Ethics
Introduction
Ethics is defined as ’the discipline dealing with what is good and bad
and with moral duty and obligation’. More simply, one could say it is
the study of what is right to do in a given situation. In the next
paragraph we will highlight why we see ethical hacking - or
performing a security assessment - on one’s own systems, as ’the right
thing to do’, i.e. as an essential part of good security practice.
However, it is interesting to have a closer look first at some of the
motivations (excuses) often put forward by hackers who try to gain
unauthorized access to someone else’s systems. Computer burglars
often present the following reasons in an attempt to rationalize their
activities as morally justified:
The Hacker Ethic
Argument
Many hackers argue they follow an ethic that guides their behavior and
justifies their break-ins. They state that all information should be free,
and hence there is no such thing as intellectual property, and no need
for security.
Counterargument
If all information should be free, privacy is no longer possible.
Additionally, our society is based on information whose accuracy must
be assured, hence free and unrestricted access to such information is
out of the question. Also, information is often collected and developed
at great expense.
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