above, illustrates the criticality and importance of adapting to the new capabilities of technology in regard to the defense of the U.S. as well as the militaristic capabilities of the U.S.  One topic of the article was physical presence in reference to the influencing of a nation and the fact that in today’s times a person or group doesn’t necessarily need to be in a place for them to be able to influence the masses.  In my opinion, this is one of the most important topics of discussion simply because the power that social media, and media in general, has.  The one that could be of greatest influence is YouTube, and I don’t believe it’s close at all in comparison to the other media outlets. 

Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok are all platforms that do best with short form content, content that’s usually no longer than a minute in duration.  While these platforms do well at going viral the quickest, specifically TikTok, it won’t be as memorable as longer form content, in the context of influence that isn’t comedic or creative.  On these platforms, comedy/creativity is going to be a key factor in engagement as well, and it’s going to be difficult for viewers to take the speaker seriously if they aren’t bringing some type of positive engagement to the table.  With that being said, it will be difficult to give a formal address about a topic on these platforms. 

YouTube, on the other hand, would be exponentially better for a formal address as the audience is larger and the reach is probably going to be larger as well.  Note, short form content platforms have reach as well, but are forgotten just as quickly as they are discovered.  YouTube has more longevity.  The difference between the YouTube and short form platforms are through YouTube an individual could quite literally reach a percentage of the entire population and, to an extent, YouTube doesn’t fully rely on trends in the way short form content tends to, increasing longevity. 

To bring the focus back to the realm of social cybersecurity, the aforementioned information and platforms could be used to cater to an agenda that the speaker in these videos may have.  Strategies of information manipulation, another big topic in the article, could be used to manipulate the facts/data/message pertaining to the video and influence the audience in a way that we may/or may not deem to be fit.  It gets tricky because there isn’t a limit to this either, and anybody could do it because people will believe almost anything as long as it is delivered in a way that is convincing enough for them.  It’s an issue that is virtually impossible to combat for the same reasons; anybody could be perceived to be wrong, a liar, an enemy, etc., at any given time depending on where that message aligns with a person’s beliefs.  There are outliers, open thinkers, but for the majority it’s going to be a matter of personal morals and beliefs.

All in all, through media outlets, anyone can reach anybody, no matter where they are in the world, as long as there is a connection to the internet and a device to facilitate the message, so it is important that individuals utilize skills, like critical thinking/analysis for example, to avoid being a victim to misinformation.

Complete the Social Media Disorder scale.  How did you score?  What do you think about the items in the scale?  Why do you think that different patterns are found across the world?

Here are my answers respectively to the questions (questions are long so only answers to the questions are provided):  1. No, 2. No, 3. No, 4. No, 5. Yes, 6. No, 7. No, 8. No, 9. No.  These add up to a low score.  Typically, I don’t use social media as often as I used to; I kind of use it as a filler between the things I do (work, homework, video games), or if I want to take a break from those things as well.

I think the items in the scale are a bit extreme; it sounds like it’s treating social media like drugs.  It’s an understandable approach, though, as the questions asked could technically be applied to anything that is a distraction, like video games.  For all of the questions, I could probably answer yes at some point in my life if social media was replaced with video games.  The questions asked are a relatively good determination to figure out if a particular outlet may be an issue both now and in the future.  Specifically for social media, it can become a pretty bad addiction because of the ease of access as well as the stimulation it can provide.

Different patterns are found across the world because different parts of the world have more or less access to the technology used to access social media.  The U.S. is reliant on the internet for most things in daily life nowadays, and social media is commonly used as a source of promotion for products and companies as well as for personal use, so there will likely be a higher trend in social media usage.  Then there are situations where social media is blocked on a government level, so there won’t be patterns at all, or the pattern is that there is no pattern if that makes sense.  If I’m not mistaken, I believe North Korea restricts people from accessing social media, so it would be difficult to notice patterns regarding social media for situations similar to that.

Watch this video and pay attention to the way that movies distort hackers.

