The ethics of Hacking 101

https://www.washingtonpost.com/postlive/the-ethics-of-hacking-101/2014/10/07/39529518-4014-11e4-b0ea-8141703bbf6f_story.html?utm_term=.b385f15c8209

Professors are teaching students how to hack into pipelines, powerplants, and break into networks. Some Universities, such as Carnegie Mellon are even creating hacking teams. Teachers in the technology and hacking practice of what is loosely called “cyberoffense.” In a world in which businesses, the military and governments rely on computer systems that are potentially vulnerable, having the ability to break into those systems provides a strategic advantage. Ethics is a big issue in this field. Professors want to build an ethics component into their curriculum. Yet the academic community is not taking ethics seriously enough, and professors are not accepting responsibility for the potentially dangerous skills they are teaching. Some are only teaching students if the guarantee the student only takes a government job and would qualify to get clearance. This is the skill set learned will help society and our nation.

Most hacking skills are outside the realm of academia and students need to find ways to keep up in the world of cyberoffense.  Students find vulnerabilities and agrees that it is dangerous to share vulnerabilities or exploits with anyone but the software vendor or the U.S. government. If sold in the free market it may get in the wrong hands.