Author Archives: Jina

Introduction to Cybercrime

Posted on November 4, 2013 | 1 comment

Criminal behind a computer. Image from Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pccare247_inc/7151335071/

Cybercrime is one of the fastest growing sectors in crime. A computer security software company defines it as: any crime that is committed using a computer or network, or hardware device. It is also one of the most ambiguous terms because these illegal activities come in many shapes and there is not a definite legal-illegal boundary set by the authorities around the world. Some of these crimes are listed as follows:

-stealing and/or modification of data, or identities

-corporate espionages

-distribution of viruses via a link in emails (phishing)

With developing technology, the speed and the convenience of being able to commit a cybercrime anywhere, anytime in the world has contributed to its growing popularity. However, because internets are global but laws are not, legally speaking, it is hard to catch and punish cyber criminals. If individuals, or small groups of individuals worked together in the past to hack a system, for example, nowadays, they have organized themselves into a group of technology professionals. They sell hacking services openly online and products are made available to them for their “businesses.” For instance, if you want them to attack a website, they might do it at $30 per hour. To test their viruses, or codes, before selling, platforms are available for testing with a fee.

So, how does a device get infected?

It can be as simple as plugging in a USB, containing attacking codes to a target computer. Within seconds, documents can be accessed and modified, and programs can be launched. If the computer is connected to a network of a company, it could lead to disastrous outcomes for that company. However, needing to physically plug in a USB may be challenging in most cases.

A common way to infect a website is by entering codes directly into it. Most companies have a comments section where people can submit comments. If the attacker enters a code instead of a comment and submits it, the code will be interpreted. This is all under an assumption that the security level is not high.

Cyber Attack. Image from Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/75468116@N04/8569854011/

According to the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), stolen intellectual properties from businesses worldwide are worth around $1 trillion in US dollars.

If protected business networks are attacked successfully, how can we protect our less secure personal devices?

James Lyne, an expert in this field, advises that by doing the basics such as keeping up-to-date with antivirus programs, having differing passwords and changing them frequently, 99% of the attacks may not work. Also, he mentions in his TED talk that when our devices can scan for wireless networks, we let out information about connected networks in the past. This is important because most network names imply location and possibly what the place is (eg. StarbucksWifi, UBCSecure). Therefore, even if it is convenient, we should delete the “remembered networks” if possible. Also, when using social media, it is important to check not only our security settings but also the settings of our “friends” and “followers.” With these precautions, our personal information may be better protected. Here is a short video about interesting facts of cybercrime.

References: Cybercrime (Interpol), What is Cybercrime?, James Lyne: Everyday Cybercrime — and What You Can Do About it

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Posted in Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication

Tagged Computer Viruses, Cybercrime, Hacking, Internet, Malware, Privacy

Faking is Not Always Bad

Posted on October 14, 2013 | 2 comments

You are nervously waiting for your turn in a competitive job interview. All interviewees seem to be around the same age as you with similar degrees, and similar work experiences. How would you differentiate yourself?

Amy Cuddy, a social psychologist, and associate professor at Harvard Business School, would say power posing.

When we think about body language, we know that it contributes a lot in communication. We judge others by what they say, but also from what their bodies say. Likewise, others judge us by interpreting our body language. Amy Cuddy points out, however, that we are forgetting another audience—ourselves. By faking our postures to be seen as more powerful, confident and optimistic for two minutes, we can feel powerful, confident and optimistic.

First, let’s observe how power is exemplified in postures.

In Amy Cuddy’s TED talk, she shows a picture of a gorilla and a monkey with their arms wide open. This pose of making oneself big and taking up space is a

Examples of high power pose. Image from Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/whiteafrican/6279920952/

sign of power and dominance. Similarly, for humans, we can picture someone who has just run through the finish line at a marathon—arms are wide open, and the chin is slightly lifted. On the other hand, hunching up and making oneself small are examples of low power poses.

Physiologically, low levels of the stress hormone cortisol and high levels of the dominance hormone testosterone are found in powerful, effective leaders as well as high-power male primates, according to numerous studies.

In a study published in 2010, Amy Cuddy experimented how high and low power poses relate to testosterone and cortisol levels in people. The subjects were required to either do high or low power pose for two minutes. Their saliva samples from before and after posing were compared. The results were not surprising. High power posers had increased testosterone levels and decreased cortisol levels, whereas low power posers showed the opposite pattern. The researchers in this experiment concluded that by consciously power posing, people can feel different about themselves.