Hacker Rates 12 Hacking Scenes In Movies And TV | How Real Is It? – YouTube

After watching the video, write a journal entry about how you think the media influences our understanding about cybersecurity.

The media has a negative influence on our understanding about cybersecurity, for the most part.  I understand how theatrics need to come into play in order for a movie to be interesting/maintain engagement, which could hinder the accuracy relating to what hacking, defending against an attack, general activities relating to cybersecurity, etc., may look like.  But looking at it objectively, the media makes it look less serious than it actually is.

The media may portray a hacker accessing some of the most secure networks on Earth in seconds, when in reality (the vast, vast majority of the time) you’d need a team of individuals as well as plenty of time to get the job done.  It could set an unrealistic tone to the severity of the situation if it were to occur in real life.  Another example could be equipment used to crack server passwords, or any password for that matter in tandem with the time it takes for that equipment to finish the job; again, it’s not going to be a matter of seconds, it will take plenty of time depending on how strong the password is, the method of encryption, standard of encryption etc.

All in all, the media will influence people to believe cybersecurity is a lot simpler than it is in reality.

Create a meme for your favorite three [images], explaining what is going on in the individual or individuals’ mind(s). Explain how your memes relate to human-centered cybersecurity.

An important aspect/characteristic/necessity in human-centered cybersecurity is the knowledge of the individual accessing the device or network. If individuals are not properly and/or thoroughly educated about the best practices, potential risks, and importance of using strong identifiers & passwords, then it will be virtually impossible to remain safe.

Another significant aspect of human-centered cybersecurity is convenience—specifically, convenience in terms of how easily an individual can adopt/adhere to the required safety measures, mitigating risk to the well-being of the individual or the network they are on. MFA is one of the simplest, but effective, ways to help ensure the safety of a network or device.

When an individual is educated about potential risks and consequences associated with internet access, such as phishing, pharming, etc., avoiding these risks becomes relatively easy. A good education on what to watch for makes it conveniently easy for individuals to navigate online threats.

For context(to avoid any type of conflict), by “threw that ish back,” I mean throwing the line back relating to fishing.

Can you spot three fake websites and compare the three fake websites to three real websites, plus showcase what makes the fake websites fake?

Below are three examples of screenshots of fake websites pretending to be real websites that I found on the internet:

One of the most telltale signs of a fake website is the presence of suspicious domains and/or subdomains (e.g., netflix.com, gmail.com, paypal.com, etc.). In the example above, an unsuspecting person browsing the internet may not even realize they are logging into a fake Netflix website, potentially giving another person or other people access to their personal information. The major issue with this website is its domain: vegankiss.net, which is not a traditional domain or URL used for Netflix. Another significant indicator that this website is fake is the absence of an SSL certificate. There is no ‘https://’ in the URL, and the padlock that typically appears to the left of ‘https://’ is also missing.

Here is another good example of a fake Netflix website, but on the phone. Everything looks pretty much the same in terms of the user interface, resembling how Netflix appeared at the time. However, the domain is incorrect. Despite containing netflix.com, it is not legitimate due to the multitude of additional letters and numbers preceding it. This website does have a padlock, although, which could be misleading for someone who is not familiar with these deceptive practices.

Lastly, this displays an image of a fake PayPal website. PayPal is commonly used for online transactions, making this potentially more serious. Like the others, the user interface for this fake site looks identical to the real PayPal. The caption in the tab on the top-left is also identical, and there is a padlock that could falsely depict it as a safe website. However, once again, the domain/URL does not reflect that of the real PayPal. Someone who is not familiar with these types of scams could easily fall for this, as they may not know to check the URL.

The aforementioned examples share the same discrepancy, but all of the following are indicative signs of a fake website:

• Poor grammar within the website’s messages and/or UI
• Low-quality graphics
• Absence of an SSL certificate
• Limited payment options (for example, if a site only accepts BTC or only accepts cryptocurrencies)
• Issues with the domain, subdomain, or URL
• Lack of contact information

All of the aforementioned could be considered telltale signs that an individual may be accessing a fake website.