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Chartered Security Professionals

integrity can change a regime is something that we have
discussed at length: some students are feeling disillusioned,
Ethics and Integrity some are already resigned to accept the behaviours that
they will encounter, some plan to try and change the culture
for the better. I feel saddened that this new generation are
inheriting poor behaviour, corruption that my (and previous)
generations have just brushed under the carpet and think
they are brave to be pursuing this career.
We work in a profession were our ethics and integrity can be tested: at
the very basic level, budget restrictions compromising on the provisions Without ethics and integrity, we lose respect and trust:
that we would ideally like to provide to ensure safety and security, or vital commodities for our success at senior levels within
we are at an impasse with the board regarding a risk, or work under a organisations. The unfortunate situations that we are being
board that is willing to accept illegal and immoral practices for the sake presented with at the moment will hopefully be the catalyst
of profits. Over the last few months, the ethics and integrity argument for change. A move away from individuals being bullied into
has been playing out in the press. compromising their ethics, that boards will look to CSOs and
CISOs to not just be technically competent, but possess the
We saw, in September, former Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) ability to make the right decisions and the personal integrity
at Uber, Joe Sullivan, found guilty and facing a prison term up to 8 years. that they bring being just as important as certificates and
Upon reading into the actions taken, it seems clear that this individual accreditations on their CVs.
with the responsibility of providing security to the employees and
customers of Uber, failed to act with integrity. Ethics and Integrity are an important foundation for CSyPs
and a vital reminder that we need to emphasise the fact,
The thing that surprised me was the outcry from several CISOs that we as professionals are making the right call and are
on LinkedIn “We are all going to go to gaol…”, citing themselves as in possession of the personal ethics and integrity to be
“Sacrificial CISOs”. I understand we have positions where we need champions for this profession.
to make decisions (especially when involving security incidents) and
sometimes can feel vulnerable about making a wrong choice in the By Dawn Holmes CSyP
heat of the moment and, feeling that sometimes we fight an impossible
battle. I was however, astonished that so many individuals completely
missed the point: this person broke the law (failing to report a data
breach in 2016- a legal requirement) to hide this fact he then paid the
hacker $100k to destroy the evidence and keep the incident quiet, his Upcoming CSyP Application Workshop Dates
lack of ethics and integrity played a significant part in the decisions and
actions that he took. For any CISO to see themselves in the same shoes
as Joe Sullivan and to be shocked by the charges he received, I think We now offer monthly CSyP Application Workshops to help guide prospective applicants through the
speaks volumes about the ethics of those individuals and these senior process. Click here for a full list of events and to reserve your place: https://events.bookitbee.com/
people within our industry. security-institute/

At the same time, we are presented with headlines about the Met December
police, seeing the aftereffects of years of Canteen Culture: a regime Date and time: 15th December 8am - 9:30am
of keeping quiet about discrimination and, sadly, criminality within the Guest Presenter: Jason Brown CSyP and Richard Stevens CSyP
ranks. To date it’s been dismissed as a few bad apples, but we are at the
point where it has to be admitted that a rotten system has allowed this Book here: https://event.bookitbee.com/36793/151222-csyp-application-workshop-
to happen. 2013-2021 over 1800 officers faced allegations of misogyny, jason-brown-csyp
sexual misconduct, fraud and racism, with less than 1% (13 individuals)
being dismissed. The tragic murder of Sarah Everard highlighting the
impact of these failings.
If you are promoting becoming a Chartered Security Professional within your organisation,
I am currently lecturing and leading a “Real World Criminology” module, please email [email protected] to arrange an in-person workshop at your premises.
part of a Criminology degree course: the majority of the students
looking to join the police force. The topic of how individual ethics and

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