The social psychology of cybersecurity

As the fields of HCI, cybersecurity and psychology continue to grow and diversify there is greater overlap between these areas and new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. This paper argues for a focus specifically on the role of social psychology in cybersecurity. Social psychological research may help explore the dynamics within online adversary groups, and how these processes can be used to predict and perhaps prevent cybersecurity incidents. In addition the issue of motivations of cyber adversaries and the social context in which they operate and will be discussed. Finally the benefits of the shared experience of psychologists and cyber security practitioners in addressing issues of methodology and conceptual development will be explored.