SPI Finals Reviewer

Ethics

A set of beliefs about right and wrong behavior. It acts as a gauge of personal integrity and the basis of trust and cooperation.

Morality

Social conventions about right and wrong that are widely shared.

Virtues

Habits that incline people to do what is acceptable.

Vices

Habits of unacceptable behavior.

Value System

A scheme of moral values.

Integrity

A cornerstone of ethical behavior; acting in accordance with a personal code of principles.

Computer Ethics

A concept in ethics that addresses the ethical issues and constraints that arise from the use of computers, and how they can be mitigated or prevented.

Corporate Ethics Officer

A senior-level manager who provides vision and direction in the area of business conduct.

Code of Ethics

A statement that highlights an organization's key ethical issues and identifies overarching values and principles important to the organization.

Social Audit

A process that identifies ethical lapses committed in the past and sets directives for avoiding similar missteps in the future.

Profession

A calling that requires specialized knowledge and long, intensive academic preparation.

Software Piracy

The act of illegally making copies of software or enabling others to access software to which they are not entitled.

Trade Secret

Information used in a business that is generally unknown to the public, which the company takes strong measures to keep confidential.

Whistle-Blowing

Attracting attention to a negligent, illegal, unethical, abusive, or dangerous act that threatens the public interest.

Fraud

The crime of obtaining goods, services, or property through deception or trickery.

Breach of Contract

When one party fails to meet the terms of an agreed-upon contract.

Bribery

Providing money, property, or favors to someone in business or government to obtain a business advantage.

IT User

A person for whom a hardware or software product is designed.

Negligence

Not doing something that a reasonable person would do, or doing something that a reasonable person would not do.

Duty of Care

The obligation to protect people against any unreasonable harm or risk.

Right of Privacy

The right to be left alone; the right of individuals to control the collection and use of information about themselves.

Identity Theft

A type of consumer fraud that occurs when a person knowingly uses another person's information in a fraudulent manner to obtain goods, services, or credit.

Due Process

A law which hears before it condemns, proceeds upon inquiry, and renders judgment only after trial.

Blog

A type of website maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, description of events, or other material.

Libel

A published defamation. Cyber libel refers to acts of libel committed through a computer system or similar means.

Cybercrime

Any illegal or criminal activity done using computers and the Internet (e.g., hacking, child pornography, phishing).

Hack (verb)

To write program code or to modify a program, often in an unauthorized manner, by changing the code itself.

Hacker

Someone who seeks and exploits weaknesses in a computer or computer network.

White Hat Hacker

An ethical hacker who breaks security for non-malicious reasons to test systems.

Black Hat Hacker

A hacker who violates computer security for maliciousness or personal gain.

Email Spoofing

Forging an e-mail header so that the message appears to have originated from someone or somewhere other than the actual source.

Cyber Stalking

Repeated acts of harassment or threatening behavior of a cybercriminal towards a victim using Internet services.

Denial of Service (DoS) Attack

An act that floods the bandwidth of a victim's network or email, bringing the network to its knees and depriving them of standard services.

Email Spamming

Emails sent in bulk (mass mailing) to unsolicited recipients where the sender's identity is concealed.

Email Bombing

Sending a massive amount of e-mail to a specific person or system to crash the server.

Program

A set of instructions expressed in words, codes, or schemes capable of performing a particular task when read by a computer.

Trademark

Any visible sign, logo, or phrase capable of distinguishing the goods or services of an enterprise.

Copyright

Rights granted to creators of original literary and artistic works to distribute, display, perform, or reproduce their work.

Fair Use Doctrine

Factors considered when evaluating the legal, unpermitted use of copyrighted material.

Copyright Infringement

Copying a substantial and material part of another’s copyrighted work without permission.

Patent

A grant of property rights to inventors for any technical solution that is new, involves an inventive step, and is industrially applicable.

Plagiarism

The theft and passing off of someone's ideas or words as one's own.

Reverse Engineering

The process of taking something apart (like code) in order to understand it, build a copy, or improve it.

Open Source Code

Program source code made available for use or modification as users or developers see fit.

Competitive Intelligence

Gathering legally obtainable information to help a company gain an advantage over rivals.

Cybersquatting

Registering domain names of famous trademarks or companies in hopes of selling them back to the original owners for a large sum of money.

Software Defect

An error or flaw that could cause a system to fail to meet users' needs.

Software Quality

The degree to which software meets the needs of users.

Quality Management

How to define, measure, and refine the quality of the development process and products.

Product Liability

The liability of manufacturers, sellers, and lessors for injuries caused by defective products.

Strict Liability

The defendant is held responsible for an injury regardless of negligence or intent.

Software Development Methodology

A work process that defines activities, responsibilities, and techniques for accomplishing various stages of development.

Black-Box Testing

Testing where the tester has no knowledge of the code.

White-Box Testing

Testing all possible logic paths through the software unit with thorough knowledge of the logic.

Safety-Critical System

A system whose failure may cause injury or death (e.g., antilock brakes, nuclear reactors).

