Chapter 12: Societal and Ethical Issues in Computer Systems

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Chapter 12 Societal and Ethical Issues in
Computer Systems

• Succeeding with Technology Computer System
  Concepts for Real Life

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Objectives

• Describe how a computer system can be used as a
  tool to commit a crime or be the object of a
  crime and what can be done to prevent computer
  crime
• Discuss privacy issues and describe how to avoid
  invasion of privacy
• List health and job issues that could have an
  impact on you and others
• Define and discuss ethical issues in computer
  systems
• List common computer-related waste and mistakes,
  describe how they can be avoided, and describe
  how computers can be used to help resolve social
  issues

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Computer Crime

• The unauthorized use, access, modification, and
  destruction of hardware, software, data, or
  network resources
• The unauthorized release of information
• The unauthorized copying of software
• Denying an end user access to his or her own
  hardware, software, data, or network resources
• Using or conspiring to use computer or network
  resources illegally to obtain information or
  tangible property

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How large companies protect themselves from
cybercrime
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Hackers versus Crackers

• Hackers sole aim is to break into secure systems.
  Also used to describe a person who a lot of time
  learning and using computers.
• Crackers refer to individuals who gain
  unauthorized access to computer systems for the
  purpose of stealing and corrupting data (criminal
  hacker).

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Worms

• A worm is a piece of software that uses computer
  networks and security flaws to create copies of
  itself by scanning the network for any other
  machine that has a specific security flaw.
• Worms do NOT attach to other programs, but act as
  a free agent
• Worms replicate themselves to the new machine
  using the security flaw, and then starts
  replicating.
• Famous Worms - Melissa, ILoveYou, Mydoom
• it is estimated by experts that the Mydoom worm
  infected a quarter-million computers in a single
  day in January of 2004.

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Virus

• Virus - a program designed to reproduce itself
  and spread from one computer to another, almost
  like a human virus that affects other people
  around you. It can destroy data, display a nasty
  or silly message, or disrupt computer operations.
  
• Usually executable files, not the data files,
• When the program is run, the computer also runs
  the virus, which in turn gives the computer the
  payload.
• This payload is the set course or final mission
  of the virus. It attaches to the executable files
  because the code has to be executed to be spread.
  
• Trojan Horse , Time Bomb, Logic Bombs, Worm
• Virus detection program -checking the original
  length of the program against the program each
  time the computer boots up. Most virsuses attach
  themselves to the ends of programs, so if the
  program is larger, then a virsus is suspected.

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Computer Crime

• Phishing - An e-mail scam is a fraudulent e-mail
  that appears to be from a legitimate Internet
  address with a justifiable request usually to
  verify your personal information or account
  details.
• Sniffer - program and/or device that monitors
  data traveling over a network.
• IP- Spoofing In, involves trickery that makes a
  message appear as if it came from an authorized
  IP address.
• E-mail Spoofing - Forging an e-mail header to
  make it appear as if it came from somewhere or
  someone other than the actual source.

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Computer Crime

• Denial of Service - designed to bring the network
  to its knees by flooding it with useless traffic
• Buffer Overflow - attacks wherein data with
  instructions to corrupt a system are purposely
  written into a file in full knowledge that the
  data will overflow a buffer and release the
  instructions into the computers instructions.
• Social Engineering gaining access to computer
  systems by talking unsuspecting employees out of
  valuable information such as passwords
• Dumpster Diving sifting through a companys
  garbage to find information to help break into
  their computers

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Computer Crime (cont.)

• Software, Music, and Movie Theft Intellectual
  Property Rights
• Electronic Plagiarism
• Electronic Libel
• Denial-of-Service Attack

• Scams and Fraud
• Identity Theft
• Equipment Theft
• Time and Supplies Theft

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Preventing Virus and Worm Attacks

• Ways to protect against virusand worm attacks
• Use a Firewall
• Use Virus Scanning Software
• Implement a Known Source Policy
• Verify E-mail Attachments
• Keep a Backup of Software and Data
• Have a Rescue Disk

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Preventing Computer-Related Crime

• Ways to prevent unauthorized access to computer
  systems
• Using Technology to Fight Computer Crime
• Finger Print Scanners
• Face Recognition
• Voice Recognition

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Privacy Issues

• Privacy
• Employee monitoring
• E-mail

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Privacy (Cont.) www.ussearch.com/

• Ways that information about you is obtained
• You willingly give information to others
• You buy products and services
• You interact with the federal government and
  state agencies
• You use the Internet Cookies
• You use the Internet Spyware and adware

• Laws that have an impact on privacy
• The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
• The Privacy Act
• The Tax Reform Act (TRA)
• The Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Act
• The Right to Financial Privacy Act
• The Freedom of Information Act
• The Patriot Act

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Fairness in Information Use

• Issues that should be addressed
• Knowledge
• Control
• Notice
• Consent

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Issues in the Work Environment

• Health Concerns and Issues
• Repetitive stress injury (RSI)
• Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS)
• Mental-Health and Related Problems
• Gambling
• Information Overload and Stress
• Internet Addiction and Isolation
• Avoiding Health and Related Problems
• Work stressors
• Ergonomics
• Computer systems

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Job Concerns

• Job issues
• Job loss
• Outsourcing
• Transferring jobs to overseas companies
• Importing workers from other countries

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Ethical Business Issues Categories
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Corporate Social Responsibility Theories

• Stockholder Theory
• Managers are agents of the stockholders
• Their only ethical responsibility is to increase
  the profits of the business
• Without violating the law or engaging in
  fraudulent practices
• Social Contract Theory
• Companies have ethical responsibilities to all
  members of society
• Which allow corporations to exist based on a
  social contract

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Corporate Social Responsibility Theories

• Stakeholder Theory
• Managers have an ethical responsibility to manage
  a firm for the benefit of all its stakeholders
• Stakeholders are all individuals and groups that
  have a stake in, or claim on, a company

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Principles of Technology Ethics

• Proportionality the good achieved by the
  technology must outweigh the harm or risk
• Informed Consent those affected by the
  technology should understand and accept the risks
• Justice the benefits and burdens of the
  technology should be distributed fairly
• Minimized Risk even if judged acceptable by the
  other three guidelines, the technology must be
  implemented so as to avoid all unnecessary risk

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Responsible Professional Guidelines

• Business professionals have a responsibility to
  promote ethical uses of information technology in
  the workplace.
• Acting with integrity
• Increasing your professional competence
• Setting high standards of personal performance
• Accepting responsibility for your work
• Advancing the health, privacy, and general
  welfare of the public

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Computer Waste

• Ways to curb spam
• Computer-related Waste and Mistakes

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Other Societal and Ethical Issues

• Illegal or offensive activities on the Internet
• Pornography
• Hate material
• Instructions on how to commit terrorism
• Childrens Internet Protection Act
• Requires organizations that receive federal funds
  to
• Protect children from obscene material on the
  Internet

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Summary

• Computers
• Used as tools to commit crimes
• Can be the object of crime
• Crimes that have occurred with computer systems
• Data and information theft, identity theft
• Privacy issues
• Center around the collection and use or misuse of
  stored data
• Four key issues regarding privacy
• Knowledge, control, notice, and consent

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Summary (Continued)

• Fears and health concerns in todays work
  environment
• Job insecurity, loss of control, repetitive
  motion disorder
• In most organizations ethics are a concern
• Computer waste and mistakes
• Major causes of computer problems
• To avoid spam
• Know the source of Internet sites you visit
• Do not give away your e-mail address