Cybersecurity Professional Career Paper:
Student Name: Maxwell Vinson
School of Cybersecurity, Old Dominion University
CYSE 201S: Cybersecurity and the social sciences
Instructor Name: Dr. Jordan Quinn
Date: April 14, 2026
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Cybersecurity is a widely growing profession focused on protecting sensitive online
information and systems. Cybersecurity analysts play a huge role in protecting users’ data. They
try to identify possible vulnerabilities, to try and prevent attacks before they happen, and respond
to breaches. In today’s world, cybersecurity is important since we are digitalizing more and more
everyday, this is a technology driven world. Every aspect of our society is digital, for example
our baking, healthcare and education are all online as well. Without proper security for our
systems, we are vulnerable to cyberattacks resulting in loss of data, financial loss, and more.
The purpose of this paper will show how cybersecurity analysts rely on social science research
and principles in their day-to-day work.
Social science research is needed in cybersecurity, many attacks rely on human behavior
over technical vulnerabilities. Carley (2020) explains that social cybersecurity shows us how
people interact online and how people are exploiting these interactions and trying to take
advantage of them for personal gain. For example all the phishing attacks that try to trick users to
click and download links revealing the users information. Cybersecurity analysts use principles
from psychology and sociology to try and understand why people make their decisions online.
Like using weak passwords and or downloading sketchy links.
Key concepts like risk assessment, and ethics are central to cybersecurity careers. Risk
assessment allows analysts to identify vulnerabilities and determine whether or not they pose any
danger to the user or their system. Dalal et al. (2021) highlights that employee behavior is one of
the biggest factors in cybersecurity risks, making this important to understand workplace
dynamics. Ethics is another important concept, cybersecurity analysts must protect user data
while also respecting their privacy. They must ensure that they do not violate any of their
customers or any individuals rights.
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Cybersecurity is very important for marginalized groups, especially those with
limited access to technology or aren’t as experienced with technology. Khan et al. (2025) tells us
that cybersecurity is a social responsibility since the online attacks affect different and more
vulnerable populations. For example, older individuals are more likely to fall for phishing scams.
Cybersecurity professionals try to address these problems by designing more available systems
and try to promote online education.
Cybersecurity analysts play a huge role in cybersecurity, by protecting vital systems like
our banking and healthcare. Their work is to prevent cybercrime and sensitive information that is
stored online. Public policies are related to cybersecurity and guide how organizations have to
manage information and respond to these threats. Cybersecurity professionals must follow
policies while assisting whoever they are working for.
In conclusion, cybersecurity analysts rely on their technical skills and social science
principles to protect systems and information. Understanding human behavior online, and
applying the key concepts like risk assessment and ethics, and the needs for marginalized groups
are all essential for this profession. Cybersecurity is not just about how secure the system is but
also the human behavior online.
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References
Carley, K. M. (2020). Social cybersecurity: an emerging science. Computational and
Mathematical Organization Theory, 26(4), 365\u2013381.
https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10588-020-09322-9
Dalal, R. S., Howard, D. J., Bennett, R. J., Posey, C., Zaccaro, S. J., & Brummel, B. J.
(2021). Organizational science and cybersecurity: abundant opportunities for
research at the interface. Journal of Business and Psychology, 37(1).
https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10869-021-09732-9
Khan, W. N., Lee, J. K., & Liu, S. (2025). Is Cybersecurity a Social Responsibility?
Information Systems Frontiers, 27. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s10796-024-10565-z<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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