Our last module then is looking at ethics. Ethics, really important. If you think about some different industries, for example, the world of law and medicine, they've had ethical frameworks for millennia, not just hundreds of years, thousands of years. Cybersecurity; well, cybersecurity didn't really exist as a profession until the silicon chip existed. Silicon chip was created in 1959 and so cybersecurity followed on. We started to see the ethical issues becoming discussed in the 1980s, '70s, '80s, and ISC Squared helpfully as a not-for-profit professional body for the industry, for us as members created a code of ethics. Let's look at what ethics are, and also specifically at the ISC Squared Code of Ethics and why it's important. Ethics are typically a reflection of a society's beliefs. For example, a society believes that it is, maybe, wrong to kill. You see that reflected in the culture and ultimately often in law. You start to see law saying, you must not kill. If you kill somebody, you will be punished. But what's interesting is that there isn't a single idea of what is ethical globally. In some cultures, certain behaviors are accepted that may not be acceptable in others. We see this as the world globalizes, as we become more connected to each other, as different societies, travel becomes easier. We're exposed to different societies, different cultures, and different legal frameworks. What does that mean in terms of our response as an organization and as individuals? Also, what truly is ethical? Are there common things that we should and shouldn't do? Do bear in mind if you have a company that operates in different parts of the world, in different territories, a single company may cross different cultural and consequently different ethical boundaries. There are some really small things like for example, in Japan, if somebody hands you a business card, it is expected you will treat that business card with respect. In other parts of the world, the business card is treated as a piece of paper with contact details on it. It's not treated with respect, is not unethical or disrespectful to place it on a shelf or to write on it. Two different ideas of what is appropriate. What is ethical? Well, ISC Squared, were one of the first professional bodies to come up with an idea for cybersecurity of what is ethical. Just think about the legal world, legal world, medical world we said, they've had these ethical codes for millennia because they have access to high levels of information or they have positions of power. Or within cybersecurity quite often, we have elevated access to systems, to services, and so the idea of ethics is important for that reason. The ISC Squared Code of Ethics, the preamble, the start, says that the safety and welfare of society and the common good, the duty to our principles and to each other requires that we adhere to and be seen to adhere to, the highest ethical standards of behavior and strict adherence to this code, is a condition of certification. Let's just look at some of the wording here. The very first thing it introduces is important, the safety and welfare of society. What is society? It's a group of human beings. Human beings come first. Then we talk about our principles. The principle is the senior person within the company you're working for. You are responsible maybe to the chief executive, the duty to our principal. But before the principal, is your responsibility to other human beings. We have the safety and welfare of people, of society. The duty to our principals, to our employer, or particularly to that senior manager within our employer and to each other, requires that we are ethical. It says, strict adherence is a condition of certification. So if you become certified and you behave in a way that is unethical, that operates counter to that statement, that first paragraph, you can be decertified. You can lose your certification. Just as a doctor can lose their ability to operate, they can lose their medical license or a lawyer can, so we can lose our professional credentials. The ISC Squared Code of Ethics has different canons. If English isn't your first language, the word canon can mean a weapon that shoots cannonballs. But it can also mean a grouping of items, and in this context, it's talking about a grouping of items. The code of ethics groups include protecting society, the common good, necessary public trust and confidence, and the infrastructure that we act honorably, honestly, justly, responsibly, and legally, and that we provide diligent and competent service to our principles. Finally, that we advance and protect the profession. Great set of items. Again, just look that piece about human beings and society, public trust is the very first thing. Really important.
