Self-hosting Kubernetes: Cost-effective, Private Alternatives to Cloud Providers; An evaluation of the creation and usage of StuxNet using Duty Ethics: A Kantian Perspective

The key theme behind my technical work and STS research project is technological autonomy - whether it is a consumer that wants data privacy, or a nation that plans to expand its nuclear enrichment, autonomy over one’s data and technology is of critical importance at any level and is often a target of adversaries and advertisers alike. My Capstone Project (Self-hosting Kubernetes: Cost-effective, Private Alternatives to Cloud Providers) explores the costs and benefits of developing and deploying a self-hosted distributed compute environment as an alternative to existing managed services such as Google Drive, while my STS Research Project focuses on the ethical evaluation the usage of StuxNet, a sophisticated cyber weapon used to sabotage the autonomy of Iran’s nuclear enrichment programs.

The technical project explores a step-by-step process to utilize old hardware or a Raspberry Pi to install Kubernetes, a containerized application orchestration platform. Then, NextCloud, a popular open-source cloud project, is installed. The cost of hosting the project is significantly cheaper than prices for services like Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Apple iCloud, etc.. The project details the network configuration, hardware setup, and installation steps to enable a user less familiar with technology to set up the platform on their own. The objective of the project is to demonstrate the feasibility of hardware and data ownership in contrast to the many managed services that exist today. I hope the project inspires people to explore more autonomous data solutions and regain ownership of their privacy and data.

My STS project explores an ethical evaluation of StuxNet, one of the most advanced cyber weapons ever created. StuxNet was used to cripple Iranian nuclear enrichment, but also had blowback and affected a significant percentage of devices around the world. My paper uses Kantian Ethics to evaluate the ethical standings of the actions to release StuxNet into the world and the subsequent international impacts. One of the key points in the ethical evaluation is that StuxNet severely violated the autonomy of the many affected parties - the companies whose software was critically exploited and said exploits released into the world, the other countries affected, and the international community when the perpetrator never took responsibility for the actions. The ethical evaluation shows the importance of maintaining such autonomy to all parties involved.

Working on these two projects gave me a better understanding and appreciation of the technological freedom we enjoy today. Understanding the impact of StuxNet helped motivate the development of my technical project and weigh the importance of security critically. While the development of my own project led me to have a further understanding of why people (and nations) might choose riskier managed solutions despite any shortcomings. Overall, working on both projects has allowed me to gain an improved perspective on the balance between control and convenience in technological systems, and the ethical responsibilities that come with building and managing critical infrastructure.

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Technical Advisor: Briana Morrison

STS Advisor: Benjamin Laugelli

Technical Team Members: Edward Wei