There are several principles of science that relate with cybersecurity, including relativism, objectivity, parsimony, skepticism, ethical neutrality, and determinism. Relativism can be understood to mean that all things are related in some way. Some ways that cybersecurity and relativism are related is how technological systems led to the development of cyberspace, or how educational systems rely on technology more and more. Objectivity is the attempt to uncover truths about the natural world by eliminating personal biases or opinions. When researching cybersecurity-related topics, we shouldn’t rely on opinions to draw conclusions. Paismony means that scientists should keep their levels of explanation as simple as possible. When explaining something like using two-factor authentication and the importance of it to your grandparents, you should explain it as simply as possible to them so that they understand. Skepticism is being doubtful of the truth. In cybersecurity, hackers prey on our natural instinct to trust, and having a skeptical mindset can be the difference between a secure or an unsecure network. Ethical neutrality is the fact that scientists must adhere to the ethical standards when conducting research. Some questions to ask when conducting cybersecurity research include: “Should the police use digital technologies that track human behavior?” or “How much money do companies make off of the data they gather from individuals?” Determinism is defined as the principle of science that means behavior is caused, determined, or influenced by preceding events. It can explain why individuals choose to commit internet fraud, or why individuals choose to engage in risky online activities.
Old Dominion University, School of Cybersecurity