The Code of Honor

Introduction: “Like Your Hair Is On Fire”

“The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word ‘crisis.’ One brush stroke stands for danger, the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger—but recognize the opportunity.”

– President John F. Kennedy

Dear Reader,

You may not realize it yet, but we would like to humbly suggest to you that, metaphorically speaking, your hair is on fire—or at least you should be responding to the current state of the cybersecurity industry and its impact on the world with an alarmed sense of immediate concern. We assume you have opened these pages because you are a leader with cybersecurity responsibilities, a cybersecurity practitioner, or a student preparing for a role in this industry. Or, although you may have another role, perhaps cybersecurity is quickly becoming a critical concern in your daily work. Regardless of what brought you here, we are quite sure the challenges we address in these pages are more far-reaching and urgent than you may even realize right now.

The Code of Honor is the result of a journey we began several years ago to address an expanding ethical vacuum in our industry, where critical decisions are often made without regard to their ethical implications. At the same time, the weight and financial impact of our decision-making is rapidly increasing. As you will learn in the coming pages, the crossroads of cybersecurity and ethics aren't some philosophical “pie in the sky” discussion. Cybersecurity professionals ...