Companies that sell house security system also employ ex-burglars to troubleshoot their security systems, looking for loopholes that can be fixed. On the Internet, some companies do offer similar services like beefing up network security and etc. These services are expensive to an individual unlike for big companies and furthermore it does not fully offer 100% security.
The required skills needed are simply to be a hacker herself. The ethical dilemma Julie faces is that, in order to protect her PC, she needs to learn the very skills employed by the hackers to hi-jack her computer in the first place. The act of hacking itself can be considered unlawful in its own right if it is not used correctly. As for what Julie should do, she has already decided to learn the hacking skills herself at the Hackademy.
Hacking basically can work in both ways, for malicious intent or to fix the problem making it harder to hack in. To learn how to be a good or at least to be a proficient hacker, Julie will also need to think like and be a hacker herself and that would include doing unauthorized break-ins herself, to master the skills. .
Julie's goal in learning hacking in the first place is to provide better network security for her family PC and this would not be wrong. On the other hand, if she uses these skills to commit credit card fraud, steal data, perform espionage and etc, this would definitely be wrong.
Question 2.
Is it wrong for Julie to learn and use hacking skills?.
Hacking is very similar to the issue of firearms. Firearm is a tool but how you use it is a different question. There is nothing wrong in learning how to use firearms but the application of it defers. For example, the police and army employ firearms all the time. Their role here is to provide security. Robbers and crooks also employ firearms to commit their crimes or it can even be used by private owners to protect one's own family. .
Hacking in my opinion is also a tool or method that can be used by an individual whether to expose network security loop holes or even to commit credit card fraud and etc.