Cybersecurity, Technology, and Society
E-Portfolio Entry’s
- How does your major relate to cybersecurity technology?
Entry: My major is Cybersecurity. So, because of that it relates a lot to cybersecurity technology because that is what my entire major is based around. Cybersecurity is, in a nutshell, is the tools, technologies, and approaches that people and companies use to protect their networks and devices from attacks or access. The world relies on cybersecurity in abundance today. Almost everything today uses some type of technology and digital data. As such today’s world relies on cybersecurity to make sure that information is safe and secure from anybody who would want to steal it. Cyber-attacks are made to access or steal information and use it for their own gain. These types of attacks can corrupt medical, government, corporate, or financial organizations. All of these organizations hold personal information, and these cyber-attacks can lead to that data being stolen or used for the wrong purposes. Cybersecurity is changing all the time with the new development of technologies and new ways to compromise information. There are also small attacks that can happen to everyday people such as phishing and viruses. Cybersecurity is the way to stop that from happening and stop data from being corrupted and stolen without your knowledge. There are four major frameworks to help implement cybersecurity and they are policy, standards, procedures, and guidelines. The names of them explain basically what they entail. Policy is used to define a course of action for the organization or person in question. Standard is how the software or hardware being used is supposed to be used. Procedures is how to use those policies and standards. Lastly, guidelines are the suggested course of action for using policy. My major is centered around learning the different types of technologies, practices, and processes to help prevent those type of attacks that can lead to devastating consequences.
2) Select four other majors offered by ODU and explain how those majors relate to cybersecurity.
Entry: Before we can get into how different majors relate to Cybersecurity, we must first define cybersecurity as a whole to get a better understanding of it. Cybersecurity is the process of protecting data and the integrity of computer assets that belong to an organizations network. It is basically the tools and technologies the organizations or people use to protect their networks. Cybersecurity is all around us in todays world and many different majors can relate to it in some way. One of these majors is Information Technology. Information technology refers to protecting data and systems from unauthorized access. Both Information Technology and Cybersecurity have to deal with protecting data while Cybersecurity has to deal with protecting data from hackers, Information Technology has to deal with the overall process of how organizations data is handled daily. You can think of Cybersecurity as a subcategory of Information Technology. Another major that relates to Cybersecurity is Computer Engineering. Computer Engineering is the branch of engineering that combines electronic engineering with computer sciences. As it relates to Cybersecurity Computer Engineering is at the heart of Cybersecurity organizations and that is because almost any organization that deals with Cybersecurity protection are building or have a digital infrastructure that they are trying to protect. Just like how Cybersecurity is a subset of Computer Engineering it is also a subcategory of Computer Science. Computer Science encompasses everything to do with computers while Cybersecurity is a part of the field of Computer Science. Finally, one of the last majors that relate to Cybersecurity is Cybercrime. Cybercrime has to deal with criminal activity that targets or uses a computer network. Cybercrime has to deal with trying to stop hackers from committing those crimes and Cybersecurity deals with stopping them from getting inside the network they are hacking. So both fields go hand in hand and deal with the same types of hackers one is just solely focused on the crime while the other has to deal with the organization and stopping it from progressing or happening in the first place. Many different majors can relate to Cybersecurity in some way some in ways you will never think of.
3) Describe four ethical issues that arise when storing electronic information about individuals.
