Kristine Belknap
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What is Hacking?
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What is Hacking?
 The computer equivalent of breaking and entering.
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What is Hacking?
 The computer equivalent of breaking and entering.
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What are Hackers?
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What is Hacking?
 The computer equivalent of breaking and entering.
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What are Hackers?
 “True” Hackers
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 Other Hackers (Cyber Criminals)
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What is Hacking?
 The computer equivalent of breaking and entering.
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What are Hackers?
 “True” Hackers
▪ Computer geeks who see computer systems as an
intellectual challenge and a technological puzzle to solve.
▪ Hack for the sake of hacking…
 Other Hackers (Cyber Criminals)
▪ The ones that do it solely for the money…
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Most people barely use their computer’s
processing power…
Would it be wrong to “borrow” their computer
systems while they aren’t using them?
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Most people barely use their computer’s
processing power…
Would it be wrong to “borrow” their computer
systems while they aren’t using them?
 Working on a problem that requires lots of
computing power…
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Most people barely use their computer’s
processing power…
Would it be wrong to “borrow” their computer
systems while they aren’t using them?
 Working on a problem that requires lots of
computing power…
(It could even be for a good cause…)
▪ Ex. Analyzing Human DNA to figure out which genes are
linked to certain diseases…
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Consequentialism
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Deontological Ethics
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Virtue Ethics
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Consequentialism
 As long as the computers are left exactly as they
were found…
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Deontological Ethics
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Virtue Ethics
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Consequentialism
 As long as the computers are left exactly as they
were found…
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Deontological Ethics
 Breaking and entering is still breaking and entering
even if you don’t touch anything.
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Virtue Ethics
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Consequentialism
 As long as the computers are left exactly as they
were found…
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Deontological Ethics
 Breaking and entering is still breaking and entering
even if you don’t touch anything.
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Virtue Ethics
 It’s still the computer equivalent of breaking into
someone’s home…
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What if the systems being hacked belong to
the “bad guys”?
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What if the systems being hacked belong to
the “bad guys”?
 Ex. Using a Denial-of-Service Attack to crash a
terrorist’s website.
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What if the systems being hacked belong to
the “bad guys”?
 Ex. Using a Denial-of-Service Attack to crash a
terrorist’s website.
 Ex. Hacking into a criminal’s computer to retrieve
and decrypt files that can be used as evidence.
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What if the systems being hacked belong to
the “bad guys”?
 Ex. Using a Denial-of-Service Attack to crash a
terrorist’s website.
 Ex. Hacking into a criminal’s computer to retrieve
and decrypt files that can be used as evidence.
 Ex. Cyber Warfare
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Consequentialism
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Deontological Ethics
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Virtue Ethics
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Consequentialism
 Does it count against you if any harmful
consequences are only to bad people?
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Deontological Ethics
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Virtue Ethics
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Consequentialism
 Does it count against you if any harmful
consequences are only to bad people?
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Deontological Ethics
 Breaking and entering is still breaking and entering
and in these scenarios damage is being done.
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Virtue Ethics
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Consequentialism
 Does it count against you if any harmful
consequences are only to bad people?
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Deontological Ethics
 Breaking and entering is still breaking and entering
and in these scenarios damage is being done.
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Virtue Ethics
 It’s still like breaking into someone’s home.
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Scenario A
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Scenario B
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Scenario A
 1 Yes, contingent on everything being put back
where it was found.
 2 No.
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Scenario B
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Scenario A
 1 Yes, contingent on everything being put back
where it was found.
 2 No.
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Scenario B
 1 Yes, if you count harm to the “bad guys” as a
positive.
 2 No.