used to commit crimes and threaten cherished social values. The development of
information technology will produce benefits for many and costs for others.
Computer Ethics is a branch of practical philosophy which deals with how computing
professionals should make decisions regarding professional and social conduct. Margaret
Anne Pierce, a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computers at Georgia
Southern University has categorized the ethical decisions related to computer technology
and usage into 3 primary influences:
The individual's own personal code.
Any informal code of ethical behavior that exists in the work place.
Exposure to formal codes of ethics.
Physicians, attorneys and other professionals whose job duties affect others’ lives usually
receive, as part of their formal training, courses that address ethical issues common to their
professions. IT security personnel often have access to much 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. The education and training of IT
professionals, including security specialists, usually focuses on technical knowledge and
skills. You learn how to perform tasks, but with little consideration of how those abilities can
be misused. In fact, many IT professionals approach their work with a hacker’s perspective:
whatever you can do, you’re entitled to do.
Information systems raise new and often-perplexing security an ethical problems. This is
truer today than ever because of the challenges posed by the Internet and electronic
commerce to the protection of privacy and intellectual property. Other security and ethical
issues raised by widespread use of information systems include establishing accountability
for the consequences of information systems, setting standards to safeguard system quality
that protect the safety of individuals and society, and preserving values and institutions
considered essential to the quality of life in an information society. If organization running a
large business, it will be confronting these issues, and organization need to know how to
deal with them.
Security Management: A closer look
Information Security can only be managed properly if, on a macro level, an internationally
accepted reference framework (code of practice) is used, and if on a micro level, physical
measurements can be made. All this must be accompanied by an international information