Cyberattacks have had effects that have no regard for regional boundaries. Companies have heavily invested in internet platforms to carry out their operations. The majority of institutions previously gave system security little thought. As the threat became real, government agencies' operations have been halted due to cyber-attacks. Members of society have also been victims of the same. The morals of children are being corrupted due to the constant use internet devices. Surprisingly malicious individuals who carry out these attacks do not care. Active governments have also encountered barriers in arresting and charging individuals carrying out cybercrime activities.
Global Cyber Attacks and Ethics
Introduction
Cyber-attacks affect both individuals and institutions. Technology frequently advances with the goal of enhancing how people connect on a personal level across different regions of the globe. It has also made it possible for parties to do commercial activities regardless of their geographical locations. The Costs of travel have also been mitigated by allowing consumers to contact service providers and get immediate feedback. However, attackers have also actively played a role in frustrating these efforts. They consistently develop innovative ways of cracking into systems and take advantage of vulnerability gaps. The impact of these attacks can be financial, personal, emotional, or professional. Its global effect runs from businesses, societal background, and judicial systems in addition to posing an ethical dilemma.
Background
Cyber attackers have existed since the technology was invented. The media had not given much airtime to them in past times. Over time, the number of attempts has increased. More attacks have forced the media to cover articles on cyber-attacks. Businesses and individuals across the world cannot secure immunity from attacks. Government agencies are vulnerable as well. Thus, research needs to be done on a global scale to get a more in-depth understanding.
Impact on Business
A significant amount of money is lost through cyber-crime (Nykodym, Taylor, & Vilela, 2005). The foundation of a business is built on mutual trust between the firm and its consumers, employees, and suppliers. Customers are the most critical of them all. Technology has traditionally facilitated an electronic form of trade. Consumers can receive their confinement at their convenience. Payments are also made electronically. However, increased cyber-attacks on the platforms that made business transactions efficient has significantly affected e-commerce.
Financial
Corporate information is a highly private asset of a business. It contains secrets that define the successes of the firm. During cyber-attacks, the malicious individual may get access to this critical data. Depending on their intentions, they may use it for their gain. If sold to the corporate’s competitors and handled accordingly, they may acquire product advantage. That may result in a decrease in sales made by the business that has been a victim of the cyber-attack. Financial information in custody of an enemy is indeed risky. Vulnerability exposes details such as that of the bank. That poses a risk to the financial instruments of the business. If the efforts are not detected early, a firm could lose amounts of money which may be demanding to recover. Ultimately, it may result in a downfall of the company.
Online trading encounters disruptions in the instance of an attack. All users that transact using this platform encounter an absolute blackout until the problem is fixed. When that happens, the corporate lose out on significant business contracts and deals. In extreme cases, some customers will opt to work with competitors during that period. Thus, revenue is lost. Increased overheads are incurred in recovering the systems that have been damaged. For a business to operate at its optimal margin and maximize productivity, costs need to be at a minimum. Therefore, an additional expense to fix everything is a liability for the firm.
Reputational
Stakeholders desire to work with a firm that has a good name. That comes through a relationship that is built on the reliability of services. When cyber-attack takes place, online consumers miss out. The trust they put on the firm is therefore compromised. Malicious people may spread negative news regarding the business’ operations. Losses incurred in the occasion that money is stolen can shake the belief of investors and partners to the business. Its reputation as an excellent commercial partner can be erased by such an incident. It is probable that shareholders can develop a strategy for withdrawing their investments from the firm.
Legal
Data Protection Acts in France, Sweden, Canada, and the United States demands firms or individual to strive in the management of all data that is in their possession (Flaherty, 1989). Stakeholders that transact with a company always leave confidential information in their custody. They have a legal obligation to safeguard it. In the event of a cyber-crime, that is jeopardized. It is viewed as reluctance on the part of the organization to reinforce the requisite measures to prevent a cyber-attack.
Impact on Countries
In May, operations in essential systems in Europe and the United States were disrupted by a cyber-attack (Sahi, n.d.).
Transport, health, and communication were among the sectors affected. It is believed that the hackers recognized a loophole present in the Microsoft Windows Software in old machines. Countries may try to gain a similar advantage as others. Thus, they could use technology platforms to access critical data regarding the military and commercial undertakings. Networks have grown to intertwine. Access is not limited to any specific geographical location. Therefore, the risk is increased.
Earlier, the US president had accented an order that required government bodies to upgrade their mechanisms of protection against cyber-attacks. Most corporates in the United States recognize the consequences due to the legislation that obligates them to protect data in their possession. In the justice system in the United States, an individual is required to demonstrate the attacker’s interference before prosecution; in accordance with the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (Kerr, 2009).