Software Contracts

Agreements setting out the aims, deliverables, intellectual property rights, and termination conditions between a client and a software house.

Data Privacy Act of 2012 (DPA)

An act protecting individual personal information in information and communications systems in the government and private sector in the Philippines.

Cryptography

The science of encoding messages so only the sender and intended receiver can understand them.

Encryption

The process of converting electronic messages into a form understood only by the intended recipients.

Phishing

Tricking users into entering sensitive personal information on a counterfeit website.

Spyware

Keystroke-logging software that enables the capture of account usernames, passwords, and credit card numbers.

Cookies

Text files that a website puts on a user's hard drive so it can remember them later.

Computer Security

Tools and mechanisms used to protect data in a computer and protect the information system itself from malicious behavior.

Authentication

The assurance that the communicating entity is the one it claims to be.

Access Control

The prevention of the unauthorized use of a resource.

Data Confidentiality

Protection of data from unauthorized disclosure (eavesdropping).

Data Integrity

The assurance that data received is exactly as sent by an authorized sender (no unauthorized modification).

Non-Repudiation

Protection against denial by one of the parties in a communication that a message was sent or received.

Data-Related Failure

When a computerized system fails because the wrong data is entered into it, or because people incorrectly interpret the data they retrieve.

Software Error Malfunctions

Failures that occur due to an error in a system's programming, even when the correct data is fed into the system.

Socrates' Definition of Ethics

According to the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, ethics is the "investigation of life". It is a practical science dealing with the morality of human actions and studying human conduct to determine what is right or wrong.

Virtue Ethics Approach

A philosophical theory where the ethical choice is the one that best reflects moral virtues in yourself and your community.

Utilitarian Approach

A philosophical theory where the ethical choice is the one that produces the greatest excess of benefits over harm.

Fairness Approach

A philosophical theory where the ethical choice treats everyone the same and shows no favoritism or discrimination.

Common Good Approach

A philosophical theory where the ethical choice is the one that advances the common good.

7-Step Approach

A recommended method or process to ensure ethical decision-making in business and IT.

RA 8293 (Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines)

The law that governs the protection of copyrights, trademarks, geographic indications, industrial designs, and patents.

RA 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act)

The law addressing crimes committed via computers. Section 4(c)(4) specifically defines and penalizes Cyber Libel.

RA 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012)

The act protecting individual personal information in information and communications systems in the government and private sector.

Prevention (Information Security)

Taking measures to prevent your assets from being damaged or stolen (e.g., locks, firewalls, encryption).

Detection (Information Security)

Taking measures so you can detect when, how, and by whom an asset has been damaged (e.g., burglar alarms, missing items, unauthorized transactions).

Reaction (Information Security)

Taking measures so you can recover your assets (e.g., calling the police, replacing items, disputing a credit card charge).

"Good Enough Security"

A concept by Martin Hellman stating that "Everything should be as secure as necessary, but not securer." If security is too clumsy or hard to use, people will bypass it.

Disenfranchised Voters (Florida 2000)

Thousands of voters were disqualified from the general election because incorrect records in a voter database wrongly identified them as felons.

False Arrests (Name Mix-up)

Innocent people like Sheila Jackson Stossier and Roberto Hernandez were arrested and forced to spend days in jail simply because they were mistaken for criminals with similar names in poorly managed databases.

Terry Dean Rogan

Arrested five times (three times at gunpoint) because someone stole his identity and committed crimes under his name.

The Clause Section (Software Contracts)

Mentions exactly what is to be produced, referring to a requirements specification document.

Arbitration Clause

An agreement that if a dispute cannot be resolved between the two parties, they will accept the decision of an independent, third-party arbitrator.

Inflation Clause

Protects the software supplier in lengthy projects by allowing charges to be increased in accordance with the rise in economic costs.

Applicable Law Clause

Determines which jurisdiction's legal laws the contract is interpreted under (crucial if the client and software house are in different countries).

High-Quality Software Systems

Systems that operate safely and dependably and have a high degree of availability, often required in critical fields like air traffic control and healthcare.

Warranty

An assurance to buyers or lessees that a product meets certain standards of quality.

Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI)

A process improvement approach that defines five levels of software development maturity to improve quality.

Reliability

The probability of a component or system performing without failure over its product life.

AITP Code of Ethics

An acknowledgment of an IT professional's obligations to management, fellow members, society, employer, college/university, and country.

Standards of Conduct

Specific statements of behavior that expand on the Code of Ethics, representing strict rules that no true professional will violate.

IEEE Code of Ethics

A pledge by members to commit to the highest ethical conduct, including accepting responsibility for public safety, avoiding conflicts of interest, and rejecting bribery.

ISOC Core Values

The core principles of the Internet Society, which include improving the quality of life, fostering informed individuals, promoting innovation, ensuring open processes, and opposing excessively restrictive controls.

Specification

A document setting out the detailed requirements of the client for the software being produced.

Intellectual Property Rights

Intangible rights (like ownership of design or code) that must be explicitly addressed in the contract to define whether they pass to the client or remain with the software house.