Ethical Theories & Codes Background Template

You are to complete this worksheet for your specific selected technology as background work for the Ethical Analysis Deliverable. You will need to develop three primary ethical arguments made about the current state or situation(s) surrounding your technology. These three claims or arguments should have already been developed last week. The goal this week is to discuss what codes and/or theories supporters and non-supporters of the argument would use to make their case.

How can you concisely say the ethical case or belief?

Phishing attacks have evolved significantly since they were initially discussed in a 1987 publication. While "phishing" used to be consistently email-based and widespread Phishing initially involved posing as administrators and emailing internet users requiring them to enter login credentials. Internet users were sent instant messages asking them to confirm billing information or verify their accounts. These messages required them to enter their login credentials which were later used for malicious purposes. Phishing victims were sent messages where they were asked to click on links to verify illegitimate purchases

What theories or codes would a person that SUPPORTS this belief use?

This has probably encouraged additional hackers to use the method instead of sending emails to a large audience from a single source. On profitability, more later. People were more susceptible to personalized emails since they involved senders they were already familiar with. With personalized emails, attackers could target large corporations and gain large sums of money. People were becoming familiar with general emails and were more aware of such attacks.

What theories or codes would a person that REJECTS this belief use?

Even if you know the sender, it's typically not a good idea to click on a link in an email or instant message. Links make it easier and faster to access information from external webpages. Links direct users to external sites where they can get more detailed information. Links enable users to navigate multiple sites to explore similar and related information.

 

How can you concisely say the ethical case or belief?

The number of active phishing sites climbs consistently at specific periods of the year, according to years of research into phishing statistics. Phishing sites increased by 350% during the holidays in 2020, targeting networks and devices (Gradon, 2020). Phishing sites increase during the holidays posing as company surveys, shopping invoices, donations and discount deals. In the 2020 holiday season, the FBI received about 17,000 complaints over undelivered goods leading to losses of over $53 million. Most of these complaints were due to phishing sites.

What theories or codes would a person that SUPPORTS this belief use?

Short codes and HTTPs provide cybercriminals extra phishing options. Nowadays, a lot of trustworthy domains carry malicious content (up to a quarter of the time, according to our Threat Report). Additionally, short codes unintentionally conceal information. Short codes and HTTPs provide an easy, immediate and convenient way for users to access links and interact with various services. This encourages users to use them without paying much attention to their risks. Attackers use HTTPs that appear legitimate that encourage users to click on links to malicious malware that steal sensitive information. Many users often receive HTTPs from their colleagues and they accept them without verifying their authenticity. This makes it easy for attackers to target such users to steal sensitive information

What theories or codes would a person that REJECTS this belief use?

Nowadays, the majority of browsers allow you to download add-ons that detect the telltale characteristics of a fraudulent website or warn you about well-known phishing websites. Add-ons are unreliable since they can be ineffective against modern phishing techniques Users can download malicious third-party add-ons that collect sensitive data of their victims leading to blackmail. Add-ons collect a lot of data about their users. These add-ons can be targeted by attackers to steal sensitive information about their users.

 

How can you concisely say the ethical case or belief?

One way to deploy these tools is through security awareness training, which gives staff members the knowledge and skills they need to build a strong defense against genuine phishing assaults. Security awareness training addresses the cybersecurity mistakes that employees make to prevent data breaches. Security awareness training prevents loss of intellectual property, money and sensitive information by educating employees to avoid security breaches. Security awareness training informs employees about how add-ons can be used to detect and avoid phishing attacks.

What theories or codes would a person that SUPPORTS this belief use?

"A lot of the time, especially while working remotely, it's an instance of inattention or working amid distractions. We take action a bit too soon after receiving the notification. Working within the company premises leads to the development of standards of behavior and interaction that helps create social cohesion, cooperation and shared trust. On the other hand, when working remotely, employees don’t interact and consult, and often fail to consult before taking action. Employees working remotely lack the guidance and support of their supervisors. These employees are often reluctant to consult their supervisors and end up take action without consultation. Remote employees can receive newsletters, instructions and invoices that appear to be from their organizations. These employees can hurriedly take action as they rush to meet their deadlines.

What theories or codes would a person that REJECTS this belief use?

"A lot of the time, especially while working remotely, it's an instance of inattention or working amid distractions. We take action a bit too soon after receiving the notification. Cybersecurity awareness programs inform employees about phishing techniques and how they can be used to access sensitive information. These remote employees are aware of the phishing threats and are unlikely to open emails and click on links without verifying them. Remote employees are aware of phishing techniques and they always consult with their colleagues and superiors before taking action. Remote employees often communicate with their colleagues and superiors and are unlikely to act irrationally.

 

References

Gradoń, K. (2020). Crime in the time of the plague: Fake news pandemic and the challenges to law-enforcement and intelligence community. Society Register, 4(2), 133-148.