Abstract:

During the rapid explosion of AI and the deepening integration of technology in our lives and learning processes, this paper explores a concrete application of Adams and Thompson’s (2011) “posthuman inquiry” framework to John the Ripper, a widely-used security auditing tool in cybersecurity and cybersecurity education. This framework, challenging traditional human-centric views and emphasizing the intra-action of diverse actors, is especially useful for examining how technologies transform from mere tools to co-learners. By employing methods grounded in postphenomenology and Actor Network Theory, and harnessing autoethnographic approaches, this study seeks to apply the posthuman inquiry heuristics to “interview” John the Ripper and present the results. This process aims to uncover the software’s agential role not just as an educational instrument, but as an active participant in the learning experience. This reconsideration supports a paradigm where technology, such as John the Ripper and, prospectively, advanced AI systems, are viewed as co-learners and co-agential. Interrogating how this shift influences the lived experiences of users, learners, and educators, and this paper presents implications for cybersecurity education in a technologically integrated world.

Keywords:

Posthuman inquiry, cybersecurity education, autoethnography, postphenomenology, human-computer interaction.