Topic 4DQ 2
In Mathew 7:15 we are warned by Jesus to “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” and in Exodus 20:16 we were commanded not to “…give false testimony against your neighbor.”
What are the implications for us as Christians when we perform social engineering as part of testing efforts to make organizations better and safer?
What are the lines between using these tools and techniques to make the world a better safer place versus crossing lines that create separation between us and God?
Topic 4 Discussion 2: False Prophets
From the very beginning, good and evil existed together on the earth. For each and every activity good and bad are associated with it. It is true that we can use every piece of equipment for the good or evil of the people. It depends only on the intention of the user who uses the tool. Similarly, we can tell that social engineering can be used as good or evil for any organization.
It depends on the intention of the social engineer. If a social engineer uses the technique of ethical hacking for the good of the organization (for safety and security purposes) then it will be helpful for the people.
On the other hand, if a social engineer uses technology for the evil of an organization then it will be harmful to the people. It totally depends on the mentality of the hacker. Like everything, technology also has both good and bad effects that depend only on the person who uses the technology. For example, if a knife is given to someone he can use it as good or evil for society.
If he uses it to cut fruit and vegetables then he uses the technology for the good but if he uses it to kill someone then he uses it as evil. The implication for us as Christians should always be good people and always be linked with good work and help the people. A social engineer should keep in mind the speech of Jesus (which is given in the Bible) when he does the hacking. Social engineering should never be used to manipulate people.
This should be used honestly and safely. For a Christian social engineer, it is important to promise that they use those techniques of social engineering that are consistent with the Bible. The process followed by the cybersecurity expert and attackers is almost the same. Hence some people cannot differentiate them. But there exists a thin separating line better.
In the field of cybersecurity, Cybersecurity experts and attackers follow the same applications, and tools most of the time, and their thinking is almost similar. But only the difference is that cybersecurity experts use the applications for the good purpose of the organization and hackers use the same tools to break into the system of an organization without permission.
