With the topic of mental health being a main topic in American discourse, some mental health officials have emphasized links between mental health disorders like anxiety, depression, and even PTSD with millions of americans who have been victimized by cyber-attacks. These victims face the incredibly arduous and dreadful process of clearing their names, credit histories, and more after a data breach. In addition these victims face feelings of hopelessness, vulnerability, and powerlessness. One cybersecurity professional goes as far as saying:
The psychological effects of cyber attacks may even rival those of traditional terrorism.
Dr. Maria Bada, Research Associate at the Cambridge Cybercrime Centre at The University of Cambridge
We’ve even seen, in extreme cases, that data breaches can destroy the lives of its victims; As it did for victims of the data breach that affected popular dating site for adulturers, Ashley Madison. Some victims of this data breach faced divorces, resignations, and even suicides.
Much of this information is anecdotal, but mental health researchers have begun to study it. If you’d like to learn more about it, follow the link bellow:
LIS 4022 Spring 2020 