From the course: Ethics in Cybersecurity

Morals, ethics, and laws

From the course: Ethics in Cybersecurity

Start my 1-month free trial Buy for my team

Morals, ethics, and laws

“

In order to understand ethics, it helps if you also understand morals and laws. Those terms morals, ethics, and laws are closely related, although each term has a distinct meaning. So how are they different? Morals are our personal rules for life. Every one of us has a mental list of things that we're okay with and things that we're not okay with, even if we never acknowledge that list out loud. For example, is it okay to log in to someone else's Netflix account without their consent? Some folks will say sure, while others, including Netflix, will say absolutely not. That choice is the reflection of an individual's morals. Ethics are those rules that a group or community agrees to follow. In cybersecurity, using someone else's credentials outside of a penetration test is generally frowned upon. Even if you think that activity is okay, the broader cybersecurity community does not. In order to be a member of that community, there's an expectation that you'll follow the agreed-upon rules. This is where laws come into play. Laws outline the penalties for violating a community's ethics. In the U.S., all 50 states have laws that include penalties for unauthorized computer access. And if you turn that illicit login activity from Netflix to someone else's online bank account, you could be violating federal law. As I present you with scenarios throughout this course, try to look at each scenario through these three lenses: Your morals, the community's ethics, and the laws that might apply to that scenario. I encourage you to consider how your personal morals will influence your actions in these situations, as well as how your understanding of the community's ethics and the applicable laws will influence the outcome.

Contents