Cybersecurity Ethics

This course examines ethical issues relevant to ethics for cybersecurity professionals, including privacy, professional code of conduct, practical conflicts between engineering ethics and business practices, individual and corporate social responsibility, ethical hacking, information warfare, and cyberwarfare. Students will gain a broad understanding of central issues in cyberethics and the ways that fundamental ethical theories relate to these core issues.

Course Material

Reflective Writing

Throughout the semester, I have learned many things that have taught me valuable lessons that I can use to guide me in my future employment pertaining to my major Cybersecurity. Whether this is through the engagement of Case Studies and Analyses or reading the articles that relate to my major, my professor helped me bear a better understanding of the ideas that follow Cybersecurity. I’ve gained specific perspectives that changed overtime throughout my learning of each module’s topic and how I position on each one. This paper will discuss each of my three topics that I’ve best engaged with. It will also discuss my shifting perspectives or thoughts on each one and what I have taken away from them through the interactive assignments.

The first topic of engagement I felt I learned a lot of insight into are the ethical tools. Particularly, how versatile the meaning of these philosophies was and how they can apply to every aspect of life was where I found it to be resonating. I didn’t know about most of these philosophies before taking this class so when I learned about them, I learned a new meaning towards individualism and our own presence to society. Virtue ethics, for example, helped me learn how morality can be the personality of a character and whether they are doing good or bad. Confucianism teaches that we should all live an important path that is meaningful, one of great ambition. Most of these tools were sheer “roll-overs” when I first started the class, but I feel like now with deeper thoughts that I can apply each of these ethical tools to my own life. As a result, a great takeaway for my future self is to follow each of these tools my entire life so I can make myself a to be a good character in society and set an example for others to do the same.

The whole world of cybercrime that I learned in this course has shifted my perspectives variously throughout the semester. My perspective has both changed and deepened because I used to think that cybercriminals mostly would only target or use infrastructures for their personal gain. I’ve now learned that there are other motivations for a hacker. For example, the Case Analysis on Cyberconflict taught me that warfare doesn’t always have to be physical but can exist only online. The Case Analysis on Information Warfare also taught me that cyberwarfare can be conducted with meaning. In other words, hackers can be motivated towards making a change such as through political activism. Through this course, I now see cybercrime through the lens that anybody is considered a target and that creativity has no limits in regard to hackers. A takeaway I could give myself in the future that might even be able to help other people is to be cautionary with the advancements of technology because even though it has its benefits, it gives hackers more tools to be able to access anyone’s data.

Before I took this class, whistleblowing was another topic that I wasn’t very educated on. I’ve heard a few different times in life about whistleblowing whether that was in politics or a conglomerate company. More specifically, I’ve learned that often times whistleblowers reveal confidential information for good reason as a martyr. The articles and videos on Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden were examples in this course that I gained insight on. Their whistleblowing gained nuance on the flaws in our country and how unethical and inhumane we have become. These whistleblowing cases taught me a deepened meaning behind these flaws that plague the country. Manning’s case shows me how the media can be manipulated to believe that our country’s actions are often for the greater good. It also taught me how corrupt war and our military can be despite people believing of how they are always morally right. They have their flaws as well and face challenges against their morality. My perspective against Snowden has changed because when I was younger, I used to think of how bad he was because I didn’t know what whistleblowing was at the time. Looking back on the case now, my position has changed to believe that he did the right thing to make aware to the people of how no citizen is safe from privacy amidst surveillance. My takeaway from these to my future self is to be careful who I’m around because some people could be hiding something or trying to take advantage of others. The best thing to do would be to follow my gut instincts.

All in all, this course has taught me valuable lessons to live by to follow now and in the future. The course taught much of what I needed to know to experience growth and develop myself into who I want to be. The three topics have taught me not just about the world of Cybersecurity, but our society as well. They tell about the issues we face today and how I can use them as a takeaway in the future. When I get into my future career employment, these takeaways are what my future self should follow.