Ethical Dimensions of Cybercrime: The Bank of Queensland Case Study

This case study examines the ethical considerations surrounding cybercrime, using the Bank of Queensland (BOQ) data breach incident of March 18, 2019, as a focal point. It analyzes the incident through the lenses of utilitarianism, deontological ethics, and social contract theory, highlighting the responsibilities of various actors, including BOQ and the government, in mitigating cyber risks. The study emphasizes the need for aligned sovereignty and international cooperation in managing cyber threats, and it argues that traditional rights-based approaches are insufficient for addressing the complex challenges of cyberspace. A mind map visually summarizes the ethical considerations for BOQ's cybersecurity. The case study informs researchers about vulnerabilities in widely used products and analyzes the ethical dimensions of legal enforcement law requests for encrypted data, also leaving space for future questions to be considered on ethics to add to that list. Desklib offers this and many other solved assignments for students.

Running head: ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN CYBER-CRIME
Ethical considerations in Cyber-crime
(Bank of Queensland)
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author Note

1ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN CYBER-CRIME
Analyzing ethical considerations in cybercrime
The cybercrime indicates to the use of the computer as the way to take further various illegal
ends. This includes stealing intellectual property, commit fraud, violation of privacies and stealing
identifies. To analyze the ethical considerations for cyber-crime, the case study of Bank of
Queensland or BOQ is evaluated in this study.
On March 18, 2019, the bank has revealed that it has faced a personal information data
breach. It has affected numbers of customers of BOQ. As viewed from the view of the point of
utilitarianism, the cyber-crime has been appearing to be pragmatic and defensible. It has been
conceiving the punishment as the aim to move beyond just retrieving retribution for any erroneous
act (Kenney, 2015). Moreover, it is argued that the punishments are wrong and might not be
administered as it promises for excluding the higher evil. Hence, the punishment can be justified as it
rises the utility when balanced against the costs and pains. The society sees punishment profitable
and efficacious to limit the mischief in argument.
The deontological framework, on the other hand, suggests that the duty is present in society
for punishing the criminal. Under this framework, the punishment cannot be justified through any
positive type of social outcomes. This might not come from punishment and can rise to the essential
fairness of punishment. Under a deontological ethical framework, the retribution is the main goal of
penalty under this framework.
The social contract theory asks the mitigation of every type of actors. Here, BOQ must
consider the lead because of the liability to secure the employees. The societal cyber risks need to be
mitigated every kind of actors. Here, the government must be considering the lead. This is because
of the liability to secure the citizens. As there has been no worldwide governance existing, the

2ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN CYBER-CRIME
inability of the bank must begin at the national level (Button & Cross, 2017). For gaining the
successful management of cyber risks, proper alignment has been the developed sovereignty. This
must concern the complicated challenge. For forming an alliance, there are insights into various
differences taking place between strategies of national cyber security is the initial step here
(Broadhurst, 2017).
Apart from this, it can be said that the conventional rightshave not been sufficient for the
activities. This is to theorize cyberpeace and cyberseurity. This also involves the developing of
institutional systems for that maintenance. Among the arguments that are foremost to deploy the
civic virtues framework is far better adapted to the continually changing and complex community
structures under cyberspace (Smith & Ingram, (2017). Here, the practices have been conductive to
gain community-specific goods. This has not been sufficiently facilitated and secured through the
ideas of the starting and standard specification of rights.

3ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN CYBER-CRIME
MindMap to identify the ethical considerations for the cyber security of Bank of Queensland:
Figure 1: “The argument visualisation using MindMap”
(Source: Created by Author)

4ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN CYBER-CRIME
The above study and mind-map help in understanding how the researchers can inform BOQ
regarding vulnerabilities in various widely used products. Apart from this, the steps to be taken by
BOQ for legal enforcement law requests for the encrypted data re analyzed here. Again, the study
helps in understanding the ethical dimensions of the concerns. Further, the study leaves space for
future questions to be considered on ethics to add to that list.

5ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN CYBER-CRIME
References:
Broadhurst, R. (2017). Cybercrime in Australia. In The Palgrave Handbook of Australian and New
Zealand Criminology, Crime and Justice (pp. 221-235). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Button, M., & Cross, C. (2017). Cyber frauds, scams and their victims. Routledge.
Kenney, M. (2015). Cyber-terrorism in a post-stuxnet world. Orbis, 59(1), 111-128.
Smith, F., & Ingram, G. (2017). Organising cyber security in Australia and beyond. Australian
Journal of International Affairs, 71(6), 642-660.