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
In this course we have discussed a lot of topics, those of which have mainly revolved around the central topic of cybersecurity. Mostly all the topics we discussed allowed me to deepen my understanding of the concept, however the most intriguing topics were the concepts that allowed me to apply the logic or situations to my life. By doing so I was able to understand the topic better because the information that was being taught to me resonated with me better than it would have as if it was just presenting the information to me. In particular the three topics that stood out to me the most were the Case Studies on professional ethics and whistleblowing and the Ubuntu tool.
Starting with the professional ethics case study, I believe that not only was the concept the most relatable out of all the case studies but, I believe it was also the most pivotal case study out the seven that we were tasked to do. I believe this because this case study in particular is the most relevant topic that anyone can relate to when they have a job. This case study allowed me to compare my current situation (enlisted military member) to the situation that Bill Souour was going through regarding his code that he wrote. My job in the military is quite essential, however I suffer from the same dilemma that Mr. Sourour suffers from as well, that being having regrets about the actions that he took in the past. My job protects our freedom from adversaries in the Indo-Pacific theater however, I also indirectly contribute to harming other people through physical means by upkeeping the maintenance on planes that are designed to kill. My takeaway from the dilemma is that not everything has a black and white answer and that some things require a necessary evil to be solved. I would rather have the answer my questions be positive in nature however, realistically that is just not the case when you are in the profession that I am currently in. The case study allowed me to understand this and change my perspective on how the miliary operates on “requirement” basis. It required that we are Indo-Pacific, and it is necessary evil to have the weapons that we have because if we do not then we will suffer from being unprepared.
Tying into the previous case study, the whistleblowing case study also presents itself to me with an opportunity to relate my current situation with the actions that happened in the past to the soldier that leaked US classified documents. I would never take it as far as she did that day, however I do understand where she came from as the military does seem to get away with a lot of egregious actions without some type of punishment from its supervision. What I took away from the situation was that I was not alone in seeing the unprofessional behavior that I am not only currently seeing in the military but also might see in the future. The case study taught me that the necessary action that needs to be taken might be hardest decision to make at the time but, once the action is taken it will be for that the better so that we can remain on the correct path or Dao as learned in the Confucian teachings. The case study evolved my understanding of whistleblowing as previously I thought people only did it out spite and retribution for something that those people who they sought to hurt with the action. The case study changed my perspective into one that now understands that the whistleblowing method can be an effective way of exposing atrocities when no one else is on your side and needs to shed light on something that needs attention.
Ubuntu ethics was my favorite topic that we discussed in the class because I believe out of all the tools that we discussed it was the only one that I truly grew up using naturally without knowing the existence of its teachings. I believe that my mother always taught me Ubuntu ethics when I was being raised and being human or showing your humaneness should be something that happens naturally when you are going through life. I believe that the concept also goes in conjunction with working in any profession allowing business and individuals to thrive through each other as people united. This topic allowed me to deepen my naturally established understanding of the topic on a scholarly level because I was able to research the topic and learn about its upbringing and how it was used in the past as well as how it can be applied to everyday situations that can affect as adults in the future of our respective work centers. My biggest takeaway from the Ubuntu teachings is always to show your humaneness no matter the situation and circumstances. I feel that by doing this it allows us to be unbiased and true to who we are as human beings and allows to show our compassion and love for one another.