Autumn Person

Date of Award

Fall 2023

Type

Thesis

Major

Master of Cybersecurity Management

Degree Type

Master of Science

Department

TSYS School of Computer Science

First Advisor

Dr. Lydia Ray

Second Advisor

Dr. Lixin Wang

Third Advisor

Dr. B. Bhagyavati

Abstract

Social media applications are increasingly seen as a national security threat and a cause for concern because they can be used to create user profiles on government personnel and on US citizens. These profiles could be used for big data and artificial intelligence purposes of interest to foreign governments. With the rise of big data and AI being used, foreign governments could use this data for a variety of purposes that can affect normal everyday citizens, not just high value personnel. IoT (Internet of Things) devices that the population uses everyday can also pose the same threat. These devices can collect several types of data and can pose different vulnerabilities depending on the device type and types of data that they collect. In addition to this the data can be used for multiple uses including nefarious ones. IoT devices have been researched in detail, including the types of devices, what they are capable of, the type of data that they may gather and what security measures there might be in place for these devices. Several studies regarding the use of IoT devices have been inspected as well and are included in the literature review. I have also inspected various policies and procedures that are currently in place regarding IoT devices, especially from device manufacturers. Current uses for personal data and its impact on international affairs were also analyzed to connect any potential threats from IoT device data to foreign cyber threats. In addition to this, I have compiled a list of possible safeguards to create a framework for how IoT devices should be treated moving forward.

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