Our society exists in a 21st century digital world, reliant on technology to function. Daily lives are reliant on the technological functions of the modern world, and often leave us vulnerable to evolving cyber attacks globally. Staying ahead of cyber criminals is a difficult task, but one of the most important defenses we have in maintaining online safety. It is essential to develop students to not only be aware of how to keep themselves safe in a digital world, but also to be creative innovators to help thwart criminal attempts online. Through the implementation of STEAM education, students can be exposed to developing new collaborative and creative skills that can help inspire future computer scientists and policymakers tasked with battling the frontier of cybersecurity.
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Our society exists in a 21st century digital world, reliant on technology to function. Our lives fit in the palm of a hand, and with a few clicks an abundance of private information that ranges from financial information, medical records, to trade secrets can easily be accessed. In today’s modern world, research and education are more accessible to people from anywhere they live than ever before thanks to modern technology solutions. Although this easy access is essential for business practices and functioning in the modern world, it can leave us vulnerable to cybercriminals working to develop new ways to benefit from accessing our private information. These threats are not unique to any one part of the world, but are universal in nature and target every individual regardless of origin or lifestyle.
Cybercrimes are defined as “criminal offenses committed via the Internet or otherwise aided by various forms of technology, such as the use of online social networks to bully others or sending sexually explicit digital photos with a smartphone” (Thompson Reuters, 2022). Other examples have developed over time to include email and Internet fraud, theft of data financial or otherwise, cyberextortion, cyberespionage (FBI, 2022), or cryptojacking. The first conviction of an act of cybercrime occurred in 1982, when Ian Murphy was found guilty of hacking the American Telephone Company (Mfitzgerald, 2004). Although cybercrimes have been affecting global society on a variety of levels this is still a relatively new field of criminal activity, which evolves with the nuances in modern daily life that can provide new opportunities for cyberattacks.
As our world continues to adapt to changes and challenges that arise, new opportunities for cyberattacks present. In 2020, the health crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic forced businesses to consider an operational shift. The workplaces of these companies quickly pivoted from the public office environment with security structures in place, to home-based workspaces and learning environments. This type of change provided a new accessibility among cyber criminals, and business experienced 50% more cyberattacks on a weekly basis in the final quarter of 2021 (Brooks, 2022).
The private sector was not alone in this cybersecurity siege. Healthcare experienced an increase in weekly cyberattacks by 71%, and the military and government sector experienced a 47% increase at this time. The education and research sector increased as well, suffering with 75% more interference from cybercriminals, and was the most targeted sector worldwide in 2021 (Brooks, 2022). Cybercrime patterns adapted to the changes experienced by the physical world, and new innovations threatened global safety and security.
The nature of data breaches is moving beyond our regular world of expectation, and evolving to new areas. Instead of focusing on financial transactions, or the personal or business use of technology, cybercriminals are now focusing on one act that can influence the lives of many, even those who are not using technology. These types of attacks can easily shut down the day-to-day operations of major cities, disrupt the supply chain. and delay trade and commerce. In other circumstances, cybercriminals are using their skills to find vulnerabilities within the energy grid, all of which affect the safety of citizens in counties across the world. These types of attacks are creatively implemented so they can easily go undetected from parties unsuspecting issues of these natures.
For example, the SolarWinds data breach was an unusual occurrence that began with malicious code being embedded to the Orion system servicing over 33,000 customers. SolarWinds sent out an email to their customers with information about routine software updates, which unexpectedly included the hacked code (Jilbilian & Canales, 2021). This established a backdoor to the IT systems of various customers, which affected 18,000 individuals, many of which belonged to Fortune 500 companies and United States government agencies, leaving them exposed to spyware. Although these types of threats can now be prevented by many larger companies, smaller and medium sized organizations struggle to compete against cybercriminals attacking their systems, causing concern for customers and businesses alike.