#2182821 1

Operation Information Lockdown

It’s hard to believe that within the span of two decades, the cell phone went from a device

used only to make call others into a tiny computer used to shop online, send text messages, play

games, and a whole myriad of different functions. In fact, about 86.8 percent of all american

households have a computer with 77 percent having access to the internet (Ryan). In this modern

day society, it’s hard to imagine a life without a cell phone, a computer, and a stable internet

connection. However, due to our major reliance on the internet, society has forgotten the risks of

putting oneself on the world wide web through social media or online shopping. Whether that be

something as simple as posting a favorite color or a picture of a pet to something more serious

like a credit card number, posting personal information is a risk.

I am mainly interested in this topic of protecting one’s information while online. This

interest stems from a cyber security camp I attended over the summer two years ago. At that

camp, we learned the basics of cyber security and how to secure a computer. I haven’t really

thought much of the topic since the camp, but now as I am planning to major in electrical

engineering, I realized that I need more of a background in anything computer related. My desire

to learn more about the internet and computers combined with the thoughts of why we tend to

put out a lot of personal information online has led to me asking: How have recent social and

technological developments impacted the storage of personal information online?

Technology has certainly grown at an extremely swift pace throughout the past century.

The cell phone is the perfect example of this tremendous growth. Within the span of two

decades, the cell phone has gone from a brick used to communicate with others over long

distances to a miniature computer that is loaded with games, a camera, music, and allows us to
 2

shop, socialize, and send texts and emails from anywhere (“Cell Phones”). With all of these

innovations for technology combined with the rising accessibility of the internet being added

onto phones and computers, many people have become obsessed with these pieces of

technology. According to the Pew Research Center, approximately 95 percent of all U.S adults

had some sort of cell phone with 77 percent of those owners having possession of a smartphone

(“Demographics”). It is now really rare to find someone in America who does not some form of

smartphone or a computer with internet access. In fact, in the United States, there were estimated

to be around 210 million people who are regular users of the 92-million-site network that is

known as the internet as recently as 2006 (Benson). Everyday humans are growing to become

more dependant on both technology and the internet in order to make our lives easier, more

convenient, as well as a source of entertainment.

In today’s society, people tend to use the internet for a myriad of reasons. A few popular

examples include social media, like Facebook and Instagram, online shopping sites, like Amazon

and Ebay, as well as other random sites like forums and other random sites. Out of all of these,

the most popular one is social media. Throughout 2017, around 80% of the U.S’s population had

a social media profile of some kind (“U.S population”). People are drawn towards social media

because it allows its users to connect and communicate with family and friends both close by and

far away. Users are also able to use social media to catch up with the latest trends, news, and

various gossip. Society relies on social media and the internet so heavily that since 2010 “more

people get their news online than from print newspapers” (“Newspapers Struggle”). If this trend

were to continue, then the demand for newspapers would become nonexistent; the internet would

completely replace newspapers. This same reliance could also be said for online shopping. In

2017, internet sales comprised of 9 percent of all total sales throughout the United States and is
 3

expected to rise to 12.4 percent by 2020 (“United States E-commerce”). Based on these statistics,

it would be possible that in the future, society could become completely reliant on technology to

help them with everyday life. It is possible to see glimpses of that in today’s society with how

addicted people are to their phones and the internet.

While on the internet, people tend to give away their information in order to complete

their purchase or to make sure that people know that it’s really them posting on a site. However,

people forget the dangers and the risks involved with revealing this kind of information to the

internet. Once someone posts something online, especially on social media, it is impossible to

track where that info might go. Even if it is kept private among a small group of people, there is

always a chance that that information will leak and get into the hands of a complete stranger of

third party (“Online Privacy”). This means that whatever someone posts online is there forever

and can eventually be accessed by anyone. There is also the possibility that the site one is using

is trying to steal data on their users. Without the users’ explicit knowledge, “websites such as

Facebook collected user data to sell to marketing and advertising companies” (“Online

Privacy”). These breaches of information could lead the private data to people who would use

that information for their own personal gain. This is how cybercrime establishes itself.

