WGU Courses and Certificates Ethics-In-Technology Question # 12 Topic 2 Discussion

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.