Wednesday, January 29, 2020

How Technology Advancement has influenced Computer Ethics Essay Example for Free

How Technology Advancement has influenced Computer Ethics Essay The 21st century has been dubbed †the digital age† because of the monumental achievements witnessed in the Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) fields, which have impacted every aspect of human life. The internet has become one of the most lucrative Information Technology (IT) tool which has made communication and exchange of information faster and efficient. Consequently, it has transformed how people consume information. In spite of its benefits, the internet has led to a severe decline in ethics among internet users (Salman, Saad Ali, 2013). The widespread use of internet has led to increased and sophisticated crimes, terrorism and wars (May, 2004). This essay will be based on a case involving hackers who hold Personal Computers (PC) hostage. It will outline the potential computer ethics issues associated with holding computers hostage. It will also highlight methods that computer users could use to prevent this type of attack. Moreover, it will highlight governmental legislations that could be enacted against this type of attack. Ethics is defined as the principles governing both right and wrong among free humans (free moral agents), whose actions are influenced by their freedom of choice (Soskolne, n.d). Advancement of technology presents both positive and negative impacts to a society. Technological advancements have led to a rapid decline in social and ethical issues regarding to security and privacy of personal information (Shieh Tanthuwanit, 2004). One of the major forms of social ethic violation includes hackers holding personal computers hostage, and hence infringing on both privacy and security of targeted computer users. This in turn compromises information security concerned with the protection of information confidentiality, availability  and integrity (Gordon Loeb, 2002) According to Perlroth (2014), cyber criminals have devised a new mechanism of freezing computers through malwares, and then demanding a steep ransom pay before unlocking them. Perlroth (2014) adds that computer owners throughout the world have fallen victims of this malicious attack, which denies them access to their personal computers and files stored on them. The hackers instead serve them with a â€Å"pop up† message demanding some ransom payment before their computers could be unlocked. Hackers holding computers hostage infringe on personal privacy, and gain access to sensitive information regarding online bank accounts, security passwords and other highly private information (Perlroth, 2014). Security systems and other general-purpose computers are also vulnerable to this kind of attack because, if these hackers can break into users’ accounts even from [GoDaddy] domains to create malicious subdomains through which they send mails to target clients (Perlroth, 2014), then every computer system is vulnerable to such attacks. This means that not only is the privacy of the computer users compromised, but also the security of their data and the general security of their computer systems (The Canadian Press, 2014). In order to prevent hackers from holding computers hostage, computers users should double check their domain names, user accounts or web addresses before responding to any email clicks. In line to this, Perlroth (2014) observes that: Hackers were breaking into GoDaddy users’ accounts with stolen passwords and setting up what is known as a subdomain †¦ hackers would set up the Web address†¦ then send emails to customers †¦ because it appeared to come from a trusted source – was more likely to lure clicks. Likewise also, users should either contact an IT professional to help them remove the ransomware incase infected, or they can wipe their computers clean through formatting them and reinstalling new Operating system as well (Perlroth, 2014). In addition, professional network security personnel should be consulted in order to ensure that passwords, firewalls, authentications and proxy servers among other security utilities are properly set and enhanced to fortify system security (French, 2012) Although the hunting, catching and eventual convicting of these hackers has not yet achieved substantial success (Perlroth, 2014), the government should enact privacy laws that pronounce higher penalty for perpetrators of personal privacy and security infringement so that their benefit is less in value when compared to pending punishment. Some of the active laws that have been enacted to curb this tragedy include the Computer Fraud and Abuse Acts which cover the use of malicious codes including worms, viruses, and other malicious programs intended to alter or damage data in a user’s computer (Title 18 U.S.C Section 1030). Another legislation that could counter this attack is the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act (NIIPA) which criminalizes the transmission of a command, program, or code with malicious intentions [like holding a compute hostage] (Colombell, 2002). In conclusion, when hackers hold computers hostage, they infringe on the personal privacy and security of personal information. During the period when the computers are held hostage, computer users not only risk having their sensitive information accessed and sometimes damaged, but they are also financially exploited in order to have their computers unlocked. Some of the feasible strategies of avoiding this attack include exercising a lot of care regarding the types of sites visited and clicked, and avoiding sending payments to hackers whenever a computer is hacked. Instead seek immediate assistance from a professional who will help you to manually get rid of the ransomware without paying the hackers off. References Colombell, M., R. (2002). The Legislative Response to the Evolution of Computer Viruses. 8 RICH. J.L. TECH. 18. Retrieved from http://jolt.richmond.edu/v8i3/article18.html French, A., M. (2012). A Case Study on E-Banking Security – When Security Becomes Too Sophisticated for the User to Access Their Information. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, 17(2). Gordon, L., Loeb, M. (2002). The Economics of Information Security Investment. ACM Transactions on Information and System Security, 5 (4), 438–457. May, M. (2004). Federal Computer Crime Laws. SANS Institute. Retrieved from http://www.sans.org/reading-room/whitepapers/legal/federal-computer-crime-laws-1446? Show=federal-computer-crime-laws-1446cat=legal Perlroth, N. (2014, April 22). Hackers holding your PC to ransom. Deccan Herald. Retrieved from http://www.deccanherald.com/content/297460/hackers-holding-your-pc-ransom.html. Salman, A., Saad, S., Ali, M., N. (2013). Dealing with Ethical Issues among Internet Users: Do We Need Legal Enforcement? Asian Social Science, 9(8): 3-8. Shieh, M., Tanthuwanit, K. (2004). Privacy and Security: Internet Hacking and Surveillance. Retrieved from http://www.ethicapublishing.com/CH16.pdf Title 18 U.S.C Section 1030, internet, http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/1030.html Soskolne, C., L. (n.d). Workplace Health and Safety Information: Ethical Issues. Retrieved from http://ilocis.org/documents/chpt19e.htm The Canadian Press (2014, April 14). Computer hacking expert says more bad news to come from Heartbleed. Edmonton Journal. Retrieved from