Cybercrime is a major problem in this technology dependant society. One type of

cybercrime, identity theft, is especially harmful to the average internet surfer. Even though it

would be extremely difficult to steal someone’s identity in real life, it would not be so difficult in

the digital world. This is because “our identity in the cyberspace is almost entirely based on

digital credentials” (The Red Book). This means that if any of those credentials are stolen, then it

would be easy for anyone to impersonate that person. Identity theft is such a major issue that “in

2017, about 16.7 million Americans were victimized by identity theft, with around $16.8 million
 4

loss” (“Online Security”) from those victimized. Cyber criminals not only targets individuals but

whole companies and corporations as well. When that happens, it could have dire effects on the

consumers that use and rely on those companies and their services. In 2017, the consumer

reporting agency, Equifax, had its data breached and exposed the personal sensitive data of 143

million Americans (“The Equifax Data Breach”). This is just one of many attacks that are

capable of impacting a majority of America’s citizens. In the same year, Facebook, a social

media giant was breached. Around 29 million people were affected with “highly sensitive data,

including locations, contact details, relationship status, and recent searches” being obtained by

the hackers (Leskin). Even though people love the convenience of being able to do so much

from anywhere, there is always the chance that you will get attacked. As technology grows and

becomes more advanced, the severity and the possibilities of cyber attacks will grow as a result.

Even though people don’t want these kinds of tragedies to happen to them or their loved ones,

they won’t take the right course of actions in order to protect themselves.

It is widely known throughout society that people are and always will be lazy. Despite

being the most dominant species on the planet, humans will do anything so that they could do

nothing. It is easy to say that it is within people’s nature to seek out what is good enough and

convenient rather than the best or what is optimal (Tennant). This is what lead society to make

innovations in technology in the first place: to make people’s lives easier and more convenient.

However, this mentality can also lead to our downfall. If society is too lazy to take the

appropriate measures in order to protect both their computers and their crucial, private

information, then it would be almost impossible to keep any information private online due to

how insecure everything is.

 5

Tess Berdiago Cahayag, a senior demand generation manager for the cyber security

company, FireEye, agrees that people need to make more of an effort to educate themselves on

what cyber security is, its importance, and how to protect both their computers and private

information. Despite there being computers that come with antivirus software, this simple

software is “what they know, but what they don’t know is that that is not going to be enough to

protect your entire network,” Cahayag claims. People don’t want to take the extra steps for

security either because it is too much of a hassle for them or they don’t know where to start. The

threat of these attackers getting in could very much so become a reality if people are unable to

take the appropriate measures to secure themselves. Cyber criminals “figure out ways on how to

infiltrate your systems and they are very sophisticated in how they do this and who they target,”

Cahayag explained. This problem will continue to grow as long as society continues to make

innovations for technology, she added. As a result of this, she emphasized that anyone can and

will be targeted by one of many hackers, criminals, or crime organizations. This statement is

especially true for society as a whole because people are prone to think that this kind of thing

cannot possibly happen to them despite it happening to someone close to them. She said that it is

important to know who is more susceptible to these kinds of attack, why, and how we can

prevent this.

Both the younger and older generations are favorable targets for cyber crimes. In the

United States, many children are looking towards the internet for school work, games, and

entertainment. In fact, at least half of the households within the United States have a child who

uses the internet at a high frequency (Stanaland). Children are fascinated with the massive vast

sea that is the internet because of how it can get them anything they want in a moment’s notice

from anywhere they desire. However, these children “lack key skills to evaluate online content”
 6

(Stanaland) and end up giving away personally identifying information which could be harmful

to both them and their families. The same can be said for the older generation as well. According

to the FBI, “people who grew up in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s were generally raised to be

polite and trusting” (“Fraud”). This makes them easy targets for both conmen and criminals

alike, since they wouldn’t be so suspicious of their actions or intentions and are more likely to

respond to any attempt the criminal may make to reach out to them. The elderly are also very

favorable targets due to how they generally tend to have excellent credit (“Fraud”). This

incentivizes criminals to target these people so that they could steal their victim’s information

and abuse their credit. Overall, both adolescents and senior citizens both popular targets of attack

from those seeking to steal information.