Entry: One of the ethical issues that can come up when talking of storing people’s personal information electronically would have to be the privacy concern. Some factors that increase the concern about privacy when it comes to sensitive information is the commercialization and growth of the internet, data-mining. Privacy is a major concern when it comes to personal sensitive information because that information can be put on the public domain by potential threat and that is not what many people want to happen. Another ethical issue is Anonymity. People want to be protected and along with privacy anonymity provides that. It gives people that sense that no matter what they say it is protected and no one can know. However, it also be exploited by dangerous people and their undesirable activities such as money laundering, drug trading, or even terrorism. Security breaches is another issue. No system is tampered proof and their can always be a flaw detected and when it comes to storing personal information that can be very dangerous. That system can be infiltrated and the information that is stored on it can be used for all types of illegal activities such as identity theft. This is a common and major issue that is a concern for all information no matter what it is. Data inaccuracies is a major ethical issue as well. Inaccuracies can lead to risk for patients and liability for organizations storing the information. Inputting of inaccurate information can lead to disastrous consequences especially in the medical field where they need every bit of accurate information to make decisions and possibly save the patients life. Also if the information is inaccurate then the insurance company can be billed falsely and the policy holder does not have those medical services.
5)Use the letters of the word CYBERSECURITY to list legal ways to make money in cybersecurity.
Create an app to help government agencies find targets.
You start outsourcing to different companies.
Bug bounties expert to help small companies find bugs in their security.
Engineering a new computer system and selling it.
Risk management analyst.
Start your own freelance company.
Earning patents on software’s.
Combining previous applications together to create a new one and selling it.
Using certifications to gain a raise in job.
Rent property to cybersecurity company.
Independent consulting work
Technical support for a company
Your yoga application becomes famous with new artificial intelligence.
6) How has cyber technology created opportunities for workplace deviance?
Entry: Cyber technology has created many opportunities for workplace deviance to occur. Workplace deviance is basically intentionally trying to harm or sabotage an organization form within. Workplace deviance can happen in any workplace not only with cyber technology but with human interaction overall. Common forms of workplace deviance are aggressive behavior, unproductive behavior, abuse of property, and even the abuse of working from home. Some forms of workplace deviance related to cyber technology include disgruntled employees or employees working for a competitor. The disgruntled employees who were let go and did not have their credentials revoked are able to steal information or cause setbacks in the system because they are upset. The other type of workplace deviance goes along with working for a competitor. Working for a competitor and trying to steal information is a real threat to the workplace. The employee could be paid off or gain something from the competitor. In exchange they use the systems they have access to make copies of important information or they could even sabotage the information to prevent the company from proceeding with anything they are currently working on. Workplace deviance can also occur with counterproductive use of technology in the workplace. This basically means that the technology that is supposed to be used for work is being used for other purposes that do not serve a purpose and is impairing work getting done. Cyber technology and workplace deviance occurred more frequently together in the concept of hurting the company more for competitors. Before cyber technology workplace deviance happened because of disgruntled workers and them being upset in the heat of the moment. However, now it happens because of other competitors and trying to harm the company from either making progress and continuing progress. Cyber technology is only growing and will continue to grow in the future.
7) What are the costs and benefits of developing cybersecurity programs in business?
Entry: Cybersecurity is very much needed in todays world. Businesses need to make plans to have a Cybersecurity program in place to help secure the business from hackers or competitors whose goal is to threaten or harm that business or organization. Those attackers can cause cyber-attacks which can cost millions to fix depending on the attack. Information is the most important thing for businesses and if that information is compromised than it is expensive and very much bad. Also, if the business or organization is compromised then customers start to lose reliability in that business or organization. Reliability is something that customers want to be able to know the business they interact with has. They do not want their information compromised and be put into that position. When the business or organization losses the customers a domino effect happens, and they start to have financial loss. When the business is attacked more problems can arise and stockpile one after the other. Developing a Cybersecurity plan is crucial to preventing that from happening. A Cybersecurity plan allows for businesses and organizations to prepare for future attacks or breaches and have proper safeguards in place. It improves safety for the businesses and organizations customers not only protecting their data but also the businesses data and information. A key step for the cybersecurity plan is to make sure employees are educated on it. Educating them on the potential attacks and encounter they can have can help them properly fight it and develop proper procedures to stop an attack that is detected. Cyber attacks are hard for businesses to mend from. Having a good plan in place can take the burden down and help prevent attacks and the impact of those attacks. Cybersecurity helps businesses become less targets for hackers while also increasing the customers sense of reliability on the business
8) How can you tell if your computer is safe?
