Blake Murphy

2/20/2025

Article Review #1

Article Review #1 – Cybercriminal’s Motivations behind Industry Attacks

Analyzing the causes behind attacks to central industries in relation to social science theories will help provide a better understanding of how to better prepare for them. The article touches on Cybersecurity Victimization in the Healthcare Industry. Because the healthcare industry is so important, it makes sense that motivations behind the attacks could be applied to others as well.

Social Science Relations

The article contains references to the scientific method due to the level of research being
involved in it, such as the use of dependent variables in a study involving healthcare entities attacked from 2018 and 2023 (Praveen, 2024.) The data is collected ethically, being sourced from hackathons and focused data collection on victimization cases, ending up with a total of 1,138 cases (Praveen, 2024.) To ensure objectivity, the data was supported by credible organizations such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act Journal. The article relates to class topics discussed such as victimization, which is the experience following something negative occurring to someone. Namely, healthcare attacks involve physical and financial losses. The methods of attack are all also things covered in class such as phishing or denial of services. The journal assignment revolving around motivations behind crimes listed financial reasons behind one of them, which is one of the major reasons healthcare industries are targeted so heavily. Lastly, the scientific method in general including independent and dependent variables is all covered in class.

Research & Analysis

The data collection was solely focused on victimization cases and was done to provide “a nuanced understanding of cyber threats across varied geographical socio-economic landscapes, governmental systems, and judicial frameworks” (Praveen, 2024, p. 10). The main form of analyzation involved identifying variables in attacks such as the industry, reasoning, and method. The purpose behind the research was to identify how susceptible health institutions were to cyber threats, and the result was that they were more at risk than they had previously thought. This is due to disruptions to healthcare services being so harmful, as well as the large amount of private data accessible through these attacks (Praveen, 2024.) The question was whether or not they could determine the reasons behind threats attacking the industries, which they found.

Society & Marginalized Groups

This data helps society better prepare themselves against these threats. With the existing research, policy frameworks can be put into place against threats and newly emerging artificial intelligence technology. The article is a warning of potential future financial and physical losses. These attacks are not directed towards specific groups but does affect marginalized groups as collateral in giant data attacks. Namely, senior citizens would be at the biggest risk due to their potential reliance on healthcare.

Conclusion

To reiterate, it is essential for society to be aware of these attacks and have countermeasures working before incidents occur. Because these events occur so prominently, there is an excess of data available at hand. It is imperative that it is used to mitigate further damage for the better of society as a whole and the people living in it.

Article Link:
https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1186&context=ijcic

Article Review #2

Blake Murphy

4/1/2025

Article Review #2 – Social Sciences behind Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying as an issue can be mitigated through what we know about social science principles. During a study conducted by Geraldine Ray, et. Al, research was conducted on reasons behind cyberbullying, where it often happened, and who was most susceptible. By examining these from a lens of social science, it becomes easier to pinpoint where the issue can be corrected.

Social Science Concepts

Cyberbullying can be tied to behavioral theories that suggest criminal behavior is learned. Cyber-victimization is also heavily involved with the topic, as the behavior of the victim is what often enables bullying to happen on social media or anywhere else online. The personality trait of extraversion means that bullying is likelier to happen because the victim interacts with many people on a frequent basis. As mentioned in the article, susceptibility to cyberbullying depends on individual behavior and personality traits (Ray et. Al, 2024, p. 9). People with those traits are likely to encounter frequent cyberbullying, which correlates to social science research discussed in class that indicates those who have experienced being tormented online will have different psychological responses to it than someone who has only been treated that way once or twice.

Research Methods/Question

There is multiple research questions stated in the article, but the main question is stated to be “How does cyberbullying affect individuals, and what measures can be taken to mitigate its effects?” (p. 2). Before they could begin on research, data was collected through samples and close examinations of user behavior on social media. They utilized surveys, which was discussed in class to be one of the more popular methods cybersecurity researchers use to obtain information. Once they obtained the data, their research methods included narrowing down the region where incidents occurred. Each different study was split between methods like descriptive, surveys, and policies (p. 4).

Societal Contributions

Motivations behind cyberbullying can relate to marginalized groups and the current societal climate. Race can be a big factor behind why someone would cyberbully, as it is a learned behavior as discussed earlier. There are also people who target marginalized groups to attempt to scare them off of certain platforms or make the individuals inactive. However, society can also stand to benefit heavily from the research. Parents can acknowledge what apps have the highest potential for cyberbullying and make sure their child is safe. The correlation found between personality disorders such as psychopathy or narcissism makes the solution easier to pin down with a little bit of additional research.

Conclusion

To reiterate, cyberbullying as an issue can be mitigated through what we know about social science principles. With personality traits observed from the perspective of both offender and victim such as extraversion, agreeableness, narcissism, and sociopathy to name a few. These are complicated topics, and a solution for cyberbullying is even more convoluted. Regardless, research is slowly narrowing the answer down to an achievable state by discovering areas that prior studies have previously missed. With time, social media apps and the internet itself will become a little more of a safer place for everyone to interact in.

Article Link:
https://doi.org/10.1093/cybsec/tyae026