In order to counteract cyber criminals and their conquest for information, society needs to

be aware of where and how we could be attacked and spread that information to the adolescents

and the older generations. As Cahayag explains, “Everybody at one point is going to be targeted.

Every company, every individual is going to be targeted somehow, but it’s just a matter of when”

(Cahayag). In order to prepare for when that attack comes, how one can be attacked and from

where. In an interview with Paul Abenoja, who has been working in information technology for

over 25 years and has experience in data, data accessibility, data warehouse data integrity and

security, he says that “we need to be careful and vigilant in protecting our information in our

own way”. A very simple mistake or oversight can lead to the whole network being

compromised. For those who are not that well informed on how technology functions, like the

elderly or children, Abenoja recommends that society “constantly reminds and educates them” as

well as “having a stronger security system for those age brackets”. He heavily emphasized that
 7

these age groups tend to forget the dangers of the internet, so by constantly telling them about

what to be wary of, then it will be possible to prevent future attacks on these demographics.

In the field of data and information protection and security, workers don’t look solely at

the technology. They have to look “at human behavior and figure out how to influence them on

how to be responsible in sharing and protecting their data,” Abenoja explained. He added on that

the field of cyber security is more of a reactive field rather than a proactive one. Even though the

industry can try to set up defences preemptively, they rely solely on what the attackers will do.

Abenoja also stated that these attacks are constantly changing and “hackers become more

creative and sophisticated in their work of breaching securities and stealing data”. This means

that there is some responsibility of the users to make sure that they watch themselves and their

actions so that they don’t make their information available to be stolen.

Overall, as technology and the internet continue to make innovations and become more

advanced, society as a whole becomes more dependant on the internet and the technology that

utilizes it. Society uses them for so many things that it is difficult to keep a record of the the

possible functions the internet has. Despite the increased convenience, there are people who are

willing to devastate one’s life in order to obtain enormous amounts of money from them. In

order to protect one’s computer and personal data from such attacks, education in possible

threats and how to defend against them is essential. I found Cahayag’s summary of this issue

very all-encompassing. As Cahayag explains, “It’s not just protection on employees’ computers,

it’s also endpoint protection, it’s network protection, and having the intelligence, not like

intellectual intelligence, but threat intelligence to know how to keep up those changing attacks”

(Cahayag). In fact, my interview with her was an informational highlight, an experience that

brought the research aspect of cyber security to life. As technology becomes more and more
 8

advanced, it will be harder to tell where those attacks will come from. Items that have increased

artificial intelligence capabilities like Amazon’s Alexa or self-driving cars are capable of

memorizing important information about the people they help. However, there is also the risk

that they are vulnerable to outside attacks from cyber criminals. This is society as a whole needs

to deepen their knowledge of the cyber world so that they will be able to protect themselves and

their crucial private information and data.

 9

Works Cited

Abenoja, Paul. Over 25 years of work in Information Technology, Brentwood, CA.

Personal Interview. 15 Mar. 2019.

Benson, Sonia, et al. "Internet Revolution." UXL Encyclopedia of U.S. History, vol. 4,

UXL, 2009, pp. 769-773. Student Resources In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3048900307/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid

=9352d248. Accessed 26 Feb. 2019.

Cahayag, Tess Berdiago. Cyber security senior demand generation manager, Pittsburg,

CA. Personal Interview. 3 Mar. 2019.

"Cell Phones." Gale Student Resources in Context, Gale, 2018. Student Resources In

Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ2181500066/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=

bdeb011f. Accessed 26 Feb. 2019.

