The Code of Honor: Embracing Ethics in Cybersecurity

A comprehensive and practical framework for ethical practices in contemporary cybersecurity

While some professions - including medicine, law, and engineering - have wholeheartedly embraced wide-ranging codes of ethics and conduct, the field of cybersecurity continues to lack an overarching ethical standard. This vacuum constitutes a significant threat to the safety of consumers and businesses around the world, slows commerce, and delays innovation.

The Code of Honor: Embracing Ethics in Cybersecurity delivers a first of its kind comprehensive discussion of the ethical challenges that face contemporary information security workers, managers, and executives. Authors Ed Skoudis, President of the SANS Technology Institute College and founder of the Counter Hack team, and Dr. Paul Maurer, President of Montreat College, explain how timeless ethical wisdom gives birth to the Cybersecurity Code which is currently being adopted by security practitioners and leaders around the world.

This practical book tells numerous engaging stories that highlight ethically complex situations many cybersecurity and tech professionals commonly encounter. It also contains compelling real-world case studies - called Critical Applications - at the end of each chapter that help the reader determine how to apply the hands-on skills described in the book.

You’ll also find:

• A complete system of cybersecurity ethics relevant to C-suite leaders and executives, front-line cybersecurity practitioners, and students preparing for careers in cybersecurity.
• Carefully crafted frameworks for ethical decision-making in cybersecurity.
• Timeless principles based on those adopted in countless professions, creeds, and civilizations.

Perfect for security leaders, operations center analysts, incident responders, threat hunters, forensics personnel, and penetration testers, The Code of Honor is an up-to-date and engaging read about the ethically challenging world of modern cybersecurity that will earn a place in the libraries of aspiring and practicing professionals and leaders who deal with tech every day.

PAUL J. MAURER, PhD, is the president of Montreat College, a national leader in cybersecurity education and workforce development. After being approached by the NSA to create a curriculum on cybersecurity ethics for our nation’s students preparing for cybersecurity careers, Paul was convinced this book needed to be written. He speaks and writes frequently on a wide range of topics, but regularly does so on cybersecurity across the country.

ED SKOUDIS serves as president of the SANS Technology Institute College, the country’s leading provider of cybersecurity professional development. Ed began teaching at the SANS Institute in 1999 and has trained over 30,000 cybersecurity professionals in incident response and ethical hacking, codifying many of the practices used throughout the industry today. He is the recipient of the Order of Thor medal from the Military Cyber Professionals Association and is the author of Counter Hack Reloaded: A Step-by-Step Guide to Computer Attacks and Effective Defenses.