Conduct a survey on two issues namely professional ethics and computer security.

Question

Conduct a survey on two issues namely professional ethics and computer security. Specifically, you will conduct a literature survey on the code of conducts (a.k.a. code of ethics) for IT professional and its implication on computer security (especially on the aspects related to data privacy). Once enough information has been gathered, write a 2-page summary in the ACM format (https://www.acm.org/publications/proceedings-template). This paper must include the following sections: abstract, introduction, code of ethics summary, implications of professional ethics on privacy, conclusions, and references. NO direct quotations are allowed and must be written in own words.

Explanation / Answer

Abstract:

Computer security and professional ethics presents enormous challenges to computer professionals. In addition to enhance education in security and privacy, it is important for students to have better understanding of ethics, laws, policies, regulations and responsiblity of the software development. This paper suggests the necessity of a course Law for Computer Professionals and a relevant curriculum that includes: legal aspects, ethical aspects, and professional responsibility. Professionals' legal awareness of computer security is very important because it affects every computer professional, and also brings one into contact with moral, philosophy and ethical issues.

Introduction:

It is very important to first know what is professional ethics and computer security. So starting with professional ethics ,it can be defined as a set of rules that must be followed in accordance with the organisation we are working for, being loyal with our work is one of the key aspect of professional ethics. Theses codes are established by the organisation to help professional work efficiently. In this paper we will study different code of ethics and there features. Now, coming to computer security also know as the cyber security or IT security, it can be defined as, the protection of systems from the theft or damage to their hardware, software or information, as well as from disruption or misdirection of the services they provide. Any type of damage be it software related or hardware related we must protect our systems from them It also refers to techniques for ensuring that datastored in a computer cannot be read or compromised by any individuals without authorization. Most computer security measures involve data encryption and passwords. Data encryption is the translation of data into a form that is unintelligible without a deciphering mechanism. A password is a secret word or phrase that gives a user access to a particular program or system.

Code of ethics summary:

Some of the essential points which we must follow are as follows:

Obeying applicable laws, rules and regulations: the formulated laws and rules must be followed to safegaurd the interest of the organisation.

Preventing corrupt activities: Malpractices like corruption and adulations must not be practiced within the organisation

Avoiding conflicts of interest:The interest of the employess must be the interest of the organisation there are working for and there should be any conflict between them , the bigger goal must be kept in mind.

Never engaging in Insider Trading:All trading work be it internal or external must be transparent and fully documented.

Keeping accurate and complete records: All the important transactions and records must be documented accurately and must be kept for future references also. They can be analysed at times so it is very crucial to keep these records.

Competing fairly and honestly: Honesty must be mainteained by the professional and they should work accordingly.

Respecting international trade:The respect among the customers and fellow employees must be maintained.

Driving quality:Quality of our work must be maintained , because with quality comes reliablity to our work . If we deliver a quality product we can get a very high amount to customers and a better brand value.

Practicing good corporate citizenship

Communicating on behalf of Cognizant accurately and only when authorized.

Safeguarding company and customer assets and intellectual property.

Treating Associates, Customers and Business Partners with fairness and respect.

Implications of professional ethics on privacy:

IT security personnel often have access to confidential data and knowledge about individuals' and companies' networks and systems that give them a great deal of power. That power can be abused, either deliberately or inadvertently. But there are no standardized training requirements for hanging out your shingle as an IT security consultant or in-house security specialist. Associations and organizations for IT pros are beginning to address the ethical side of the job, but again, there is no requirement for IT security personnel to belong to those organizations.

Many of the ethical issues that face IT professionals involve privacy. For example:

Should you read the private e-mail of your network users just because you can? Is it OK to read employees' e-mail as a security measure to ensure that sensitive company information isn't being disclosed? Is it OK to read employees' e-mail to ensure that company rules (for instance, against personal use of the e-mail system) aren't being violated? If you do read employees' e-mail, should you disclose that policy to them? Before or after the fact?

Remember that we're not talking about legal questions here. A company may very well have the legal right to monitor everything an employee does with its computer equipment. We're talking about the ethical aspects of having the ability to do so.

As a network administrator or security professional, you have rights and privileges that allow you to access most of the data on the systems on your network.

You may even be able to access encrypted data if you have access to the recovery agent account. What you do with those abilities depends in part on your particular job duties (for example, if monitoring employee mail is a part of your official job description) and in part on your personal ethical beliefs about these issues.

The slippery slope

A common concept in any ethics discussion is the "slippery slope." This pertains to the ease with which a person can go from doing something that doesn't really seem unethical, such as scanning employees' e-mail "just for fun," to doing things that are increasingly unethical, such as making little changes in their mail messages or diverting messages to the wrong recipient.

In looking at the list of privacy issues above, it's easy to justify each of the actions described. But it's also easy to see how each of those actions could "morph" into much less justifiable actions. For example, the information you gained from reading someone's e-mail could be used to embarrass that person, to gain a political advantage within the company, to get him/her disciplined or fired, or even for blackmail.

Conclusion:

This article has raised a lot of questions, but has not attempted to provide set answers. That's because, ultimately, the answer to the question "Is it ethical?" must be answered by each individual IT professional.

Unlike older, more established professions such as medicine and law, most ethical issues that IT and security professionals confront have not been codified into law, nor is there a standard mandatory oversight body, such as the national or state medical association or bar association, that has established a detailed code of ethics.

However, the question of ethical behavior in the IT professions is beginning to be addressed. Voluntary professional associations such as the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) have developed their own codes of ethics and professional conduct, which can serve as a guideline for individuals and other organizations.

References:

1.http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7515415/?part=1

2.http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/professional-ethics.html

3.http://www.asha.org/Practice/ethics/Code-of-Ethics-2016-Revision-Summary/

4.http://www.jsu.edu/socialwork/career/NASW_Code_of_Ethics.html

5.http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/security.html

6.https://www.computerworld.com/article/2557944/security0/ethical-issues-for-it-security-professionals.html

7.https://www.cognizant.com/company-overview/code-of-ethics

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