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 cybernetics and the ways that fundamental ethical theories relate to these core issues.
Course Material
Reflective Writing
One of the many topics that have been covered this term that especially caught my eye was the module on privacy. Everyone has their own opinion of what privacy is, yet the standard definition cannot cover all of the opinions of the true meaning of the word. When I began this course, I saw privacy as the right to keep all information safe and to one’s self, and that has slightly changed since the first module. Although everyone wants their secrets to stay secret, that is not always possible depending on the circumstance. If a person is doing something illegal or dangerous, it is not best kept as a secret from others. The example used in this module was Google Street View, and although I did not originally see it as a big deal, I can now understand why some did. Everyone now has their front door, license plate, and potentially images of themselves on Google for anyone to view at any time. This could put the safety of some at risk and Google may have amended this, but I do now understand how difficult it can be to protect all privacy when attempting to make the world a more shared space through the internet. I, personally, now know that in the future when I am working for a corporation to think outside of the box about how my decisions could affect others’ privacy if I am working on something that could put them at risk. This could be as simple as a memo or as large as a program such as Google Street View.
A second topic that interests me is the module on corporate social responsibility. Everyone in America knows that any company has one main goal, and that is to collect money. The example utilized in the module was the Equifax breach, which directly affected many people. I personally remember this attack and wondering if I would be affected by it. Luckily, I was not one of the people affected, but many people were. This breach, and their attempts to make more money afterward, showed the worst side of a business pretending to help people while simultaneously putting them at risk. A corporation carries a certain ethical responsibility to protect consumers. Many corporations do not do this, and that leads to situations that do not often end well for either the corporation or the customers. This module taught me that no matter the cost, I should always be ethical in the business that I choose to take part in. If I were to be involved in a business that is hacked or makes a mistake, I would do my best to utilize the ethical tools I have learned to ensure that I handle it in the correct way for the consumer.
Whistleblowing is the final topic I will discuss, and this module taught me a lot. Whistleblowing is commonly known as bad for corporations and good for the common person. This alone tells us that those corporations are only in it for the money, and not for the well-being of the consumers that they serve, which ultimately leads to the need for a whistleblower. The topic was discussed in this module by utilizing the video “Collateral Murder?” and the need for whistleblowers never felt more important than after I watched that video. Typically, when the word whistleblower is used my mind goes to Edward Snowden, but after this video that will not be the case again. This module taught me that in some situations, whistleblowing can protect human life. Whistleblowing is needed in all societies, but especially in a capitalistic society. This module taught me the real importance of whistleblowing and why it is necessary to do so if the situation requires it. If a company is poisoning workers, it should be made known in order to stop it. Although I do hope I am never in this situation, I now see the importance of whistleblowing as