Monday, January 20, 2020

Shakespeares Macbeth and Euripedes Medea :: comparison compare contrast essays

Shakespeare's Macbeth and Euripedes' Medea  Ã‚   Shakespeare's Macbeth, and Euripedes' Medea, are both tragic plays in the classical sense. Both Medea and Macbeth lust for the unattainable, and that lust destroys them. It cannot be said which character is a truly tragic figure, because both fit the description. However, if either character deserves more sympathy it is Madea, the jilted wife, not Macbeth the King killer. Macbeth's lust for power and his willingness to please his wife leads to his downfall. He murders the children of his one time friend, and suffers the consequences of that sin. Medea murders her own children in her quest to win back her lover Jason. She does this to seek revenge, since Jason sees the children not as theirs, but as his. She also, like Macbeth seeks to kill her rival, Jason's new lover, the daughter of King Creon of Corinth and a 'real Greek'. Both Euripedes and Shakespeare use the supernatural to enhance their plays. Macbeth is influenced by the prophecy of the three witches. Madea, who is a witch he rself, is influenced by the mythological Gods of ancient Greece. Macbeth's and Medea's ambitions and lust lead to tragic conclusions in their lives. Urged by his henpecking wife, Macbeth lusts for the throne. In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is likeable, but we soon see his dark side that will lead to his tragic downfall. The play starts with Macbeth and Banquo as co-leaders of the Scottish army, are returning from battle when they meet three witches. The witches prophesy that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawder and, later, king. bodyOffer() 1. Witch. All hail, Macbeth. Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! 2. Witch. All hail, Macbeth. Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! 3. Witch. All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King here- after! (Act 1. Sc. III, lines 50-55) They tell Banquo that he will not be king himself but he will have his descendants as kings: 1. Witch. Lesser than Macbeth, and greater. 2. Witch. Not so happy, yet happier. 3. Witch. Thou shalt get Kings, though thou be none. So all hail, Macbeth and Banquo! (Act 1, SC. III lines 70-74) Here we see Macbeth's ambitions begin to appear. He begins to consider the possibility of becoming king! There is a chance that King Duncan might choose Macbeth, a cousin, as his successor, but Macbeth’s hopes are destroyed when Duncan names his son, Malcolm.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Lazy Americans

A college professor wrote an article aboyt how she thinks American student are lazy. Different people have different oppinions on this subject. Although many believe that american students are lazy and others believe they are not. I think it just depends on your background, and family life. You cant just judge someone by what they dowithout knowing where they come from. Students from different countries have great work ethics, they pay attention well in class, and do really good on their work. most of their effprt comes from relations with family. For foreign students they come to ameica to study because the education is better so their parents bring them here. Foreign students work really hard , because they came here to study and they think that its a great opportunity. But i have also met some foreign exchange students that are lazy and have really bad work ethics, and i have talked to them and they are having problems at home. Most people tink that american students are lazy, but i have met some really out going Americans. My friend Sarah Doud, she is American and she is a 3. student andshe is a hard working student. I know i kid, his name is lewis. He is a 4. 0 student and is taking way advanced classes and he is american. Those two examples i just gave are American and hard working. And they come from loving families and have loving friends. I have also met some lazy americans as well, but they come from bad families that dont care about their childs grades. There are also the middle students who are American and dont do bad, but dont do good. These students come from families who dont really care about their grades. And its mostly students whos parents travelor are rarely home because of their work. But the students know better than to let their grades slip. These students are self motivated but i dont think that is enough. I think that they need more motivation. There are many lazy students, and there are also many hard working students. I think it just depends on the students family problems if any. Sure habits are hard to break, but there is a reason in the first place why they have those habbits. American teenages need more motivation, because i dont think they get enough.