Final Ethics (Revised)

           Throughout the semester, we have been exposed to an intense training on how to become ethical hackers. With the support of our two great professors, the training was full of both theory and practical sessions. What is an ethical hacker? By definition, an ethical hacker is a computer and network expert who attacks a security system on behalf of its owners, seeking vulnerabilities that a malicious hacker could exploit. To test a security system, ethical hackers use the same methods as their less principled counterparts, but report problems instead of taking advantage of them. Ethical hacking is also known as penetration testing, intrusion testing and red teaming. Today, as ethical hackers, we are asked about the sorts of moral responsibilities that come with the hacking powers we have acquired this semester. What powers have we acquired?  What responsibilities do we take on with those powers?

            First of all, let’s talk about those powers acquired. In this semester, we got to understand two main part of the exercise, which are ethics and hacking (technical). When talking hacking, we developed the skills of doing penetration testing, brutal force attacks, network sniffing, password cracking, victim exploitation, sql Injection, social engineering, DDOS Attacks (Distributed Denial Of Services), etc. With these skills, we have the power of attacking, disabling, stealing, change or destroying as well as defending information in networks and systems infrastructures.

            Secondary, the ethics part we acquired a better understanding of topics with which the ethical hacker interacts. Talking about property, a thing or things belonging to someone, an entity, or an organization. Since the ethical hacker doesn’t own a systems or a network infrastructure, he has no right to attack or still or destroy its information, unless the owner (organization) asks him to do so. How would the owner ask an ethical hacker to do a penetration testing or an sql injection, etc? There comes the term “contract”, a written agreement or commitment, especially one concerning employment, sales, or tenancy in which parties must sign, and which is intended to be enforceable by law. So when a scope is defined and agreed upon by a client or an organization and an ethical hacker, both parties are bound to this agreement or contract by showing consents. Contracts have boundaries meaning that the hacking is not supposed to do a task that doesn’t fall under the scope of the work, as well as the client have towards him.

            Finally, we learned about justice, which means doing something just, or right, or fair. As an ethical hacker, I have the power to do bad things but morally unless I’m permitted to do so, I wouldn’t do them to anyone’s property. So my responsibilities are to keep my moral and cultural values as I live in a society which has rules and regulations. My moral values are based on my personal system of honesty and integrity. Therefore I maintain a high degree of awareness to perform only the mutually negotiated items of our signed contract. In order to maintain a good relationship with customers and what is right. The culture in which I was raised has consistently stressed the importance of honesty and integrity which reinforces the way in which I would honor my professional contract with customers. Doing something which will offence someone would make me feel bad!

N.Y