Cybersecurity Professional Career Paper: Ethical Hacker
Introduction
As technology continues to develop around the world, so does the need to protect its users. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines cybersecurity as “measures taken to protect a computer or computer system (as on the Internet) against unauthorized access or attack” (Merriam-Webster, 2026). Traditionally, cybersecurity focused on threats to machines, deterrence, mitigation, and recovery in the event of an attack. However, because of the role humans play as users, defenders, and attackers, the definition is now being challenged to include human factors. This approach would now include fields such as sociology and psychology (Cains et al. 2021). The importance of cybersecurity is critical to people, organizations, and governments and ethical hacking can be used to spot problems in systems (Segumpan and Soberano, 2025). This paper will talk about ethical hackers and how their job relates to the concepts of sociology.
Social Science Principles
There is a term, “Cyberpsychology” that is the understanding of how users interact with other users through technology. It also examines the behavior that is influenced by technology and how we can develop technology to best suit users. Ethical hackers would not only need the knowledge it would take to infiltrate certain systems; they would also need to understand why hackers do what they do to understand what certain targets might be. Social science principles are deeply integrated into cybersecurity practices. This is because most security failures are due to human error and the study of different social sciences helps us to understand why these errors occur. For example, a user falling for a phishing scam could be because a hacker created fear in the user or a sense of urgency. Understanding why the user who got scammed fell for the scam could be useful in providing training to prevent others from becoming a victim.
Application of Key Concepts
Ethical hackers must understand the cognitive theory when completing their jobs. Understanding an offender’s mental processes and perceptions would help to understand what type of cybercrime they would commit and how they would go about accomplishing it. This is beneficial because having this understanding when testing a company’s security systems can help them to identify any potential vulnerabilities. Understanding behavioral theories would also be beneficial to ethical hackers.
Marginalization
Marginalized groups are more exposed to cyber threats and are more likely to be attacked. This can be for numerous reasons. Someone with less access to technology probably would not get the same training and prevention techniques as someone who uses technology daily. Their systems also may not be updated properly, making it easier for malware to be involved. Older users are more susceptible to phishing scams through links. Ethical hackers can address these challenges by roviding training in these areas to better inform users what not to do by showing them what could happen or how easy it would be.
Career Connection to Society
Cybersecurity professionals contribute to the safety and stability of societal infrastructures every day. Most companies make use of these professionals to protect their employees and customers. Banks need cybersecurity professionals to prevent the chance of any type of fraud happening. Hospitals have to protect their patients PII and medical records. With those responsibilities, I believe the use of ethical hackers would be beneficial.
Works Cited
Merriam-Webster. (2026). Cybersecurity. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cybersecurity
Cains, M. G., Flora, L., Taber, D., King, Z., Henshel, D. S. (2021). Defining Cyber Security and Cyber Security Risk within a Multidisciplinary Context using Expert Elicitation. Risk Analysis, 42(8), 1643-1669. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9543401
Segumpan, A.M., & Soberano, K.T. (2025). Ethical Hacking and Cybersecurity: Evaluating Best Practices, Challenges and Synergies. International Journal of Computer Science and Mobile Computing, 14(8), 71-74. ttps://ijcsmc.com/docs/papers/August2025/V14I8202506.pdf