I try to read the USA Today Technology section at least once a week. I don’t always read the articles, just the headlines to see what is most popular regarding technology. When I read the paper on Sunday, March 8, the article that caught my eye wasn’t the new cybersecurity report that is being presented to President Obama. No, the headline that grabbed my attention was: “Scientists explain why they plagiarize.” Excuses for plagiarism don’t surprise people anymore. If a high school junior proclaimed, “I did it because my hard drive crashed,” most would shrug it off as a young mistake and tell them to not let it happen again. But what about plagiarism from well-known scientists? Harold Garner, an expert on scientific plagiarism, said, “It’s just too easy to cut and paste these days.” What’s going on here? I love some of the data that was offered:“Potential plagiarists were ‘more varied’ in their responses: •28% denied plagiarism•35% admitted wrongdoing and expressed remorse•22% were from co-authors ‘claiming no involvement in the writing of the manuscript.'”I also found the excuses to sound very similar to the ones offered by college and high school student studies on cheating that I’ve come across. How about this line: ” I was not aware of the fact I am required to take such permission.”Are you kidding me? These are supposed to be our best and brightest. I suppose Wall Street ethics are not the only ones that need improvement. Yes, this does have huge implications for the Internet, businesses, and society as a whole. Who are the new role models? Where are the positive examples? Is this the new normal? For security professionals, this is just another example of how cyber ethics are so vitally important to what we do at home and work. What are your thoughts? Related content opinion 3 security career lessons from 'Back to the Future' You don't need to be able to predict the future to have a successful security career, but you had darned well better be able to learn from the past. By Dan Lohrmann Jan 12, 2021 6 mins Careers Security interview Secrets of industry-hopping CSOs Who says you can't change industries? Veteran security leaders Mark Weatherford and Cheri McGuire teach you how it’s done. By Dan Lohrmann Mar 02, 2020 12 mins Careers Security opinion Why security pros are addicted to FUD and what you can do about it Despite professing anti-FUD rhetoric, cyber experts fan the flames, breathlessly sharing the details of the latest data breaches. It's a risky addiction that can lead to security apathy in enterprises. Here's how to harness it. By Dan Lohrmann Sep 06, 2018 7 mins Security opinion Bridging the smart cities security divide There are plenty of organizations that seem to be working on answers to secure smart cities, but in many ways it's like the early days of cloud computing with everyone building their own solutions. By Dan Lohrmann Feb 01, 2018 6 mins Internet of Things Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe