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 Reflection

Prior to enrolling in this course, I had some knowledge of philosophy and cybersecurity, but not so much of ethics. I didn’t fully grasp the connection between moral thoughts and ideals and how they apply to the cyber world. Although I had no idea what to expect or learn going into this course, what drew me in was the fact that I want to be a cybersecurity analyst in the near future, and I hoped that this class would help me understand the ethics of using technology and distinguish between what is ethically correct and what is not. I came into this course with a lot of questions, but I was able to learn a lot more than I thought, and I will absolutely apply what I learned in this course to not only my future, but also my current life.

A world without privacy will drive us to become unoriginal, forcing people to suppress all emotions and beliefs that might endanger them. The loss of privacy on the Internet is an unavoidable truth that is already influencing our lives. The implications of privacy concerns surrounding Google Street View were examined in Case Analysis 1. When Google Street View originally debuted, there were significant privacy concerns and many people found themselves in terrible or embarrassing situations. People saw this as a violation of their right to privacy because no form of consent was offered. As many organizations and individuals have had their information stolen or sold, privacy is one of the most pressing challenges in cybersecurity. Privacy both online and offline is something I have always stood and advocated for. I strongly believe that everyone is entitled to their privacy as long as they do not abuse or cause harm to others. This case analysis strengthened my views on the importance of privacy and why it is important now more than ever to preserve our privacy from hacking, data mining, cyber and information warfare.

            In case analysis 3, we addressed the Equifax hack, how it affected customers by allowing a data breach to occur and then failing to appropriately handle it, which was unethical. Equifax did not keep their data secure and did not handle the aftermath of the attack correctly. They charged a fee to freeze their accounts, and when consumers contacted for information, they claimed that they didn’t have databases of their information or internet access to look them up.

There are various other options they may have used to handle this issue. Although I continue to believe that Equifax could have done more to address this data leak, I can claim unequivocally that they were hacked. Many businesses suffer data breaches on a daily basis. Staying entirely safe from hackers and other dangerous web users is practically impossible. Equifax, for example, should appreciate the importance of the data it receives from clients and should be held to a higher level. When you make a mistake, whether intentional or unintentional, it is your responsibility to repair the damage you have caused, and Equifax failed to do so.

In Case Analysis 4, we evaluated an article written by a coder who regrets designing and coding an unethical questionnaire that was utilized for dishonest medication advertising in Canada. Bill Sourour and his firm evidently ignored customers; they failed to verify that the pharmaceutical company they were supposed to assist in the sale of their medicine was trustworthy. They also failed to adequately study the medicine’s potential negative effects, as well as to guarantee that consumers were provided with the necessary information regarding its potential side effects. Despite their desire to listen to their customers and do their duties appropriately, their actions had disastrous consequences that harmed many young girls. Prior to this case, I did not fully think about the effects of writing a harmful or bad code like Bill and I think that was the mistake. Our actions have consequences, good or bad, and just as we carefully consider what we say and do in society, we must apply the same ethics to our actions online.