PHIL 355E Cybersecurity Ethics

Course Description

PHIL 355E explores ethical issues in cybersecurity, focusing on privacy, professional conduct, ethical hacking, corporate responsibility, and cyber warfare. This course provides students with a broad understanding of cyberethics and its application in real-world scenarios. By examining key ethical theories, students learn how to navigate moral dilemmas in cybersecurity operations, policy-making, and business practices.

Key Learning Objectives

✅ Understand Ethical Theories – Apply fundamental ethical frameworks such as utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics to cybersecurity issues.
✅ Analyze Privacy & Data Protection – Explore ethical concerns regarding personal data, surveillance, and digital rights.
✅ Examine Professional Ethics & Codes of Conduct – Study ethical guidelines for cybersecurity professionals, including industry standards from organizations like (ISC)² and ACM.
✅ Evaluate Ethical Hacking & Information Warfare – Differentiate between white-hat, gray-hat, and black-hat hacking while assessing ethical responsibilities in cybersecurity.
✅ Discuss Cyber Warfare & Social Responsibility – Analyze ethical implications of nation-state cyber operations, corporate social responsibility, and cyber conflicts.
✅ Resolve Ethical Dilemmas – Apply ethical reasoning to practical conflicts between security policies, business interests, and engineering ethics.

Topics & Case Studies Covered

📌 Privacy & Surveillance Ethics – Explored ethical concerns in government surveillance (e.g., NSA programs), corporate data collection, and digital privacy laws (GDPR, CCPA).
📌 Professional Ethics in Cybersecurity – Examined ethical obligations of cybersecurity professionals based on (ISC)² Code of Ethics and ACM Code of Ethics.
📌 Ethical Hacking & Penetration Testing – Discussed ethical boundaries in ethical hacking, red teaming, and bug bounty programs.
📌 Cyber Warfare & Information Warfare – Analyzed real-world nation-state cyber conflicts and the ethics of cyber operations, espionage, and cyber defense.
📌 Corporate Social Responsibility in Cybersecurity – Evaluated companies’ ethical obligations in handling customer data, security breaches, and ethical AI development.
📌 Case Study Analysis – Reviewed high-profile cybersecurity breaches (Equifax, SolarWinds, Cambridge Analytica) and their ethical implications.

Skills Acquired

🔹 Critical Ethical Analysis – Evaluating real-world cybersecurity scenarios through ethical reasoning frameworks.
🔹 Ethical Decision-Making in Cybersecurity – Applying professional codes of conduct to policy-making and security practices.
🔹 Understanding Cybersecurity Laws & Regulations – Examining the ethical implications of data privacy laws, cybersecurity policies, and surveillance programs.
🔹 Navigating Cybersecurity Conflicts – Resolving conflicts between security enforcement, business interests, and individual rights.

Personal Reflection

This course deepened my understanding of the ethical responsibilities of cybersecurity professionals. By exploring privacy issues, ethical hacking, and cyber warfare, I developed a strong foundation in ethical decision-making and professional accountability. The ability to apply ethical frameworks to real-world cybersecurity dilemmas is crucial in my career as a cybersecurity analyst, where balancing security, privacy, and ethical considerations is essential.