A Technoethical Study of Ethical Hacking Communication and Management Within a Canadian University

Ethical hacking is an important information security risk management strategy within higher education applied against the growing threat of hacking attacks. Confusion regarding the meaning and ethics of ethical hacking within broader society and which resonates within organizations undermines information security. Confusion within organizations increases unpredictably (equivocality) in the information environment, which raises risk level. Taking a qualitative exploratory case study approach, this chapter pairs technoethical inquiry theory with Karl Weick's sensemaking model to explore the meanings, ethics, uses and practices, and value of ethical hacking in a Canadian university and applies technoethical inquiry decision-making grid (TEI-DMG) as an ethical decision-making model. Findings point to the need to expand the communicative and sociocultural considerations involved in decision making about ethical hacking organizational practices, and to security awareness training to leverage sensemaking opportunities and reduce equivocality in the information environment.