Cybersecurity Ethics

This course explored the ethical responsibilities and decision-making frameworks relevant to cybersecurity professionals. Topics included data privacy, ethical hacking, corporate and individual accountability, cyberwarfare, and conflicts between security engineering practices and business priorities. I developed the ability to evaluate cybersecurity dilemmas using ethical theories and apply professional codes of conduct to real-world scenarios.

Skills

1. Application of ethical frameworks to cybersecurity decision-making
2. Analysis of privacy, cyberwarfare, and responsible disclosure issues
3. Interpretation of professional codes of conduct in cybersecurity
4. Ethical reasoning and accountability
5. Decision-making in morally complex scenarios
6. Awareness of social and professional responsibility in tech contexts

Experience

Skill Highlighted: Application of Ethical Frameworks to Cybersecurity Decision-Making
Also Demonstrates:
Ethical Reasoning and Accountability, Awareness of Social and Professional Responsibility in Tech Contexts, Interpretation of Professional Codes of Conduct

This artifact presents an in-depth ethical case analysis of Bill Sourour’s essay “The Code I’m Still Ashamed Of.” Using the utilitarian framework and engineering ethics literature, I evaluated how prioritizing profit over transparency and user safety can violate professional duties. The analysis applies real-world ethical codes from the NSPE and scholarly sources to argue that developers and engineers must take proactive steps when their work risks user harm. I explored conflicting duties (to client vs. user) and justified when breaching confidentiality is ethically required to protect public welfare. This paper demonstrates my ability to evaluate morally complex scenarios using applied ethical theory in the context of software engineering and cybersecurity.

Case-4-JALI

Skill Highlighted: Decision-Making in Morally Complex Scenarios
Also Demonstrates:
Application of Ethical Frameworks, Ethical Reasoning and Accountability, Awareness of Social and Professional Responsibility

In this case analysis, I applied Kantian ethics, care ethics, and the concept of “rational loyalty” to evaluate Chelsea Manning’s whistleblowing actions regarding the release of classified military footage. Drawing on philosophical and real-world perspectives, I argued that Manning’s decision was not a betrayal but a morally grounded stand against unjust institutional behavior. This artifact showcases my ability to analyze high-stakes ethical dilemmas in cybersecurity through multiple philosophical lenses and to articulate how moral duty may require defying authority in service of justice and transparency.

Case-5-JALI

Skill Highlighted: Analysis of Privacy, Cyberwarfare, and Responsible Disclosure Issues
Also Demonstrates:
Application of Ethical Frameworks, Awareness of Social and Professional Responsibility in Tech Contexts, Ethical Reasoning and Accountability

This case study explores ethical responses to election interference and disinformation campaigns conducted by state actors such as Russia, China, and Iran. Drawing on the Ethics of Care and scholarship from Valerie Morkevicius and Jarred Prier, I examined how manipulation through social media and search engine optimization constitutes a form of information warfare that disrupts mutual trust and democratic stability. This artifact demonstrates my ability to evaluate complex geopolitical cybersecurity threats through ethical frameworks, assess the role of technology in global conflict, and argue for responsible strategies that preserve interdependence and democratic integrity.

Case-7-JALI