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Cyber Crime and Cyber Attacks

Based on the topics provided in the textbook, I chose to venture into the topic of ethics and implications of computer and network security where the focus is mainly on cyber-crime and cyber-attacks. Mainly, there are several social and ethical concerns regarding cyber-crime and cyber-attacks simply referred are cyber-ethics. In dealing with cyber ethics, some of the issues that ought to be addressed include information leakage, data corruption, spreading false information, cases of hacking as well as the use of malicious malware in cyber ethics (Bendovschi, 2015). Furthermore, it is evident that there is a continuous rise of cyber treats where actions are executed with the intention of stealing data, cause harm to data and even digital harm. Cyber-crimes and cyber-attacks majorly focus on information security matters since is very difficult to visualize how digital signals travel across communication platforms hence the need to visualize the physical cyber-attacks and cyber-crimes.

Accordingly, cyber-crimes and cyber-attacks can be understood as the attacks that are launched against digital device users through cyberspace. Cyberspace refers to a virtual space that is non-existent and is commonly used as a metaphor in understanding digital weaponry and how it is capable of harming digital device users. Moreover, the real aspect of the cyber-attack and cyber-crime is the overall intention of the attacker as well as the potential effects. It should be noted that even though some cyber-attacks are just a nuisance to users, some are relatively harmful and pose a possible human life threat to the victims (Raiyn, 2014). The threats projected from these actions are entirely a big deal since they are capable of causing several impacts. The most common types of cyber-attacks include phishing, malware, Trojan, ransomware, attacks on IoT devices, data breaches and man in the middle attacks. In that, cyber-crimes may result in electrical blackouts, failure of military equipment as well as breaches on national security secrets and may result in national jeopardy.

In understanding the concept of cyber-ethics, it is evident that the internet’s interception in the global community has a first-hand in leading hackers to exploit everything ranging from sophomoric mischiefs to theft and espionage. Some major ethical concerns in cyber-crimes and attacks focus on personal privacy, data access rights, and any malicious activity on the internet capable of causing harm. These issues are truly a bother to online users due to the fact that not effective measures have been deployed to fully curb these misdeeds. In preventing, there are partial strategies through the use of technological approaches including data encryption techniques, SSL, use of digital IDs as well as computer firewalls (Weissbrodt, 2013). Besides, within the corporate sphere, these strategies help in ensuring the organizational data security of the firm, employees, and their client's financial records as these are the major ethical and social concerns. An information security professional is then required to exhibit their ethical skills as “black-hat hackers” in preventing hackers from committing malicious cyber-attacks.

Virtue approach or virtue theory is an ethical approach that focuses on the character of an individual in developing the key element of ethical thinking instead of emphasizing on the rules governing the real actions executed and their impacts. In relation to cyber-crimes and cyber-attacks, the concept of virtue approach is crucial as it provides an insight into the causes, motives of the hackers as well as the outcomes of the attacks. Since cyberspace is one of the fast-rising concerns, virtue ethics helps create a line between cyber conflicts and conventional kinetic concerns which are gradually erased (Blanken-Webb et al., 2018). Furthermore, in employing the virtue approaches framework, it aids in gradually changing the digital community structure and security through practices that adequately create protection for the general and static cyber-attacks by all means. Therefore, the major focus of the virtue approach or ethics is on achieving specific virtues pertinent to life in the cyber-world majorly in aspects of peaceable-ness.

Overall, technological and digital advancements are developing on a daily basis across the globe and as a result, the concern of cyber-attacks and cyber-crimes is on the rise too. These malicious actions are geared towards achieving or gaining access to specific confidential details which in return can be used to exploit the company's goal and objectives. For instance, if an organization is hacked and employee details exposed, it poses a serious threat to the overall structure of the firm since the hacker is capable of diverting the main mission of the company. Cyberspace is the major platform employed in executing cyber-attacks and cyber-crimes and in curbing this, cyber ethics ought to be evaluated. Through the virtue approach, an individual will be able to evaluate their actions rather than the outcomes of the action and this significantly helps in reducing cyber-attacks and hacking concerns.

References

Bendovschi, A. (2015). Cyber-attacks–trends, patterns and security countermeasures. Procedia Economics and Finance, 28, 24-31.

Blanken-Webb, J., Palmer, I., Deshaies, S. E., Burbules, N. C., Campbell, R. H., & Bashir, M. (2018). A Case Study-based Cybersecurity Ethics Curriculum. In 2018 {USENIX} Workshop on Advances in Security Education ({ASE} 18).

Raiyn, J. (2014). A survey of cyber-attack detection strategies. International Journal of Security and Its Applications, 8(1), 247-256.

Weissbrodt, D. (2013). Cyber-conflict, Cyber-crime, and Cyber-espionage. Minn. J. Int'l L., 22, 347.