Entry: Being able to tell if your computer is safe can be hard task to accomplish. It can be very hard to understand and actually be able to tell if your computer is not susceptible to any attacks, viruses, or hackers. Digital threats are an everyday occurrence in today’s world. Technology is evolving and the ways to combat these threats are evolving as well. With this new technology comes trial and error. Testing whatever systems security, you are using is key to finding out what needs to be fixed or upgraded. There are many different ways to test the security to find an holes that can be used to attack you. One way is to test your settings. Getting a tool to examine the windows and office settings will help scan for potential problems. This type of tool will check account passwords, check to see if there is more than one administrator, and alert you if weak passwords are being used. This type of tool will help you secure your accounts, so they are not as easily hacked into. Another great way to secure your systems is to update browser plug-ins. This entails making sure your browser is always up to date with the latest version. The browser is updated to help keep viruses from attacking and help prevent from going onto websites that can be potentially dangerous. A common way to help secure systems is to test your firewall. Testing your firewall can help see if there are any cracks in the system. A wrong port setting can reveal your computer to hackers and with that opportunity that can get by and change anything and everything. Lastly making sure files are deleted permanently so that way they are not just still on the system waiting to be recovered by somebody other than yourself.
9) Describe three ways that computers have made the world safer and less safe.
Entry: Technology is an ever-growing field and changing every day. Computers and technology have made the world safer in many ways and has helped improve different other fields. Computers have benefitted us in a variety of ways to help improve the different systems we have. One of those ways deals with the energy industry. There is new technology being developed so automated robots can replace dangerous manual jobs such as dismantling a nuclear reactor. Of course, the robot will need an operator to operate however, with a camera attached it releases the burden put on human lives dealing with nuclear energy. Another way technology is making the world safer deals with the environment. Technology has been developed to help protect the coral reefs in the ocean, as they are declining, and replenishing them. It is replenishing the reefs with larvae which is in turn helping replace the missing algae it is not receiving. The reefs fight climate change which in turn helps the world stay safer from itself. Another benefit is the health industry. Computers have given huge leaps of improvements to the industry and hospitals. The modern technology is being utilized by hospitals to improve security systems, the rooms patients stay in, and especially the surgical rooms. These places need the improvements and the latest technology to help save the lives of the people who come through there. The technology is even giving the doctors more accurate information regarding their patients and giving them more proper treatment. The application on mobile devices plays a part in this as well as it is allowing patients to monitor themselves and even doctors monitor the patients in real time so if an emergency occurs they can be notified and can send the appropriate response team to help the patient.
10) How do engineers make cyber networks safer?
Entry: Engineers are contacted or contracted to create and maintain structures whether it be cyber structures or physical structures such as buildings. They are brought in to create and make sure they are operating safe for the people who will be occupying and operating in these structures. We depend on engineers for a great deal of things. Engineers make sure that what they make is safe and that we feel safe and are able to perform our duties to the best of our ability with no worry for hazards. Engineers are mainly known for the physical aspects of creating when it comes to building towers or physical structures. However, that also translates to the cybersecurity area as well. Engineers help navigating through the internet easier and without them it would be nay impossible to do so. Being able to interact with people all over the world is called networking. When networking or any type of contact through the internet there are many concerns for privacy and information being shared. Engineers make it safer by creating cybersecurity advancements to help with those concerns. They help protect the people who are networking through the internet from possible attacks taking place everyday. They create new ways of protection and implement them to achieve their objectives. Engineers make cyber network programs help society in many ways. They create different ways to manage the risks and concerns while also avoiding those privacy concerns. Engineers not only help the create safer physical building but also build safer networking procedures to help protect everyday people on the internet from attacks and possible exposure of information. They create a safer cyber networking environment for everybody in the world through managing risks that come from using the internet and the programs involved and associated with the internet.
