FILDIS CHAP 4

• Information Technology


  Components used to store, fetch and manipulate information at the minimum level with the server having an operating system
• Information Technology has a wide area of applications in education, business, health, industries, banking sector and scientific research
• With the leading advancement in information technology, it is necessary to have the knowledge of security issues, privacy issues and main negative impacts of IT
• Major ethical issues faced by Information Technology (IT)

  • Personal Privacy
  • Access Right
  • Harmful Actions
  • Patents
  • Copyright
  • Trade Secrets
  • Liability
  • Piracy
• Personal Privacy


  The right to be let alone, or freedom from interference or intrusion. Information privacy is the right to have some control over how your personal information is collected and used
• Privacy helps us establish boundaries to limit who has access to our bodies, places and things, as well as our communications and our information
• Due to the distribution of the network on a large scale, data or information transfer in a big amount takes place which leads to the hidden chances of disclosing information and violating the privacy of any individuals or a group
• Access Right


  The permissions that are granted to a user, or to an application, to read, write and erase files in the computer
• Access right becomes a high priority issue for the IT and cyberspace with the great advancement in technology
• Harmful Actions


  Any fraud, theft, dishonesty, defamation, or other willful misconduct of any party, or any party's officers, employees, directors or agents
• Harmful actions in the computer ethics refers to the damage or negative consequences to the IT such as loss of important information, loss of property, loss of ownership, destruction of property and undesirable substantial impacts
• This principle of ethical conduct restricts any outsiders from the use of information technology in manner which leads to any loss to any of the users, employees, employers and the general public
• Patents


  The granting of a property right by a sovereign authority to an inventor. This grant provides the inventor exclusive rights to the patented process, design, or invention for a designated period in exchange for a comprehensive disclosure of the invention
• Obtaining a patent is very difficult as compared with obtaining a copyright. A thorough disclosure is required with the software. The patent holder has to reveal the full details of a program to a proficient programmer for building a program
• Copyright


  A collection of rights that automatically vest to someone who creates an original work of authorship like a literary work, song, movie or software
• Copyright law works as a very powerful legal tool in protecting computer software, both before a security breach and surely after a security breach
• Trade Secrets


  Technical information, such as information concerning manufacturing processes, pharmaceutical test data, designs and drawings of computer programs, and commercial information, such as distribution methods, list of suppliers and clients, and advertising strategies
• Once disclosed, trade secret is lost as such and is only protected by the law for trade secrets
• The application of trade secret law is very broad in the computer range, where even a slight head start in the advancement of software or hardware can provide a significant competitive influence
• Liability


  Software developer makes promises and assertions to the user about the nature and quality of the product that can be restricted as an express warranty
• Piracy


  The unauthorized duplication of copyrighted content that is then sold at substant
• Piracy is an activity in which the creation of illegal copy of the software is made
• As laws made for copyright protection are evolving, also legislation that would stop unauthorized duplication of software is in consideration
• Most important ethical issues in technology

  • Misuse of Personal Information
  • Misinformation and Deep Fakes
  • Lack of Oversight and Acceptance of Responsibility
  • Use of Artificial Intelligence
  • Autonomous Technology
• Ethical practices in technology

  Ensuring there is a moral relationship that exists between technology and users
• Ethical practices in technology

  • Respect for Employees and Customers
  • Moral Use of Data and Resources
  • Responsible Adoption of Disruptive Tech
  • Create a Culture of Responsibility
  • Emerging ethical dilemmas in science and technology
  • Ethical decisions in technology should not be taken lightly
• Information security threats


  • Insider Threats
  • Viruses and Worms
  • BOTNETS
  • Distributed denial-of services (DDoS) attacks
  • Phishing attacks
  • Ransomware
  • Exploit Kits
  • Advanced Persistent Threat Attacks
  • Malvertising
• Insider Threats


  • Careless employees who don't comply with their organizations' business rules and policies
  • Some insiders intentionally bypass security measures out of convenience or ill-considered attempts to become more productive
• Viruses and Worms


  • A computer virus is a malicious code that replicates by copying itself to another program, system or host file
  • A computer worm is a self-replicating program that doesn't have to copy itself to a host program or require human interaction to spread
• BOTNETS


  • A botnet is a collection of Internet-connected devices, including PCs, mobile devices, servers and IoT devices that are infected and remotely controlled by a common type of malware
  • The threat actors -- often cybercriminals -- that control these botnets use them to send email spam, engage in click fraud campaigns and generate malicious traffic for distributed denial-of-service attacks
• Distributed denial-of service (DDoS) attacks

  • DDoS attacks aim to make an online service unavailable by overwhelming it with traffic from multiple sources
• How to prevent insider threats

  1. Limit employees' access to only the specific resources they need

  2. Train new employees and contractors on security awareness

  3. Set up contractors and other freelancers with temporary accounts

  4. Implement two-factor authentication

  5. Install employee monitoring software
• How to prevent viruses and worms

  1. Install antivirus and antimalware software and keep it up to date

  2. Train users not to download attachments or click on links in emails from unknown senders

  3. Users should be cautious when using P2P file sharing services and avoid clicking on ads
• How to prevent BOTNETS

  1. Monitor network performance and activity to detect any irregular network behavior

  2. Keep the operating system up to date

  3. Keep all software up-to-date and install any necessary security patches

  4. Educate users not to engage in any activity that puts the risk of bot infections or other malware

  5. Implement antibotnet tools that find and block bot viruses
• Threat actor creating a botnet

  • Infect as many connected devices as possible
  • Use the computing power and resources of those devices for automated tasks
  • Tasks remain hidden to the users of the devices
• Threat actors


  Often cybercriminals that control botnets
• How threat actors use botnets

  1. Send email spam

  2. Engage in click fraud campaigns

  3. Generate malicious traffic for distributed denial-of-service attacks
• Steps to prevent botnet infections

  1. Monitor network performance and activity to detect any irregular network behavior

  2. Keep the operating system up to date

  3. Keep all software up-to-date and install any necessary security patches

  4. Educate users not to engage in any activity that puts the risk of bot infections or other malware

  5. Implement antibotnet tools that find and block bot viruses
• Most firewalls and antivirus software include tools to detect, prevent and remove botnets
• Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack

  Multiple compromised machines attack a target, such as a server, website or other network resource, making the target totally inoperable