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

Reflection

This class was extremely helpful but beyond difficult. Not that the work was impossible or the instructions were difficult to follow. It was the sole fact that it made you think way outside of the box. This was extremely helpful for me to become more understanding in my career field as I work in cyber with the navy and am a cyber security major. The fact I am normally an unsympathetic person made this course difficult due to having to think more cause and effect of feeling. This must be due to being in the military and not having to think the most ethically all the time but rather complete the mission. This is why I found the topic of whistle blowing the most challenging. Due to the clearance levels of those who work in this career field the information known is highly sensitive. There is always a way to push up an issue without the leak of sensitive information. I found it extremely hard to try and communicate any conclusion due to the extensive training I have. The rule of not releasing information is drilled into your mind. This goes directly against what I know and take great pride in knowing. I am sure these cases of whistleblowing are much less sensitive but I would treat all information with loyalty to whom you work for. 

The topics I most enjoyed were cyber conflict and Information warfare. This is because this is my career field now and the degree I am pursuing. While the other topics were meat and potatoes I prefer the whole stew.  Cyber conflict is the new hotness of today. It is ever evolving and extremely hard to define. It is nothing like traditional warfare and the rules have yet to be made. I very much enjoy it as we are at its infancy. This then directly translates to Information warfare. This covers way more than just cyber. This is becoming the most challenging military field. There is no need for long physical endurance but mental fortitude. My view on information warfare has changed dramatically. From a military standpoint it is always complete the task at hand. But now I am able to see the bigger picture and understand the ethics that go into the world’s problems. I am very excited to see where the Information warfare subject matter experts’ views change throughout the growth of this new realm. 

The biggest take away I have from this class is as a new form of thinking outside the box ethically as I stated this class forced me to do. As I am extremely unsympathetic you are unable to be that way when it comes to thinking ethically. You have to think about how certain instances will affect people. This is my first major class I have taken and I am surprised at how much it has changed my view on morals and ethics. I now have the tools at my disposal to work through problems and find the best solution to them. This class has helped me with understanding my career field better.