Why are ethical guidelines needed?

The education and training of IT professionals, including security specialists, usually focuses on technical knowledge and skills. You learn how to perform tasks, but with little consideration of how those abilities can be misused. In fact, many IT professionals approach their work with a hacker’s perspective: whatever you can do, you’re entitled to do.
Note:Note that in this article, we’re using the word “hacker” in the current common meaning, pertaining to “black hat” hackers who use their skills to break into systems and access data and programs without the permission of the owners. We’re well aware that the term originally referred to anyone with advanced programming skills, and that there are “white hat hackers” who use their skills to help companies and individuals protect against the black hats.
In fact, many IT pros don’t even realize that their jobs involve ethical issues. Yet we make decisions on a daily basis that raise ethical questions.