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.
END OF COURSE REFLECTION
In this course, Philosophy 355E, I learned about many different new topics that I have personally never have come across. The course content discusses topics that highlight the ethical issues in society & issues also relevant to cybersecurity learners. This includes but is not limited to, social & business practices, ethical & unethical hacking, information warfare & also cyberwarfare. I gained a broader knowledge & understanding on cyber ethics that relate back to core issues in today’s social & economic status.
One of the discussions that impacted me strongly was the moral reasonings of Confucianism. This was my first time learning about this belief & I am glad I have the knowledge on what it is & the reasonings behind it. This Chinese belief focuses on the importance of ethics & morality. In the readings of “The Year of The Rat”, I didn’t necessarily understand it at first until I read more into what Confucianism is & why it effects our overall path in life. This belief emphasizes the differences that may be right or wrong, depending on the individual. This belief is important with moral choices that we make in society, as it determines where we will move in life. It is important that we make choices that will benefit us in the end.
Prior to this course, I had knowledge on cyberconflicts, but this course kept me in engaged in the big picture of it all. Cyber warfare & conflict is continuously happening amongst our own eyes. While there are many reasons why issues such as these may happen, it is mostly revolved around politics & issues within groups. Examples could include the political attempt of Cambridge to win over voters, with taking personal information from individuals. I learned about the ways that officials can take morally wrong objectives to achieve cybercrimes. I really liked this topic due to my personal interest in cyber security. I want to protect others including myself, for crimes such as these that take place within the United States.
Lastly, one of my favorites was one of the other interesting topics that I am already aware of. The ethical theory of Deontology that relates back to Immanuel Kant. The meaning of theory is objectively right & wrong for me. In the short story, “What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and The American Way?”, it discusses the reasonings why many show actions that are either right or wrong. The ideals from Kant & Superman differ from the ideals of the Elites. I enjoyed this topic because I can agree with both sides of everything. I agree that you should morally do what’s right even if it may have a negative impact but, sometimes it’s okay to bend the rules. Superman sticks to what is morally right to him by helping others regardless of who or what they may have done. While the Elites think completely differently, their mindset is to defeat whoever poses as a threat to society. Whether that means killing an individual or group, then so be it. Others may deserve what they put out & that’s what makes this topic fun to discuss. The theory I can be seen as harsh, which it is at times, but I can understand the other argument.
Overall, this course has opened my mind to different ways of thinking when it comes to topics such as Confucianism, cybercrimes, & the ethical theory of Deontology. I gained a broad understanding on these central theories & issues, as well as the rest of information discussed in this course.
Case Analysis
Equifax Data Breach
Many data breaches effect individuals all around the world & some effect a particular group of people. the Equifax Data Breach affected shoppers utilizing their website, which cause a great damage in others personal information & security. While using site such as these, many people think they are so secure in terms of collecting & holding data, as they say they are. These consumers took the time to put their trust in Equifax holding information such as their SSN, DOB, personal addresses, credit card numbers, & other sensitive data, to find out their information had been compromised.
September 2017, one of the biggest credit reporting agencies in the U.S., announced that their systems had been hacked. Over 150 million compromised personal data had been in the hands of Chinese military hackers. There could have been many reasons why & how this happened, but the main reason was because Equifax security failed to do one simple task, install a software upgrade. A software upgrade can help with shunning off digital hackers & intruders from gaining sensitive information of others. As it all unfolded, Equifax did not handle the aftermath of the situation properly one of the tactical problems they did was “freeze accounts while also charging fees”, making it a bad look on the entire company. They also stated that they never had information of consumers in their system when they were contacted about their personal information. In this case analysis, I will discuss & argue how Confucianism revolves around the negative decisions that Equifax took after the information breach & why their tactics were wrong.
In the article titled “The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits” by Milton Friedman, he emphasizes the maximizing & enhancing the of profits within a business which is also why you must act like you care about social responsibilities. He makes statements to critique groups as a whole & not necessarily businesses, as though we all have certain responsibilities and duties in whichever role, we are in. In questioning back to Equifax, there is a question that comes to mind, must you choose between social & business responsibilities? Since the main goal of Equifax is to make their money, like any other company, you must be good at business to society, or the company will not last for long. While charging individuals for their services, is their way at making money, they also need to have good social responsibilities when handling data breaches such as this 2017 incident. The previous CEO of this company, who goes by the name of Richard Smith, did not handle the aftermath if the incident properly. He was too focused on his business endeavors, while missing the key social objective to make consumers happy.
After a data breach such as this one, your last thought should be to continue to charge consumers after their information has been stolen. Due to his lack of awareness within the company’s security data, this would have never happened, the responsibility should have been taken with the company. Since Confucianism reveals how people involved in a situation may react differently, Equifax should have acted accordingly & not greedily.
In the article “Changing the Social Contract”, Ashen emphasizes the need for social & economic equality. He believes that you need both concepts to advance in a business. The social progress of life is very important when considering the two or you will not be successful. As stated in the previous paragraph, Friedman essentially cares about the profit more than the social aspects. I personally believe you absolutely need both social & economic progress to keep a successful business, organization, etc. Confucianism focuses on both of these social & economic progresses.
Furthermore, the conclusion of this Equifax breach revolves around the argument of Confucianism. While Equifax showed concern over economic status, the social aspect was missing, leading to a handful of disappointed consumers; Equifax should have taken more responsibility & concern over handling this situation. The company must learn from these actions, by focusing on economic and social aspects of the company. Otherwise, there is no room for growth.