Explain how the principles of science relate to cybersecurity.

When examining cybersecurity through a social science framework, the same principles that adhere to natural sciences also adhere to social sciences. Five of the main scientific principles are Relativism, Objectivity, Parsimony, Ethical Neutrality, and Determinism. Understanding each of these principles allows for the understanding of how they relate to cybersecurity.

Relativism is a principle that means that all things are related. Any one change in a system can lead to changes in other systems just as easily. In the context of cybersecurity, examples could include different technologies led to the development of cyberspace, different economic systems are driven by technology, or society as a whole changes because of the behaviors associated with and driven by technology. All of the different changes that society faces have some influence on the development of cybersecurity practices and vice versa.

Objectivity is a principle that refers to the way a scientist studies a topic in a value-free manner. This is extremely important because science doesn’t exist to promote opinions. Science exists to objectively advance knowledge. This same principle applies in cybersecurity when researchers are trying to answer different problems that they are facing. An example of this would be “How should hackers be punished?” This is a very simple question yet there is no simple answer. Many different scientists will have different opinions but they can not let their own opinion shape the way they address the issue at hand. Scientists have to be objective and find the best answer(s) to their problem.

Parsimony is a principle that means scientists should keep their explanations in layman’s terms. It is important to keep all findings simple so that people reviewing it can completely understand. Achieving this is natural sciences is much easier than in social sciences. A lot of the time there is not one clear answer to the issue at hand. For example, when faced with the question, “Why do people commit cybercrime?” it is almost impossible to give a clear answer. It is very difficult to explain this using just one or two variables because there are many variables that go into human interactions and why they do the things that they do. Scientists in cybersecurity must still adhere to this principle and try to explain through a social science lens, the answers to the issues that they face.

Ethical Neutrality is a principle that means scientists must adhere to certain ethical standards when they conduct their research. When studying cybercrime and different cyber policies through a social science lens, it is extremely important to look at the ethical issues that are brought forward. A question as simple as “What are companies doing with all of the data that they gather from individuals?” should be reviewed ethically. Are these companies using them in any way that may create issues for the individuals? Are they keeping their information secure and safe? What happens if data they gathered is leaked? There are many different scenarios that need to be reviewed and ethical standards must always be taken into consideration.

Determinism is a principle that means that behavior is caused or influenced by preceding events. This can be hard to establish In social sciences more so than natural sciences because again, we are dealing with human behavior. Social scientists must recognize that there is a middle ground between free will and determinism. Not all behavior is determined by preceding events completely, yet not all individuals should not be held accountable for their behavior. In the context of cybersecurity, a question that may arise is “Why do individuals (choose to) engage in risky online activities?” Answering this question require many different social lens and an understanding of human behavior. The same reason one person does something, such as using a platform incorrectly, may not be the same reason another person does the same thing. Looking at these issues with determinism will help understand what shaped these people to do the things that they did.

All of these principles are crucial in understanding how to examine different sciences. These same principles apply to cybersecurity and when looking at them through a social science lens, many different conclusions are made in order to help understand why things happen the way that they do.