A lot of buzz has been generated recently as a result of charges and allegations against LIGATT Security and Gregory Evans. A recent article from The Register lists the major complaints.
I don’t have any first-hand experience with or knowledge of LIGATT or Gregory Evans. However I find this whole discussion interesting, and it raises a question for me.
What role does integrity play in the personal and professional life of an information security professional?
One of my professors at Dallas Theological Seminary once defined integrity as “doing what’s right even though no one is watching.” That has worked well for me.
I see these components of integrity at play in the LIGATT situation:
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Permission – Evans is accused of plagiarism in a recent book. Multiple authors claim that he used their material without permission. A significant part of integrity, then is using other people’s work only with their express permission. It doesn’t matter if that work is written, or just ideas. You can’t take what you know is the work of someone else and use it with the claim that it is yours.
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Honesty – Evans is also accused of falsifying or mis-representing his time in prison and his relationship with Kevin Mitnick. If someone cannot be trusted to tell the truth about their life, then how can you count on them to honestly present facts and finding from their work. Many times we are put in positions where we have access to confidential information. We must be honest in all of our dealings.
- Disclosure – The temptation exists to withhold certain information, at times, in an effort to bolster a certain position. Negotiations with vendors or unions often rely on this ploy. Sometimes, we are tempted to withhold information from the boss, because the full disclosure might make us look bad. There may sometimes be legitimate reasons for not disclosing all information. Make sure that the reasons for this are legitimate, and not simply to make yourself look good.
Like I said at the start, I don’t know Gregory Evans, nor do I have any experience with LIGATT. But, we all can learn some lessons from the recent flurry.
Let’s do our jobs with integrity, ok?
- Dan
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Evans said he wrote a small portion of the book and outsources the rest under the assumption that the material given to him was unique and not plagairized. They could’ve copied it from Wikipedia, especially if Ligatt’s stuff is self-published. Ghost writing can be a sordid business.
Even if ghostwriters are hired, it is ultimately the responsibility of The Author to verify what is being submitted, and secure permission if that is required.
I’m not bashing Evans, as I have no first-hand knowledge. Whether or not there is any truth to the allegations, we all should learn from this situation.
- Dan
Apparently, these people aren’t taking this lying down:
“LIGATT Security International and Gregory Evans Sue Alleged Stock Bashers Chris Riley, Nisha Kappor, Ben Rothke, Randolph Morris and More for Alleged Stock Manipulation”
Link: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/LIGATT-Security-International-pz-2806570228.html?x=0&.v=1