International Journal of Ethics and Society (Jul 2024)
Explaining the Hacking of Society\'s Information Systems from the Point of View of Ethical Theories
Abstract
Introduction: One of the important topics in the field of information technology is hacking the information systems of societies, that is, finding the security weaknesses of a system to penetrate and access its information. which can be done with various motivations, such as measuring penetration, finding system flaws, curiosity, causing disturbance, breaking the security of systems and harming them, personal gain, and so on. Hacking information systems will have favorable or unfavorable consequences for communities and citizens. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to explain the validity or moral impropriety of this act based on three important moral theories of consequentialism, deontologism, and virtuism. Material and Methods: This research was carried out using a descriptive analytical method based on library sources. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, it can be said: from the point of view of utilitarianism, the greater the amount of social benefit from the action of the influencers, the more ethical their action is, and the more harmful it is to the society, the more unethical their action is. Ethical values such as trustworthiness, not prying into the privacy of others, not harming people, maintaining human dignity, protecting public interests, are among the ethical rules governing the act of hacking. And the benevolent motives of hackers only when they are compatible with these moral rules, is the moral justification of their action from the perspective of rule-oriented duty-bearers. The specific personal, social, cultural and economic conditions of the hacker are effective in the moral judgment of his actions from the perspective of practical duty-oriented people. In the end, it should be said: Knowing the ethical behavior of hackers and its effect on their actions is the main condition for the ethical evaluation of information systems hacking, although it will be very difficult to achieve such knowledge.
