Pass the WGU Courses and Certificates Ethics-In-Technology Questions and answers with ExamsMirror

A Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack is a cyberattack in which a hacker floods a target system with an overwhelming amount of requests, causing it to crash, slow down, or become unavailable. In this scenario, the hacker takes over multiple computers and forces them to flood a target site, which is a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack, a more advanced form of DoS.

Cybersecurity Ethics (ACM & IEEE Codes of Ethics) – DoS attacks violate ethical and legal principles, causing harm to organizations and users.

Hacking Ethics (White Hat vs. Black Hat Ethics) – Ethical hackers prevent DoS attacks, whereas malicious hackers exploit vulnerabilities.

Cybercrime Laws (Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, GDPR, CFAA) – DoS attacks are illegal and punishable under international cybersecurity laws.

Utilitarian Perspective on Cybersecurity – Defending against DoS attacks protects public and private digital infrastructure, benefiting society.

Relevant Ethical References in Technology:Thus, the correct answer is C. Denial-of-service (DoS), as the hacker floods the target site with excessive data queries.

A John Doe lawsuit is a legal action filed against an anonymous or unknown defendant. In this case, the university is suing a student who posted negative comments anonymously, meaning the identity of the defendant is not yet known.

John Doe lawsuits are commonly used in defamation cases, copyright disputes, and online anonymity issues where plaintiffs seek to unmask anonymous individuals.

Freedom of Speech vs. Defamation (First Amendment) – Balances anonymity rights with protection against false or damaging statements.

Digital Ethics & Anonymity – Ethical concerns arise when institutions use lawsuits to silence critics rather than address legitimate concerns.

ACM & IEEE Ethics – Encourage fair use of digital rights while discouraging online harassment and false accusations.

Strategic Lawsuits vs. Free Speech (SLAPP vs. Anti-SLAPP) – A John Doe lawsuit could be used unethically to suppress criticism.

Relevant Ethical References in Technology:Thus, the correct answer is D. John Doe lawsuit, as the university is suing an anonymous individual.

The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) is a global rating system that helps organizations evaluate and select eco-friendly electronic products. Since the telecommunications company is committed to green computing and seeks to compare and select environmentally friendly suppliers, EPEAT is the appropriate tool.

EPEAT criteria include:

Energy efficiency

Material recyclability

Reduction of hazardous substances

Sustainable manufacturing practices

Green Computing & Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – Companies must minimize environmental impact through responsible sourcing.

Sustainability & IT Ethics – EPEAT ensures ethical environmental practices in product selection.

Utilitarian Ethics (Sustainable Impact) – Green computing benefits society by reducing e-waste and energy consumption.

ISO 14001 Environmental Standards – Encourages companies to adopt sustainable environmental management systems.

Relevant Ethical References in Technology:Thus, the correct answer is A. Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT), as it helps assess eco-friendly technology options.

Contingent workers (e.g., contractors, freelancers, or temporary employees) can provide short-term solutions for resource gaps, but they come with disadvantages.

Why is minimal internal process understanding a disadvantage?

Contingent workers do not have long-term exposure to the company's workflows, culture, or business strategies.

Training contingent workers on company-specific processes takes time and effort, reducing initial productivity.

They may not be as committed to organizational goals as full-time employees.

A. Any skills gained during employment will be lost to the company at the project's completion. – While true, companies can retain knowledge through documentation and collaboration.

C. The company may require the same worker for other projects. – This is not a disadvantage; it could be a benefit if the worker is rehired.

D. The company does not have to provide benefits throughout the project's lifecycle. – This is an advantage, not a disadvantage.

Why Not the Other Options?Thus, the correct answer is B. Internal business process understanding will be minimal given the temporary nature of the workers.

Kalleberg, A. L. (2000). Nonstandard Employment Relations: Part-time, Temporary, and Contract Work.

Harvard Business Review (2022). Managing Contingent Workers Effectively.

References in Ethics in Technology:

The unauthorized change in the security key vault’s database led to the disclosure of confidential information, which directly impacts privacy. Privacy concerns the protection of personal and sensitive information from unauthorized access, use, or exposure.

When confidential data is leaked, it violates fundamental principles of data privacy and security, raising ethical issues about how sensitive information is managed and protected.

Privacy Ethics (Warren & Brandeis, 1890) – Defined privacy as "the right to be let alone."

Data Protection Regulations – GDPR (Europe), CCPA (California), and HIPAA (for health data) enforce ethical handling of personal information.

