An Infosec Hippocratic Oath

I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:

I will respect the hard-fought empirical gains of those practitioners in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.

I will apply, for the benefit of those who need it, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of FUD and solutions that are unnecessary.

I will remember that there is art to security as well as science, and that respect, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the metasploit or other blunt instruments.

I will not be ashamed to say “I don’t know”, nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed to solve a problem.

I will respect the privacy of those I serve, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of NPPI, PCI & HIPAA. If it is given to me to solve a problem, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to identify problems; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.

I will remember that I do not treat a server, a router, an application, but a fragile system, whose problems may affect a whole company and general economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to provide adequately for the those that need help.

I will prevent issues from occurring whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to remediation.

I will remember that I remain a member of society with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as those who also need assistance.

If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of aiding those who seek my help.