Ethical Effects of FISMA
Carter Hendrick
Old Dominion University School of Cybersecurity
CYSE 425W: Cyber Strategy and Policy
Teresa Duvall
10/11/2024
Ethical Effects of FISMA
The more time that passes and the more developments are made, the more it is required that America update its infrastructure and policies to keep itself safe with emerging technologies and possible zero-day attacks that could be going on at any time. During this development of information security however, it is important to be aware of what America stands for. America above all else is a place of freedom so the protections put in place must not impose on the rights and liberties afforded by being an American citizen. What are the current effects of todays policies on the privacy of American people, and will it progress to hinder the promises of the American dream.
Why cybersecurity ethics are important:
When dealing in cybersecurity one must realize that in the overwhelming development of information and security systems to keep a country safe, the people creating those systems must not become an adversary of the citizens by making malicious use of their information that they are trying to protect. Cybersecurity is the only field that can current protect the public from threats such as identity theft, deepfakes, financial fraud, and many other crimes that are done in a digital landscape. Therefore, it is the prerogative of the American government and anyone within the cybersecurity field to protect from digital attacks (Agusta University). Ethics within cybersecurity is a living document that changes constantly with every loophole found within the field, this also means there is a moving grey area that could be exploited to commit cybercrimes (Dhirani). FISMA is used to maintain rules and regulations within government facilities. Due to the sensitive nature of the agencies under the FISMA compliance laws it is important to understand that there may be certain liberties taken by the NIST to ensure maximum security. While this could be seen as a certain level of infringement on right by some, it is a necessary precaution to keep Americans protected.
How does FISMA directly protect privacy:
FISMA itself and the handbook it represents keeps the information of federal agencies safe by imposing rules that need to be followed. This leads to reports done by agencies on their own information security, which is then submitted and analyzed by the Office of Management and Budget. FISMA is helps protects more than just government information because nay organization that makes contacts with the federal government must also follow FISMA compliance (Exabeam). Basically, FISMA takes the role of a supervisor ensuring that all agencies and organizations that work with the federal government are doing what they are supposed to. This prevents spillage of confidential, secret, and top-secret information from becoming public. (Exabeam). Since the American government has extensive files on many people for many different reasons, this kind of protection if both for the good of agencies and citizens of America.
Conclusion:
While the logic is not difficult to understand it is still important that the ethics behind FISMA is known. While certain policies that relate to the collection and analyzation of digital evidence have more points to argue for the privacy of people vs the need for digital evidence to prove a crime. FISMA is much simpler because it is there to protect. There could be certain implications with government personnel and how they conduct their public image, however part of working in the government is the ability to maintain a security clearance. So FISMA has an overall positive effect of cybersecurity ethics and privacy.
Works Cited:
- Agusta University. (2023, August 21). Cybersecurity ethics grows in urgency as the digital landscape continues to Transform Society. Cybersecurity Ethics: What Cyber Professionals Need to Know. https://www.augusta.edu/online/blog/cybersecurity-ethics
- Dhirani, L. L., Mukhtiar, N., Chowdhry, B. S., & Newe, T. (2023, January 19). Ethical dilemmas and privacy issues in emerging technologies: A Review. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9921682/
- Exabeam. (2024, June 14). What is FISMA compliance? requirements and best practices. Exabeam. https://www.exabeam.com/explainers/pci-compliance/what-is-fisma-compliance-requirements-and-best-practices/