Cybersecurity, Technology, and Society

Students in IT/CYSE 200T will explore how technology is related to cybersecurity from an interdisciplinary orientation.  Attention is given to the way that technologically-driven cybersecurity issues are connected to cultural, political, legal, ethical, and business domains. The learning outcomes for this course are as follows:

1. Describe how cyber technology creates opportunities for criminal behavior,
2. Identify how cultural beliefs interact with technology to impact cybersecurity strategies,
3. Understand and describe how the components, mechanisms, and functions of cyber systems produce security concerns,
4. Discuss the impact that cyber technology has on individuals’ experiences with crime and victimization,
5. Understand and describe ethical dilemmas, both intended and unintended, that cybersecurity efforts, produce for individuals, nations, societies, and the environment,
6. Describe the costs and benefits of producing secure cyber technologies,
7. Understand and describe the global nature of cybersecurity and the way that cybersecurity efforts have produced and inhibited global changes,
8. Describe the role of cybersecurity in defining definitions of appropriate an inappropriate behavior,
9. Describe how cybersecurity produces ideas of progress and modernism.

Course Material

Students in this course have completed a number of activities including an reflection essay, weekly technology and cybersecurity journal,  and several quizzes and exams.

Write-Up Assignments:

Discussion Board Post:

An organization may find that the NIST Cybersecurity framework can provide them with a list of cybersecurity areas of focus that can provide overall protection. It also provides specific guidelines to adjust and improve the risk management strategies for pre-existing cybersecurity positions. Finally, it can create a more systematic approach to make sure that the way the company goes about protecting remains cost-effective.

Free Writes and Journals:

Journal Entry #1:

In this video, we see that Ann has included personal information for faster online shopping times placing her information on the site's secure server. A simple email with a message seemingly for verification purposes while in reality, this was the work of a hacker with the intent to deceive her. This further expresses the importance of cybersecurity because this is a real life  situation that requires preventative measures or even explaining for those that are unaware of the dangers online. The costs can be as drastic as identity theft, the loss of personal information, and even large amounts of money can be stolen over the internet.

Journal Entry #2:

The NICE Framework is split up into categories based on the type of work carried out by each cybersecurity position.  The areas that I would like to focus on are Digital Forensics, Cyber investigation, Threat Analysis, Systems Analysis, and Data Administration. These positions interest me the most because they consist from problem solving and setting up counter measures pre-emptively. The positions I would not like to do would be Incident Response, Risk Management, and Cybersecurity Management. Currently, these position seem very stressful and are the final steps for making sure that safety is guaranteed online.

Journal Entry #3:

The information that the Ex-Cyber Criminal Shares helps by sharing information of the difference between the deep and dark web and the clear web. He informs us about what can happen with our information, where it could end up, and how to protect ourselves from that risk. Cyber security specialists could use this information for further clarity about what is being dealt with in this portion of the internet as well as how to avoid any chances of personal information or any info from making its way there.

Journal Entry #4

I believe that ethically, it is very acceptable to analyze those whiteout them knowing as long it is with the intent to  protect them. Studying real life situations is the only way to understand what habits have built up for those who use the internet. Using this information, specialists can then come up with strategies to counter these dangers before they happen. This can also be seen as non ethical if the ones who are studying have the intent to manipulate the user. This furthers the need for cyber security specialists so that users can feel safer online and be online in a more secure environment. 

Journal Entry #5:

I rank entertainment as number one and political as number two because both fall under the category of debatable as to weather they do much if any damage to anyone and some would argue that what they are doing is spreading true information that should be made aware to the public. I place boredom as number three and recognition as number four because the while they are criminal acts, they stand in the middle ground between sensible and terrible forms of crime. For number five I would say or money and number six I would say revenge because while each are the worst forms of cybercrime, revenge can use multiple ways to attack those individuals making it the worst. I would finally rank multiple reasons under seven because while this can vary from lower ranking crimes, it can also be multiple high ranking crimes and this can overall be associated as a large crime for many. 

