Ruslan Rustamov
School of Cybersecurity, Old Dominion University
CYSE 201S: Cybersecurity and the Social Sciences
Instructor Name: DIWAKAR YALPI
Date: 11/17/2025
Introduction
I chose the career of a security engineer because I have always been interested in engineering and cybersecurity. I like the idea of building things, fixing problems, and protecting systems from attacks. In today’s world, cybersecurity is very important because everything is online and people need strong protection. In this paper, I will talk about what security engineers do, how social science ideas relate to this job, how the job affects society, and why this career is important.
Social Science Principles
Social science is connected to the security engineer career because this job is not only about computers, but also about understanding people, know how they are thinking and what they will do in some situations. Security engineers study how people behave online, what motivates hackers to do the crime, and why human mistakes happen which make a real damage in their life. For example, many attacks happen because someone clicks a bad link or uses a weak password. Social science helps security engineers understand behavior, psychology, and social influences that lead to cyber risks. Security engineers also use ideas from user behavior analysis, human computer interaction, and ethics because when they design security systems, they need to know what most of the people will do. These ideas help them build safer environments and teach others how to protect themselves.
Application of Key Concepts
In class, we learned about things like risk, privacy, why people commit crimes, and many stuff about hackers and how people get attacked from them. These ideas directly apply to the work of a security engineer. For example, security engineers look for risks inside a company and try to decrease them. They make rules, design protocols, and check systems to make sure they follow legal standards. They also use tools like vulnerability scans, firewalls, and training programs to help employees avoid mistakes. All these concepts show up in real security engineer work.
Marginalization
Security engineering also affects marginalized groups. Some people have less access to technology or just don’t know much about online safety, which makes them easier targets for scams and attacks. For example, many people have elderly relatives who are not interested in this at all or many children who are given phones at an early age and they don’t understand anything yet. Security engineers try to help by creating tools that are easier to use and by giving training that everyone can understand, to teach them how to avoid falling for tricks. The field also tries to include more diverse people so organizations can better understand different communities and protect them more effectively.
Connection to Society
Security engineers help keep society safe. They protect important systems like banks, hospitals, schools, and government services. Just imagine if someone will hack one of the government service, all people will panic because if hackers can damage a government service, that means that it’s not hard for them to hack people information. If these systems get hacked, it can cause real harm to people. By designing strong security and responding to threats, security engineers help keep information private and make sure technology works properly. They also support public safety by helping create better cybersecurity laws and policies
Conclusion
Security engineers are important because they help protect companies, systems, and people from cyberattacks. They work on improving security tools, fixing weaknesses, and making sure everything stays safe. This job requires problem solving, attention to detail, and an interest in both technology and cybersecurity. After reading about the role, I like this career even more, because it combines engineering with protecting people online. It seems like a job that is always needed and will only grow in the future.
Articles
Source 1: Harnessing Large Language Models to Simulate Realistic Human Responses to Social Engineering Attacks https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1172&context=ijcic
Source 2: A Reverse Digital Divide: Comparing Information Security Behaviors of Generation Y and Generation Z Adults. https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&context=ijcic
Source 3: An Argument for Interdisciplinary Programs in Cybersecurity. https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=ijcic