Cyber Security Career

[MacLover2011]

Hello all,
I want to get into the field of Cyber Security. It sounds like a worthy cause and the pay is good.
I have a BA and web design, IT and communication skills.
Can anyone give me some direction?
Thank you

 

[McBie]

Direction on what ?
Cyber Security is a group indication and means different things to different people.
It all depends on the content role profile.
It covers areas like Malware, Denial of service and " hacktivism " activities.
You will also need a good understanding of the business solutions so you can identify when a vulnerabilities creates a risk ( to the business objectives )
It is highly technical and requires analytical skills.

We had a difficult time recruiting the correct people for this role and made a few mistakes before we found the correct ' attitude ' and ' corporate fit '

Cheers ... McBie

 

[pigoo3]

I'm going to say that this sort of career path is not necessarily something someone pursues directly.

- Someone with this interest most likely pursues a traditional education in the Internet Technology area.
- They then try to learn as much as they can about "Cyber Security" by taking individual classes while pursuing a traditional IT education.
- They then get jobs with companies that have open IT job positions.
- Maybe that company eventually has a position that involves Cyber Security.
- Otherwise a person just tries to build a resume by working with "regular" companies for a while. At the same time the individual continues to learn about Cyber Security via their company work, taking extra classes as necessary, and keeping up with this interest area in any way they can.
- Eventually when the individual has enough specific experience (IT experience & Cyber Security experience & education) that is enough to interest a company that focus's on Cyber Security…the individual may get an interview for a Cyber Security related job (if they are lucky enough to be hired).

Another method may be if there are specific educational programs that focus on Cyber Security. And if these programs are respected enough by companies who focus on Cyber Security…then it may be a job someone may be able to interview for right out of school. But I have a feeling that this is a field that requires folks to have specific proven skills/experience before being hired (not just "book-smarts").

Kind of like someone saying…"I want to be a brain surgeon." You don't get to operate on someone's brain the day after finishing medical school!

- Nick

 

[McBie]

It is indeed a role that you " grow into " by doing other types of IT Risk Management first.
Applying for a Cyber Security role is going to be difficult without that background.
But it is great fun. I have been doing IT Risk Management now for over 20 years and I could not live without it ( so to speak )

Cheers ... McBie

 

[pigoo3]

It is indeed a role that you " grow into " by doing other types of IT Risk Management first.

Very nice!! A MUCH more concise way of saying what I was trying to say in my post above!

- Nick

 

[McBie]

Well thanks Mr. Nick, I like your style too ! ;P

Cheers ... McBie

 

[pigoo3]

I think both our posts summed things up pretty well!

- Nick

p.s. If I could have only had such great info & experience available to me when I was thinking/making a life-long career choice! May have made for a less "bumpy" road!

 

[MacLover2011]

Is there anything I can learn on the current edition of OSX that can introduce me into cyber security?

 

[McBie]

I would like to suggest the following approach to get you started.
1) Understand your business environment and IT technical infrastructure - IN this case your Mac
2) Understand the current vulnerabilities in your business environment and IT infrastructure
3) Understand the threats that exploit the identified vulnerabilities and could potentially interrupt your business processes ( through IT technology )
4) Identify the likelihood of an identified threat exploiting your vulnerabilities - use statistics from insurance companies and cyber security firms ( loads available )
5) Identify any compensating controls you have already in place to reduce the likelihood of an exploit AND the impact of the threat should it materialise.
6) Re- assess the likelihood taking into account the compensating controls.
7) Assign a priority to the identified risk and propose mitigating actions ( accept the risk, reduce likelihood, reduce impact, eliminate the risk ( this may be the same as stop doing business completely ))

To get your brain started .....
I am running my complete business on a 7 year old Mac ( never failed me before ) running 10.9.1 using Word processing and Spreadsheets, E-mail and Internet browsing.
That is all the technical infrastructure I have available.

Vulnerabilities ?
Threats ?
Likelihood ?
Risk ?

As a hint ..... my data means everything to me. No data, no revenue.

;D

Cheers ... McBie

 

[RavingMac]

To add my 2 cents FWIW, there are a number of Universities around the US which offer a Masters degree geared toward Cyber Security. University of NY at Syracuse is one in particular I am aware of because my son-in-law graduated from their program.

 

[lclev]

I agree with all the fabulous advice that has been posted above. To add to that taking classes are great...hands on experience....priceless. If you can work in an IT environment and learn from other experts on the job you will learn what is not in books!

Lisa

 

[RadDave]

Hello all,
I want to get into the field of Cyber Security. It sounds like a worthy cause and the pay is good.
I have a BA and web design, IT and communication skills.
Can anyone give me some direction?

Hi MacLover... - you've been given some excellent ideas & advice, especially by Nick & McBie - but just curious, what is your BA in? And if not related to web design, IT & communication skills, what is your real experience in these areas - I'm just not sure where you are starting from?

My son went to Indiana University and majored in Telecommunications w/ a minor in Computer Science - he married there and moved to Indianapolis and was hired as an IT guy into a national organization - he has done much w/ computers (purchasing & setting up), portable devices (buying & recommending), and also security - so just wondering how much education/training you now possess in these areas? Good luck - Dave

 

[pigoo3]

To add to that taking classes are great...hands on experience....priceless. If you can work in an IT environment and learn from other experts on the job you will learn what is not in books!

"Exactamente"! OJT and "learning what's not in books" (on top of a good formal education)…is the ticket!

- Nick

 

[McBie]

And as always .... ( IT) Security is more about people and their behaviour than it is about machines and their settings.
People and awareness are the 2 critical components.
Technology is .... annoying but important.

Cheers ... McBie