Question

The Internet Worm:

•Robert Tappan Morris, Jr.

-Graduate student at Cornell

-Released worm onto Internet from MIT computer

•Effect of worm

-Spread to significant numbers of Unix computers

-Infected computers kept crashing or became unresponsive

-Took a day for fixes to be published (but not by Morris)

•Impact on Morris

-Suspended from Cornell

-3 years' probation + 400 hours community service

-$150,000 in legal fees and fines

________________________________________________

Theoretical Underpinnings-----Scenario analysis:

From the above, the very first worm that got attention of mainstream media is the one created by Robert Morris. He got an account on a Bell Lab computer from his father who was a computer security researcher in Bell Labs. From that on, he learned the security loopholes of the Unix system and broke into networked computers and read other's email. He found breaking into systems challenging and exciting. In Cornell in 1988 he began to create computer worm that would exploit bugs he found in Unix applications.

Required: Was Robert wrong to unleash the Internet worm?Use workable ethical theories (Kantian and Social Contract) to evaluate Morris's behavior.

Answer 1

Yes, Robert was wrong to unleash the internet worm. Due to this action, the Bell Labs works had been compromised for a day. Also he was not authorised to access and first he uses his internet worms to read their official mails which is illegal. Without authorisation or permission, trespassing on others property is always offensive. Here he did the same. Even if he had done this to show his talent, the way he chose was not ethical.

The basis of Kantian Ethical theory is constructed from the basis of duty. The primary formulation of Kant’s ethics is the categorical imperative. Kant made a distinction between categorical and hypothetical imperatives. A hypothetical imperative is one we must obey if we want to satisfy our desires: ‘go to the doctor’ is a hypothetical imperative because we are only obliged to obey it if we want to get well. A categorical imperative binds us regardless of our desires: everyone has a duty to not lie, regardless of circumstances and even if it is in our interest to do so.

Kant explains that the “maxim” of our acts can be thought of as the intention behind our acts. Here the Robert was ao thrilled to do some challenging works and Bell Labs secruity systems are the most challenging secruity he ever heard because his father might explained the strength of computer security as he was working there as Computer Secruity Officer. So his maxim act of creating an internet worm was raised on the intention of proving himself greater. According to kantian theory, Even if Robert has desire to do, he should not do because this is not his duty to perform even if he has any circumstances.

Social contract theory says that people live together in society in accordance with an agreement that establishes moral and political rules of behavior. Some people believe that if we live according to a social contract, we can live morally by our own choice and not because a divine being requires it. Every one should have privacy, when it comes to personal life. But official life can be bound with a person and the company he works with. This is also rule based theory. Robert T Morris has breached this concept by creating internet worm and read others mail. That waa not acceptable because it was like breaking the social contrat with other. According to this theory he has done an unethical behaviour by creating worms without any permission or authorisation, for his own benefit and excitement. So his behaviour is unethical.

All his behaviour become moral when he started creating worms that exploits their bugs. It was actually helping the company to identify problems. So he had performed his duty based on the rule that become legal. At that point his behaviour become ethical and he has duties to create worms.