Confidentiality Principle in Cybersecurity – Ensuring only authorized access to sensitive information aligns with professional ethical standards (e.g., ACM Code of Ethics, IEEE Ethics Code).

Ethical Hacking & Incident Handling – Ethical frameworks emphasize preventing breaches that compromise privacy.

Relevant Ethical References in Technology:Thus, this incident primarily raises concerns about privacy, making option B the correct answer.

A zero-day exploit is a cyberattack that takes advantage of an unknown vulnerability in software, firmware, or hardware before a patch is available.

Key characteristics of a zero-day exploit:

The system was up-to-date on all patches and updates, meaning no known vulnerabilities should have been present.

The antivirus did not detect any malicious code, which suggests that the attack exploited an unknown flaw.

The worker did not engage in any behavior that introduced malware, ruling out traditional malware delivery methods.

Since zero-day exploits target vulnerabilities that have not yet been discovered or fixed, the attack likely bypassed existing security defenses.

A. Blended Threat: A combination of multiple attack methods (e.g., worms, Trojans, and phishing), but the scenario suggests a single point of failure.

B. Trojan Horse: Requires the worker to unknowingly install malicious software, which was not the case here.

C. Spear Phishing: Involves a targeted deceptive email, but there is no indication that the worker clicked on a fraudulent link or downloaded a malicious file.

Why Not the Other Options?Thus, the correct answer is D. Zero-day exploit as it best explains the system compromise despite all security measures being up to date.

Schneier, B. (2015). Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World.

Mitre ATT&CK Framework - Zero-day Exploits.

OWASP Top Ten Security Risks (2023).

References in Ethics in Technology:

The unintended source of bias in AI algorithms comes from human developers, who bring their own unconscious biases into data selection, feature engineering, and model training.

Even when AI is designed to be neutral, developers may:

Select biased training data

Define biased decision-making rules

Fail to recognize discriminatory outcomes

Algorithmic Bias & Human Influence – AI reflects the biases of those who design it, making human oversight crucial.

ACM & IEEE AI Ethics Guidelines – Encourage bias audits and ethical AI development.

Historical Bias & Discrimination in AI (Amazon Hiring AI Case) – AI replicated gender biases because of biased developer input.

Deontological Ethics & AI Responsibility – Developers must take responsibility for preventing bias in AI systems.

Relevant Ethical References in Technology:Thus, the correct answer is C. Human developers, as they introduce unintentional bias into AI systems through their decisions.

The missing records in the device database indicate that the store needs to improve the accuracy of its data management processes.

Why Accuracy?

Data accuracy ensures that all records are correctly entered, complete, and reliable.

Manual data entry is prone to errors, including missing or incorrect records.

Implementing automated data entry or validation checks can reduce human error and ensure the integrity of the database.

A. Encryption – Protects data from unauthorized access but does not ensure correct data entry.

B. Collection – Refers to gathering data, but the issue here is with missing or incorrect entries.

C. Availability – Ensures data can be accessed but does not guarantee its accuracy.

Why Not the Other Options?Thus, the correct answer is D. Accuracy, as it directly addresses the issue of missing records.

Redman, T. C. (1998). The Impact of Poor Data Quality on the Typical Enterprise.

Tavani, H. T. (2016). Ethics and Technology: Controversies, Questions, and Strategies for Ethical Computing.

Data Management Body of Knowledge (DMBOK) (2020).

References in Ethics in Technology:

The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government or entities acting in ways that violate privacy rights. When a social media platform collects microphone data without explicit consent, it potentially infringes on users’ reasonable expectation of privacy, raising Fourth Amendment concerns.

While the Fourth Amendment traditionally applies to government actions, legal debates have emerged over whether private companies collecting excessive personal data should be subject to similar scrutiny under privacy laws and regulations such as the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and the Stored Communications Act (SCA).

Fourth Amendment & Digital Privacy (Carpenter v. United States, 2018) – The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that warrantless collection of personal digital data can violate the Fourth Amendment.

Ethical Data Collection & Consent (GDPR, CCPA) – Using microphone data without user consent is ethically and legally questionable.

Big Tech & Surveillance Ethics – Ethical concerns arise when tech companies engage in excessive data collection without transparency.

Deontological Ethics (Duty to Respect Privacy) – Data collection should prioritize user rights over profit-driven surveillance.

Relevant Ethical References in Technology:Thus, the correct answer is B. Fourth Amendment, as the company’s actions raise concerns about unlawful data collection and digital privacy violations.