11) What is the overlap between criminal justice and cybercrime? How does this overlap relate to the other disciplines discussed in this class?
Entry: The line between Criminal Justice and Cyber crime has been hazy with the recent advancement in technlogy. Crime has basically no borders or limits to it with the advancemnet in technology in todays world. Cyber crime is a whole new field in which Criminal Justice has had to implement in order to categorize the crimes dealing with technlgoy. There used to be no laws defining what a cyber crime is and as such there was no order when it came to cyber crimes. Criminal Justice noticed that technolgoy is becoming more prevelant in the world and will continue to do so as such there needed to be more regulations and curriculums for students to actually learn and develop strategies. The overlap between Criminal Justice and cyber crime is one that is being done away with and there will be actual punishments and laws to deal with cyber crimes and how they are met and dealt with. A huge profession and area of study in cyber crime is called Digital Forensics. Digital Forensics is the investigation of cyber, computer, or anything electronic that has been used to commit a crime. This area of study was partially created by criminal justice experts and shows how their expertise and knowledge from criminal justice has been used to implement the ideas in the field. The overlapping from that shows how they both seem to be close to one another when they are being used in an area of study.
12) How does cyber technology impact interactions between offenders and victims?
Entry: Cyber technology can lead to altercations between offenders and victims. It is a ever-growing field and the internet is definitely as such. Social media is a place where people can feel anonymous and make comments or threaten other people. It creates an opportunity to victimize people. The offenders can make targets of people on social media and find personnel information and they will use against the victim. Many things that people post on social media is personnel in nature. These postings can lead to a variety of acts that offenders take part in. This makes it unsafe for people and victims can be hurt, stolen from, or bullied. Another instance of the internet or technology being used to harm or degrade victims is webcams being hacked. With a webcam being hacked it makes it hard to tell. So with it being compromised the victim can be spied on and never know and the offender can take pictures and post them or use them for other degrading acts. Predators use the internet very much and they use it to try and lure their victims to meet up through lies and messaging. Cyber technology allows offenders freedoms to cause harm to the victims they target. With the use of the internet and social media it has become a very dangerous thing. Offenders are using social media as their home base and they feel protected from any repercussions because it is through the internet and it is harder for authorities to track them down and apprehend them. People and victims must stay alert and learn the rules of the internet and not post too much personal information. Too much personal information can lead to stalkers, break ins, and maybe even kidnappings. These acts are horrible, and victims must stay alert with what they post so they are not targeted or too easy to prey on.
13) How should we approach the development of cyber-policy and -infrastructure given the “short arm” of predictive knowledge?
Entry: Cyber technology can lead to altercations between offenders and victims. It is a ever-growing field and the internet is definitely as such. Social media is a place where people can feel anonymous and make comments or threaten other people. It creates an opportunity to victimize people. The offenders can make targets of people on social media and find personnel information and they will use against the victim. Many things that people post on social media is personnel in nature. These postings can lead to a variety of acts that offenders take part in. This makes it unsafe for people and victims can be hurt, stolen from, or bullied. Another instance of the internet or technology being used to harm or degrade victims is webcams being hacked. With a webcam being hacked it makes it hard to tell. So with it being compromised the victim can be spied on and never know and the offender can take pictures and post them or use them for other degrading acts. Predators use the internet very much and they use it to try and lure their victims to meet up through lies and messaging. Cyber technology allows offenders freedoms to cause harm to the victims they target. With the use of the internet and social media it has become a very dangerous thing. Offenders are using social media as their home base and they feel protected from any repercussions because it is through the internet and it is harder for authorities to track them down and apprehend them. People and victims must stay alert and learn the rules of the internet and not post too much personal information. Too much personal information can lead to stalkers, break ins, and maybe even kidnappings. These acts are horrible, and victims must stay alert with what they post so they are not targeted or too easy to prey on.