Topic > Multidisciplinary approach within cybersecurity discourse

The practice of cybersecurity takes place within a complex digital environment that can be conceptualized from a number of different perspectives. Much of the literature focuses on the disciplines of engineering, technology and computing with less emphasis on law, policy development and sociology. Although cybersecurity has recently been approached from different disciplinary and conceptual angles, the predominantly scientific lens through which it is examined often leads it to be seen and erroneously classified as a purely technical field. The fact that it developed as a subfield of computer engineering and information technology serves to further perpetuate this notion. Despite the more complex technical aspects, however, the consequences of cybersecurity incidents extend beyond the individual actors involved, as many other parties are likely to be affected. This was the case for Target in 2013, when the second largest department store in the United States suffered a data breach that compromised the credit information of 70 million customers, causing significant economic damage. Given the close interconnection between technology, people, organizations and society in general, some academics have expressed the need to facilitate the collaboration of different disciplines to achieve sustainable and socially fair countermeasures against this type of vulnerability. However, the lack of consensus on any broad conceptual framework that rationalizes and integrates different interpretations of the wide range of cybersecurity issues in society is extremely problematic. This obstacle not only prevents the development of cooperative solutions between key targets such as governments and financial institutions, but also reinforces the predominantly technical view of cybersecurity by separating the disciplines that should act in concert to resolve the threats associated with it. to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The multidimensional nature of cybersecurity has also made it difficult to establish a unifying definition since privacy and security incidents might mean different things to different people at different times. points in time. In the case of individuals, it could be about a sense of protection of personal data and privacy. For businesses, this could mean protecting access to critical business functions and sensitive customer data to maintain brand trust and the ability to stay in business. For states, cybersecurity could include protecting citizens, critical infrastructure, and military information systems from attacks or violations of national sovereignty. Since its conceptualization involves a high degree of subjectivity, due consideration must be given to the individual or entity that defines it. Public Safety Canada, for example, defines cybersecurity as “the set of technologies, processes, practices and response and mitigation measures designed to protect networks, computers, programs and data from attack, damage or unauthorized access in a manner that ensures confidentiality, integrity and availability" (2018). The McKinsey Global Institute, by contrast, defines it as “the protection of intellectual property and valuable business information in digital format against theft and misuse” (2011). These definitions exemplify how entities attempt to define cybersecurity in a way that is compatible with their own interests and objectives.