Unit 7

IMPLEMENTING IT:
ETHICS, IMPACTS,
AND SECURITY
What is ethical issues?
Point out the types of ethical issues
What do you mean by Intellectual property?
What are the impact of IT on jobs?
What is Trade secret?
What is Patent?
What is Copyright?
Find the meaning of Electronic Surveillance
Explain the role of intellectual property in
providing strength to the organization
Explain the influence of Information
Technology on jobs and organization.
What are the threats to IT and how it can be
Ethical Issues
Ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals
with what is considered to be right and
wrong.
The spread of IT has created many new
ethical situation. For example, the issue of
a company legally monitoring employees
email is very controversial.
 Framework for Ethics
The diversity of IT applications and the increased
use of the technology have created a variety of
ethical issues. An attempt to organize these issues
into a framework was undertaken by R.O. Mason and
other who categorized ethical issues into four kinds
which are as mentioned below:
a)Privacy issues: Collection, Storage, and
dissemination of information about individuals.
b)Accuracy issues: Authenticity (genuine),
faithfulness and accuracy of information collected
and processed.
c)Property issues: Ownership and value of
information (intellectual property)
d)Accessible issue: Right to access information and
payment
Issues
 Protecting Privacy
Electronic Surveillance: For e.g. millions of
computers are being monitored, most
without their knowledge. Employee have
very limited protection against employer’s
surveillance.
Personal information in database: For
e.g. Personal information are stored at
different places such as banks, cable TV,
Telephone, School and Universities etc
How secure are the data against access
by unauthorized people?
Protecting Privacy
Information on internet bulletin boards
and newsgroups: such as chat rooms, both
on the internet and within corporate intranet.
The problem highlights the conflict among
freedom of speech, privacy.
Protecting Intellectual
Property
Intellectual property is the intangible property
created by individuals or corporations which is
protected under trade secret, patent and copyright
laws.
1) Trade Secret:
Meaning: A trade secret is confidential information
that provides a business with a competitive
advantage. It can include formulas, processes,
designs, or any other information that is kept secret
to give a company an edge over its competitors.
Example: The recipe for a famous soft drink, like
Coca-Cola, is a trade secret. Coca-Cola keeps its
formula confidential, and this secrecy is a crucial
part of its competitive advantage.
2) Patent:
Meaning: A patent is a legal right granted by
the government that gives an inventor exclusive
rights to their invention for a certain period. It
protects the invention from being made, used,
or sold by others without permission.
Example: If someone invents a new and unique
type of smartphone technology, they can apply
for a patent. If granted, this patent would give
them the exclusive right to make, use, and sell
that technology for a specified time.
Copyright:
Meaning: Copyright is a legal protection
granted to the creators of original works,
such as books, music, or artwork. It gives the
creator the exclusive right to reproduce,
distribute, and display their work.
Example: An author writes a novel and
automatically holds the copyright to that
work. This means only the author has the
right to publish, distribute, and sell copies of
the novel. Others would need permission to
use or reproduce it.
 Impact of IT on Organization
Flattered Organizations hierarchy: Flattered
organization hierarchy will result from reduction in
the total number of employees, reengineering of
business processes, increased productivity of
employees and the ability of lower-level employees
to perform higher level jobs with the support of
Information system.
Changes in Supervision: The fact that an
employees work is performed online and stored
electronically introduces the possibility for greater
electronic supervision.
Power and Status: Expert systems may reduce the
power of certain professional groups who were
struggling over who will control the computers, the
 Impact of IT on Jobs
Job content: Job content is related to
organizational structure, employee
satisfaction , compensation and productivity.
Changes in job content will require higher
levels of computing literacy from workers and
need for training.
Impact on functional area: like marketing,
human resource, account and distribution
department.
The managers Job: Managers can better
decision with quick and qualitative information
Threats to Information Systems
1)System Vulnerability:
Unintentional threats: Can be categorized into
human errors, environmental hazards and
computer system failure.
Intentional threats: theft of data, inappropriate
use of data, theft of equipments and programs,
destruction from viruses.
2) Computer Crime
Computers might be stolen, or a virus may
destroy the data, false data is entered into the
computer, Computer may be used to plan a crime.
Protecting IT
1) Malware:
 Threat: Malicious software designed to harm or exploit
computer systems.
 Protection: Use antivirus programs and keep them updated.
Regularly scan for malware.
 Example: A user unknowingly downloads a file containing
ransomware, which encrypts their files and demands payment
for their release.
2) Phishing Attacks:
 Threat: Deceptive attempts to trick individuals into revealing
sensitive information.
 Protection: Implement email filtering, educate users about
phishing signs, and use multi-factor authentication.
 Example: Employees receive emails appearing to be from a
trusted source, asking them to click on a link and enter their
login credentials.
Protecting IT
3) Data Breaches:
Threat: Unauthorized access to sensitive data,
leading to exposure or theft.
Protection: Encrypt sensitive data, enforce access
controls, and regularly audit and monitor data access.
Example: Hackers gain access to a database
containing customer information, resulting in the
compromise of personal details.
4) Insider Threats:
Threat: Misuse of internal access by employees or
contractors.
Protection: Implement strict access controls,
conduct background checks, and monitor user
activities.
Example: An employee with access to sensitive data
intentionally leaks confidential information.
 Protecting IT
5) Man-in-the-Middle Attacks:
Threat: Intercepting and potentially altering
communication between two parties.
Protection: Use encryption for communication (e.g.,
HTTPS), implement secure communication protocols.
Example: An attacker capture unencrypted Wi-Fi
traffic and captures sensitive information exchanged
between a user and a website.
6) Social Engineering Attacks:
 Threat: Manipulating individuals into divulging
confidential information.
 Protection: Train employees to be cautious, establish
clear communication protocols.
 Example: An attacker poses as an IT support
technician over the phone, convincing an employee to
reveal their login credentials.
Protecting IT
7) Weak Authentication:
 Threat: Inadequate password policies or weak
authentication mechanisms.
 Protection: Enforce strong password policies,
implement multi-factor authentication.
 Example: A user's weak password is easily
guessed, allowing unauthorized access to their
account.
8) Physical Security Threats:
 Threat: Theft, damage, or unauthorized access to
physical IT assets.
 Protection: Secure physical access points, use
surveillance cameras, and employ environmental
controls.
 Example: A thief breaks into an office and steals
servers containing critical data.
THANK YOU