Different legal and political policies, taken up in various countries, breed uncertainty in advancement in protection technology. The demand for insurance against cyber-attacks is high across the globe yet the availability of the service is limited. Hackers are always trying to advance their hacking skills, whereas the security experts attempt to prevent that.
Impact on Society
Cyber-crimes have affected the norms of society. It has exposed children to adult content that interfere with their growing up. In extreme cases, teenagers have been made to question their worth and self-image. In countries experiencing ethnic animosity, attackers utilize anonymity to spread hateful scripts. Middle-class parents are rarely present to monitor what young people are doing online, which increases the impact further.
Deceptions
Identity theft is used in committing fraud. Information acquired inappropriately is often used to impersonate an individual. Thus, the fraudster accesses privileges accorded to a person. Signatures can be forged to authorize the transfer of funds.
Violence
Trolling has become common on social media. Teenagers are more vulnerable to these attacks. As they attempt to find validation and fit in, cyber abuse is the most unfortunate thing that can happen to them. The impact is almost impossible to fix. Attackers often use false accounts to mock their weight or appearance, something that takes a significant toll on them.
Pornography
Malicious individuals utilize the internet to share pornographic content without being cautious of its audience. It is typical of young people to experiment with the things they see. As a result, that may increase teenage pregnancies and diseases spread through intimate contact.
Trespass
Spam messages sent to people’s emails destroy data in the host’s computer. Individuals end up losing useful documents mainly if there was no back-up of the same. Attackers could also get into systems of businesses and deny all forms of access. At times, useful information could be altered. That eventually affects operations especially if it goes undetected.
Impact on Global Judicial Systems
Human beings tend to violate limitations. For that reason, laws are critical aspects of every innovation. In technology as well, cybercriminals have are smart individuals that find ways of encroaching into people’s spaces anonymously. Their skills keep getting better, as security experts work to stay ahead. The law serves to punish and discourage cyber-attacks. Experts trained in detective, forensic, and technical skills are required to catch attackers. Under-staffing is an issue of concern since the number of cases keeps increasing.
The lack of homogeneity in the laws that concern cyber-crime is frustrating to judicial systems. Corrupt practices in some countries also frustrate efforts to charge cybercriminals who are protected by rogue administrations. Unlike in the United States, cybercriminals enjoy immunity in East Europe and Asia Pac regions (Broadhurst, 2006).
Ethical Approach to cybercrime
Duty-based Theory
It requires individuals to act based on their instinct of their action being right. It does not respect the eventual result of what the person did as long as the act was good. This theory does not consider the consequences of the deed. Based on this theory, it is ethically wrong to invade into people’s privacy. There are cases where attackers get into sites of organizations that are carrying out activities that feel morally wrong to them. Despite the actions of the firm being immoral, they still have a right to privacy. Irrespective of the intention, the deed in itself is wrong. That makes cyber-attacks unacceptable.
Consequence-based Theory
A deed’s outcome shapes the judgment of the act. The action is justified by the results that it produced. Though what was done may appear wrong, it will not matter if it worked to help them save more people than it destroyed. The consequence of cyber-attacks is never good. Individuals and businesses lose money in the event. Critical information is lost or misused. Teenagers are made to question their self-worth. The only people that gain from these acts are security firms and insurance. The good is insignificant compared to the harm inflicted (Dittrich, Bailey & Dietrich, 2011). Therefore, this theory rules cyber-attacks to be morally wrong.
Conclusion
Cyber-attacks are a menace that needs global attention. It is an existent threat that is wrong given an ethical analysis. Corporates suffer financially and legally, thus risking collapse. Children are exposed to vulgarity, which questions the quality of leaders that will be created out of them. Attackers present the security industry the task of literary keeping tabs with their intelligence. The United States has been keen on these activities expressed by protective legislation and efforts towards prosecution. However, police in other regions like East Europe have not been aggressive enough. A lack of unison in international laws is a frustration in attempts to punish cyber-attackers.
References
Nykodym, N., Taylor, R., & Vilela, J. (2005). Criminal profiling and insider cybercrime. Digital Investigation, 2(4), 261-267.
Flaherty, D. H. (1989). Protecting privacy in surveillance societies (pg. 306). Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
Sahi, S. K. (n.d.). A Study of WannaCry Ransomware Attack.
Kerr, O. S. (2009). Vagueness Challenges to the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
Broadhurst, R. (2006). Developments in the global law enforcement of cyber-crime. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 29(3), 408-433.
Dittrich, D., Bailey, M., & Dietrich, S. (2011). Building an active computer security ethics community. IEEE Security & Privacy, 9(4), 32-40.
