Read https://cacm.acm.org/magazines/2013/5/163765-try-old-boys-security-network/fulltext (Links to an external site.)

Read the following introduction and answer the questions. Then reply to one of your classmates’ answers with value-added replies (e.g., not just “I agree”):

Hi everyone, my name is Yuhui Wu, and my discussion topic is Network Security. Nowadays, network is everywhere in our daily life. We use network to work, study, play, socialize, shop and so on. Then network security has become an important issue. According to an article on Inc.com, the damage from hacks costs companies 400 billion dollars a year all over the world (JUN 23, 2020). Therefore, preventing cybercrime is an imminent task to every company.

If every company can share its experience of suffering cybercrime, a successful attack at one company will not likely to be effective again at another company. However, according to the article “Try Old Boys Security Network”, confidentiality of enterprises becomes obstruct of sharing the experience. The enterprises could lose more from reporting the network attack than from keeping the information secrete because reporting may reveal useful information to the enterprise’s adversaries. The writer of this article recommends people try “old boys network”, which is used to share the most sensitive security information in industrial security.

The following are some questions I think we can talk about:

1. Is it immoral for companies decide not to share their security experience because it may hurt their own interests? Can you apply any ethical theory you know to answer this question?
2. What do you think about the “Old Boys Network”? Will it be a good solution?
3. If we use the old boys network to share sensitive security information, how can we sure that the other party will not abuse the information? Do we need to enact related law?

Then reply to one of your classmates’ answers with value-added replies (e.g., not just “I agree”):

Classmate Cameron:

1. Is it immoral for companies decide not to share their security experience because it may hurt their own interests? Can you apply any ethical theory you know to answer this question?

I dont think that it is immoral for companies to decide not to share their security experience. Releasing their security information would not be very beneficial to that company or corporation in any way at all. Corporations and companies pay wopping amounts of money on security systems. In no way do i think that not sharing this information is immoral. Its their information, if they decide to let people or the public see/use this information then its a matter of piracy if that information gets leaked or reused.

2. What do you think about the “Old Boys Network”? Will it be a good solution?

I think that the “Old Boys Network” is interesting, and could be a good solution. I think that some companies may be selfish and not want to share their information publicly to other security practitioners, but in theory this could be very beneficial. With new and developing security theories and ideas popping up, if more and more people had access to this information they could add their two sense to the topic and maybe it will develop into something useful. I think that there are two routes that security practitioners can take, they can share their information and let other people build of their ideas, or they can keep this information for themselves and try to make a profit by being the only ones with this information. Ultimately i think this is a good solution.

3. If we use the old boys network to share sensitive security information, how can we sure that the other party will not abuse the information? Do we need to enact related law?

I dont think there is a way to ensure that the other party will not abuse the information. I definitely think that we need to enact a related law, because without a doubt there will be people that will use that information to make their own profit. Without an sort of rules and punishment for breaking them, whats stopping people from using that information for their own good, their own individual ethics right?