“Demographics of Mobile Device Ownership and Adoption in the United States.” Pew

Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science &

Tech, 5 Feb. 2018. www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/mobile/. Accessed 9 Mar 2019.

“The Equifax Data Breach.” Federal Trade Commission, 18 June 2017,

www.ftc.gov/equifax-data-breach. Accessed 5 Mar. 2019.

“Fraud Against Seniors.” FBI, FBI, 15 June 2016. https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-

safety/common-fraud-schemes/seniors. Accessed 10 Mar. 2019.

 10

Leskin, Paige. “The 21 Scariest Data Breaches of 2018.” Business Insider, 30 Dec. 2018,

www.businessinsider.com/data-hacks-breaches-biggest-of-2018-2018-12#11-ticketfly-

27-million-11. Accessed 5 Mar 2019.

"Newspapers Struggle to Adjust to Changing Media Landscape." Historic U.S. Events,

Gale, 2011. Student Resources In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/BT2359030193/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=

43516577. Accessed 26 Feb. 2019.

"Online Privacy and Social Media." Gale Student Resources in Context, Gale, 2018.

Student Resources In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/PFRPNN720888753/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC

&xid=40cf75ee. Accessed 22 Feb. 2019.

"Online Security." Gale Student Resources in Context, Gale, 2018. Student Resources In

Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/VREEQT546182211/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC

&xid=3f3ca417. Accessed 20 Feb. 2019.

The Red Book: A Roadmap for Systems Security Research. Davide Balzarotti and

Evangelos Markatos, Syssec Network of Excellence, 2013.

Ryan, Camille, and Jamie M. Lewis. “Computer and Internet Use in the United States:

2015.” American Community Survey Reports. United States Census Bureau, Sept. 2017,

www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2017/acs/acs-37.pdf. Accessed

15 Apr. 2019.

Stanaland, Andrea J.S., et al. "Providing parents with online privacy information:

approaches in the US and the UK." Journal of Consumer Affairs, vol. 43, no. 3, 2009, p.
 11

474+. Student Resources In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A210520176/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=fa

9d3a4e. Accessed 26 Feb. 2019.

Tennant, Roy. "The convenience catastrophe. (Digital Libraries)." Library Journal, Dec.

2001, p. 39+. Student Resources In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A81222640/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=8fb

1c856. Accessed 26 Feb. 2019.

“U.S. population with a social media profile 2018.” Statista, Statista, 2019.

www.statista.com/statistics/273476/percentage-of-us-population-with-a-social-network-

profile. Accessed 9 Mar 19.

“United States: e-commerce share of retail sales from 2013 to 2021.” Statista, Statista,

2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/379112/e-commerce-share-of-retail-sales-in-us/.

Accessed 10 Mar. 2019.

 12

Works Consulted

Congress, U.S. "Electronic Communications Privacy Act." Civil Rights in America,

Primary Source Media, 1999. American Journey. Student Resources In Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ2163000091/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=

cf93b514. Accessed 25 Feb. 2019.

"The History, Development, and Importance of Personal Computers." Science and Its

Times, edited by Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer, vol. 7, Gale, 2001. Student Resources In

Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CV2643450808/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid

=261a62c3. Accessed 26 Feb. 2019.

"Internet Privacy." Gale Student Resources in Context, Gale, 2018. Student Resources In

Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/TALFPQ563223514/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC

&xid=77b7ce10. Accessed 26 Feb. 2019.

Hoyle, Brian. "Computer software security." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science, edited by

K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, 5th ed., Gale, 2014. Student Resources In

Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CV2644040570/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid

=dc9ee831. Accessed 25 Feb. 2019.

"Smartphone." Gale Student Resources in Context, Gale, 2017. Student Resources In

Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/DDYPJS971851781/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC

&xid=a6c1e96e. Accessed 22 Feb. 2019.

 13

"Social Media." Gale Student Resources in Context, Gale, 2018. Student Resources In

Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ2181500290/SUIC?u=wal55317&sid=SUIC&xid=

5c1a5ad8. Accessed 22 Feb. 2019.