Journal Entry #6:

She brings up the point that you are helping others as well as protecting those who may be unaware of the threats in the cyber world. She also mentions that there is a strong community that comes with the career and it can help to figure out what tools can be used and learn from others. Being in a cyber position can give you an awareness of real life events that you may not have originally known and it fulfills any feelings of boredom. There are a lot of challenges in the field that keep you curious and learning to do more within the field which can overall keep you interested in your work.

Journal Entry #7:

Journal Entry #8:

I believe that films and TV underwhelm the importance of security and safety to overall add to the fluidity of the story. It then can make user believe that the stealing of information can be really simple to detect by individuals or to some, very difficult even for professionals. It also does a great job of making people aware of all of the capabilities that hackers have and what to look out for. Visual representations are typically the best way to make many those unware of the risks and what devices can be used for cyber attacks.  

Journal Entry #9:

This video goes to show that information about cyber stability and hacking can be found anywhere and how for some it can be simple. Him showing us how affectively he found the information through his network shows that there is always a chance that your safety online can be compromised. Seeing how young the boy is and showing how well rounded he is with technology also emphasizes the overall accessibility for anyone. This also explains the vulnerabilities in out technology and the importance of countermeasures and learning how to protect from threats.

Journal Entry #10:

This music video represents how scammers and hackers use multiple accounts and gift cards to for goods. They then close out the accounts to make sure that the account doesn't freeze and end the stealing. This is something very common that occurs and is setup among groups of people with many cards to make this happen much like in the video. These groups are also made up underground and are hard to define and locate when this happens. 

Journal Entry #11:

I earned a score of 2.0 and was surprised by some of the questions asked. I figured that the scale would be based on typical usage however, many of the questions were based on other factors. The questions regarding how social media affects your family life for example, made me wonder how many people chose that response and for what purpose. I feel as though the data around the world varies because of the level of accessibility and cyber restrictions in some countries. For example, in China there is a video game time restriction for adolescences currently so that their learning is not impacted by screen time.

Journal Entry #12:

I believe that the most serious offenses done online are bullying and trolling, faking your identity online, using other people's internet networks, using copyrighted images, and using unofficial streaming services. For bullying and trolling, it may not be illegal but it is an example of something that is becoming somewhat acceptable on the internet and should be stopped. For faking your identity online, that can be classified as identity fraud and using an incorrect age on age restricted sites can expose younger audiences to other dangers. Using other people's internet is not illegal but using it without their permission can be seen as stealing as it is their property. Using copyrighted images for without giving the creator recognition, payment, or without permission is plagiarism and also can be seen as a criminal act. Finally, using unofficial streaming services are illegal because it gives one the ability to watch paid content ford free giving the creators little to no money for their work.

Journal Entry #14:

Using a University based email address helps to make sure that information being processed through the university stays safe and clean of outside parties. Sending messages through the email provided also helps to identify who the message is from and ensure overall security. This is also prevalent in most businesses and is usually managed by a cyber security team. This also is a great way for companies to make sure that the data being transferred makes it to their servers a lot easier than other randomized email addresses that are hard to manage and identify.

Journal Entry #15:

Information such as facial identification, retina scans, and fingerprints are typically used for security purposes for many companies. AI affects the way we live, our security, and many services in order to aid in our technological evolution. These also help to give us a glimpse of the ways that they can be infiltrated and tampered with. The need of cyber security begins to evolve in unison with the increase in technology.

Journal Entry #16:

The fact that he would prefer that for his kids really expresses the dangers for social media. Instagram is the main comparison because of it can be deceiving, used for visual comparison of one's self, and leaves a door open for strangers. These factors make what was meant to be an innocent app for sharing pictures into something it was never intended to be. I agree that there should be an age restriction if possible to reduce the usage among teens if possible.

Journal Entry #17:

Some cyber victimizations are not reported because the victim may have done something unlawful to get into the situation. For example, someone can use pictures that are sexual or believable to bait the user into doing something illegal placing them into a trap they cannot get. There are also some cases where teens are involved making them not sure who to tell or what to do. These are all examples of the dangers of the internet especially for what it has become today and why parents and adults must be informed of the situations that are happening.