97 Things Every Information Security Professional Should Know

Chapter 58. Priorities and Ethics/Morality

Michael Weber

Be sure to protect yourself. There have been great ethical hackers that have toed the line and landed in some deep life-destroying trouble from various institutions. Legal and civil penalties have been levied against many notable individuals with one that always comes to mind: Aaron Swartz. If you do not know the case, look it up. Aaron is just one individual on a long list that dates back all the way to phone phreaking that tried to change the world, and got caught. Intellectual property law, various cybercrime initiatives, and national security laws have made much of what InfoSec people do two sides of the very same coin. You always hear black hat, white hat, or even the notorious gray hat, but I am here to tell you that there is more at risk to us than you may think.

InfoSec is just one field that is attacked on a daily basis, and if you ever get to find one of those “great security vulnerabilities” in some large corporation, you will understand what I mean. To an entity like that, the law is more important than the security. They could sit on that vulnerability forever. Make note of the folks that publish without regard; you may see their talks suppressed, their travel restricted, and their lives ruined. I highlight this issue as a legitimate warning to those who participate. I also mention this because anonymity is ...