Career Paper

Mason Robinson

Department of Cybersecurity, Old Dominion University

CYSE 201S: Cybersecurity & Social Science

Yalpi, Diwakar

December 3, 2023

Introduction

            The role of digital forensics in the cybersecurity world is to locate, gather, and examine digital evidence usually from computer security occurrences to understand how it happens and how it can be potentially avoided in the future. Not only do digital forensics rely on digital evidence to investigate occurrences they also rely on social science research and social science principles to investigate occurrences. Using social science research and social science principles can make it easier for digital forensics to analyze and collect items of intrusion, for instance, malware and other software intrusions to have better cybersecurity for whoever was affected by a cyber-attack. (CISA)

Comprehending Human Behavior

Using social science research enables digital forensics to study and understand people’s motivation, and behavior which is crucial for understanding how some cyber incidents may happen. The knowledge of the disciplines, for instance, criminology, psychology, and sociology, with these disciplines it can help digital forensics be able to recognize individuals’ tendencies and motives when performing cybercrimes. Digital forensics would be able to use methods of investigation, identify certain trends, and be able to gather evidence accurately. They can use research from different disciplines to understand why a person may have committed a cyber crime or if they potentially might commit one, with this data future cyber incidents can be prevented.

Identifying the Principles

            There are some principles that digital forensics can depend on to understand how cyber crimes are committed and how people get involved in them. One principle would be determinism, which means “that all outcomes are influenced or caused by preceding events” (Moss 2022) with this information digital forensics professionals would be able to find the primary cause of the cyber incident and how every action was led up to the point of the incident. Not only would digital forensics professionals find the primary cause of the cyber incident, but they would also be able to formulate patterns that may occur and if this pattern is starting to be seen somewhere else, they would be able to prevent it. Empiricism is another principle that digital forensics can depend on, it “means that as researchers, we should not rely on opinion or belief to draw conclusions.” (Ross 2022) with this principle digital forensics can use detailed and specific evidence before concluding a cyber incident to make sure that all information is accurate when collected. One more principle that digital forensics would depend on is relativism which means “that all things are related and changes in one system can lead to changes in other systems” (Found in Module 2) digital forensics can identify how certain changes lead to certain cyber incidents and information can be gathered to understand how these changes unfold.

Relation to Marginalized Groups

            The way that digital forensics can be related to marginalized groups is that digital forensics would be able to gain information on marginalized groups on how they could be affected by a cybercrime. For instance, there could be online harassment, digital forensics would be able to investigate this problem to understand why it’s happening to the people of these marginalized groups and address these crimes. When it comes to more serious crimes against marginalized groups digital forensics would start to investigate these incidents and gather information to prevent these serious crimes from happening to marginalized groups that are being affected.

Conclusion

            In conclusion, digital forensics significantly relies on social science research and social science principles to help further improve their investigation methods and help gather digital evidence from cyber incidents. With the integration of social science digital forensics can make sure that their investigations and information are detailed establishing a digital setting that is secure and protected for all users.

References

Browning, Katharine (2015) Social Science research on forensic Science: the story behind one of NIJ’s newest research portfolios | National Institute of Justice. (n.d.). National Institute of Justice. https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/social-science-research-forensic-science-story-behind-one-nijs-newest-research

Understanding digital forensics: process, techniques, and tools. (2023, October 27). BlueVoyant. https://www.bluevoyant.com/knowledge-center/understanding-digital-forensics-process-techniques-and-tools

Cyber Defense Forensics Analyst | CISA. (n.d.). Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA. https://www.cisa.gov/careers/work-rolescyber-defense-forensics-analyst

Ryan Moss. (2022). Cybersecurity and Scientific Principles. Ryan Moss. https://sites.wp.odu.edu/ryanmoss/2022/09/14/cybersecurity-and-scientific-principles/#:~:text=In%20studying%20cybersecurity%20as%20a,%2C%20ethical%20neutrality%2C%20and%20determinism.