Student Researchers Drive Cybersecurity Innovation at University of Scranton

Students in The University of Scranton’s cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity programs are on the cutting edge of financial fraud detection and ransomware research, as detailed in a series of articles on the University’s graduate admissions website.

Julia Ciaccio ’27, a double major in cybercrime/homeland security and criminal justice who is also pursuing a cybersecurity master’s degree through Scranton’s accelerated BS/MS program, was among the featured students.

Ciaccio worked alongside Ismail Onat, Ph.D., associate professor, to investigate ATM and point-of-sale skimming, a growing and costly form of cyber-enabled financial crime. Together, Ciaccio and Dr. Onat used emerging prevention tools to analyze offender profiles and track system vulnerabilities. Ciaccio’s work, which included evaluating existing countermeasures and proposing forward-looking solutions, earned national recognition. She presented a research paper at the annual conference of the American Society of Criminology.

“I never imagined that a semester paper would be picked up and turned into a publication,” Ciaccio said. “This opportunity has significantly improved my academic confidence, enhanced my research skills and deepened my understanding of cybercrime.”

Another featured student was Buse Onat ’26, a triple major in cybercrime/homeland security, criminal justice and philosophy. Like Ciaccio, Onat is also pursuing a master’s in cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity through the University’s accelerated program.

Partnering with Sinchul Back, Ph.D., associate professor, Onat explored how digital guardianship — from secure passwords to AI-driven anomaly detection — reduces fraud risk in credit card transactions. Onat and Dr. Back’s hands-on research included studying more than 568,000 anonymized credit card transactions.

“Working with Dr. Back has been one of the best parts of my time at Scranton,” Onat said. “It gave me real research experience and showed me how classroom knowledge applies to real problems. …

“That perspective has helped me think more critically and practically as a grad student.”

While Ciaccio and Onat are simultaneously managing rigorous undergraduate and graduate work, Noah Mumma ’25 is a recent graduate who is solely pursuing a master’s degree in cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity.

Working closely with Dr. Onat, Mumma has conducted outside-the-box research on cybercriminals’ behaviors and motivations. These individuals, Mumma said, often target states with higher median household incomes and greater internet access.

“This suggests cybercriminals are more concerned with overall income and digital connectivity than physical infrastructure,” Mumma said.

Ciaccio, Onat and Mumma are entering a growing field, as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a projected 29% increase in security analyst jobs from 2024 to 2034.

According to the most recent Roche Family Center for Career Development’s Class of 2024 First Destination Survey, University of Scranton cybercrime and homeland security majors entered the field with an average starting salary of $70,122. Graduate students who earned master’s degrees in cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity had an average starting salary of $82,710.

“Scranton’s program stands out because it teaches not only technical skills to defend against cyberattacks, but also computer crime law and cybercrime criminology,” Mumma said. “This gives students a lot more experience with different roles they can eventually apply for.”

For more information, please visit the University’s cybercrime and homeland security undergraduate page and the University’s cybercrime investigation and cybersecurity master’s program webpage.