Security, Software, and Ethics Essay -- Software Computers Ethics Mora

Security, Softw atomic number 18, and EthicsIntroductionEvery day, we use computing device parcel to perform everyday tasks. These can range from sending e-mail, balancing your checkbook, vane browsing, shopping and much more. Most people dont stop to think nigh the security of the bundle system that we use on a daily basis. Users are more concerned about getting their work done, and security is particular more than an after(prenominal)thought.Security is a very important and often overlooked aspect of software development. Security is used to authenticate users, manage coming to resources, and to ensure that data hasnt been compromised. Recent events such as the Sasser, SQL Server, Blaster and Nimda worms provoke been devastating throughout the world. Theyve cost companies and everyday people billions of dollars worth of osseous time, money and productivity. In some cases, data gets corrupted, modified or deleted. Businesses are unable to function normally, which can res ult in heavy financial losses.Some of these worms are still taking over computers to this day, long after patches have been readily available to fix the problem. Security professionals have been intercourse computer users to patch their systems and keep them up to date, but it their words arent creation listened to in spite of their warnings. Why is this scenario constantly being repeated? Whos amenable for ensuring that software we use is secure?I feel that software companies and software engineers are ethically responsible for making sure that their software is secure. Were adequate more dependent on computer software, which makes us more vulnerable to virus attacks from a security bug in a widely used piece of software. They must be able to ensure that our software is more secu... ...3 Peter Mell and Miles C. Tracy, Procedures for Handling Security Patches, National Institute of Standards and Technology, rarified 2002http//www.csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-40/sp 800-40.pdfSuggested resourcesSANS Institute - Computer security web site, with information about computer security traininghttp//www.sans.orgSANS Institute Reading Room - Articles on a variety of security topicshttp//www.sans.org/rr Security Focus - Web site with news and analysis of security issueshttp//www.securityfocus.comThe Register - Web site with IT-related newshttp//www.theregister.co.uk package Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon Universityhttp//www.sei.cmu.edu/National Institute for Science and Technologyhttp//www.nist.govThe CERT Coordination Center - A reporting center for Internet securityhttp//www.cert.org