Nadia Simpson
CYSE201S
4/7/2024
Career Paper
Cybersecurity is a growing career field in which the demand is increasing due to the risk of
cyber threats and cyberattacks from adversaries. Cybersecurity is also a growing
career field in which the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics “projects cybersecurity jobs will grow
by 32% from 2022 to 2032, equating to 16,800 annual job openings” (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Statistics). Cybersecurity is one of those career fields in which anyone from a military background to a law enforcement background can use their skillsets to find a job in
cybersecurity. When it comes to the social sciences and cybersecurity, there is some overlap, for
example, some cybersecurity careers use determinism to determine why suspects commit
cybercrime. I am currently researching a popular cybercrime career and see if I can see
myself in that career as a cybercrime investigator. The responsibilities of a cybercrime investigator are to investigate and analyze cybercrime incidents like fraud, malware, and ransomware to find out why suspects commit cybercrimes. The daily routine of a cybercrime investigator is to collect evidence. One principle that cybercrime investigators use in their career field is determinism because they must see why suspects commit cybercrimes when they question suspects. Cybercrime can also use parsimony to see if suspects lack self-control
which could have led them to commit cybercrimes. The skills required to be a
cybercrime investigator are cybersecurity knowledge, penetration testing skills, and
social engineering skills. Being a cybercrime investigator can help society find ways to
prevent cybercrimes from occurring, often by finding the suspect’s motive for committing
cybercrimes and having better cybersecurity practices to mitigate risks. The daily routine of a cybercrime investigator is collecting and analyzing evidence involving cybercrime, which then leads to interrogating suspects of cybercrimes. When investigating suspects, cybercrime investigators need to understand theories, especially the neutralization theory that suspects use to try to justify their behavior. According to NICCS, “a cybercrime investigator is required to know cybersecurity and privacy principles in addition to being skilled in using scientific rules and methods to solve problems(NICCS).” Anol Bhattacherjee states that “scientific methods can also be applied to the social sciences, which include using research, approaches, tools, and techniques for collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data (Bhattacherjee, p.5)”. Cybercrime investigators can also read quantitative and qualitative research on cybercrime trends, like deep fakes, which can help a cybercrime investigator when it comes to investigating cybercrimes. This career helps marginalized groups such as children because cybercrime investigators collect evidence of child pornography, which then leads to predators being held accountable in the justice system. Another marginalized group is that cybercrime investigators are victims of deep fakes and revenge porn because they find the evidence and link the suspect to the crime. Cybercrime investigators can help victims of cybercrime by making victims feel comfortable talking to them, because most victims don’t feel comfortable talking to investigators, because they feel like investigators and law enforcement wouldn’t take their cases seriously. This career helps society by bringing criminals to justice. If there were no cybercrime investigators, cybercriminals wouldn’t be caught and cybercrime would run rampant in society, which would create more victims. Due to cybercrime increasing in the United States and around the world, there is a need for cybercrime investigators in government and law enforcement. Also due to new cybercrime trends using AI such as deep fakes, there is a need for cybercrime investigators because they analyze changes in technology, which is important for this career. With more professionals in the cybersecurity field, the internet and society would be safer from cybercriminals.
References:
Bhattacherjee, Anol, “Social Science Research: Principles, Methods, and Practices” (2012).
Textbooks Collection. 3. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/oa_textbooks/3
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS. (2018, April 13). Information Security Analysts: Occupational Outlook Handbook:: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Bls.gov; U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/information-security-analysts.htm
NATIONAL INITIATIVE FOR CYBERSECURITY CAREERS AND STUDIES. (n.d.). Cyber Crime Investigator | NICCS. Niccs.cisa.gov; NATIONAL INITIATIVE FOR CYBERSECURITY CAREERS AND STUDIES. https://niccs.cisa.gov/workforce-development/nice-framework/work-roles/cyber-crime-investigator