So what does all this mean in more practical terms?

This was the same question Cuddy asked herself which led her to do another experiment. The procedure was the same as her previous experiment but this time, after posing, the subjects went through five minutes of recorded, stressful job interviews. The interview videos were then watched by coders, who were blind to this experiment, to choose who they would hire. Not surprisingly, the chosen subjects were high power posers and were generally judged more positively. Because the content of what the interviewees said, eligibilities, and competence were all taken into account, these factors did not affect the selection process.

Overall, it is fascinating how faking a high power pose for few minutes can change hormone levels to feel more powerful and certain about ourselves. With many interviews and similar situations to go through in the future, power posing may be one of the keys to successful outcomes.

Amy Cuddy during her TED talk, suggesting we should try high power pose for two minutes before interviews, rather than be in low power pose. Image from Flickr: https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8142/7460807124_66d1989156_o.jpg

By: Jina Choi

References: Amy Cuddy, Your Body Language Shapes Who You are, Power Posing: Brief Nonverbal Displays Affect Neuroendocrine Levels and Risk Tolerance, Practicing Certain Poses Creates a Sense of Power

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Posted in Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science in the News

Tagged Amy Cuddy, Body Language, Cortisol, Power, Power Posing, TED, Testosterone

Your Sleep Patterns: Are They Natural?

Posted on September 23, 2013 | 3 comments

Sleepy Face.
Image from the Flickr Commons. https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3083/2381417367_b731167
105_o.jpg

Have you ever felt tired after waking up from a good 8 hours of sleep?

It turns out that sleeping the recommended 8 hours straight may not be how people slept in the past. By past, I mean hundreds of years ago.

Sleep is a state where brain wave activity, breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and other physiological functions change to enter a period of reduced activity. In more practical terms, people sleep at night to rest and function during daytime. Without sleep, we know what happens—grumpiness, grogginess, and forgetfulness. In the long-run, lack of sleep also impacts mental and physical health. That is why most people recommend getting enough sleep at night.

But, what if it is more natural for people to sleep in two blocks of time at night?

Roger Ekirch, a historian at the Virginia Polytechnic, published a seminal paper in 2001, after 16 years of research, suggesting that people had first and second sleeps. In his book called At Day’s Close: Night in Times Past, more than 500 historical records show people going to sleep few hours after dusk and waking up around midnight for 1-2 hours of relaxing activities. Then, they would sleep again until sunrise. In between the two sleeps, people would read, write, pray, or even visit their neighbours. Just as trying to sleep straight from night to morning is normal for us, segmented sleeps were normal for our ancestors.

An experiment in the 1990s by a psychiatrist Thomas Wehr, also observes a similar sleeping pattern to that of our ancestors. A group of people was put into darkness for 14 hours everyday for a month. By the last week, people clearly slept in two segments of approximately 4 hours, waking up in the middle for an hour or two. Jessa Gamble refers to this experiment in her TED talk about natural sleep cycles:

If bimodal sleep is natural, why have people shifted to unimodal sleep?

Improvements in artificial lighting allowed people to engage in activities at night as well. As a result, people became more conscious of being efficient with work. In other words, “workaholics” may have been born. Also, exposure to artificial lights makes it worse to fall asleep. By the 1920s, the notion of bimodal sleep completely perished in people’s minds.

However, some experts believe that many insomnia problems today are from our segmented sleeping habits and excessive lighting we have around. Sleep psychologist Gregg Jacobs and Oxford’s neuroscience professor Russell Foster are two of the many who think waking up in the middle of the night is not abnormal.

Tired in most mornings myself, I was stunned by the concept of two sleeps. However, it seems a bit hard to try it out because I get different hours of sleep each night depending on my timetable. Nonetheless, when I wake up in the middle of the night, I will not worry for the lost sleep anymore, but relax and think that this may be more natural.

By: Jina Choi

References: Sleep, why they used to do it twice a night, The myth of the eight-hour sleep, The characteristics of sleep, The science of sleep

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Posted in Issues in Science, Public Engagement, Science Communication, Science in the News

Tagged insomnia, Midnight Awake, Natural Sleep, Segmented Sleep, Sleep, Thomas Wehr

Author Archives: Jina

Introduction to Cybercrime

Faking is Not Always Bad

Your Sleep Patterns: Are They Natural?

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Introduction to Cybercrime

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Your Sleep Patterns: Are They Natural?

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