Why everyone should consider a career in cybersecurity

ByKayne

On January 24th, 2018 I opened a new discussion about diversity in cybersecurity with the #includecybersecuritychat on Twitter. Over the hour-long discussion I asked four questions for almost ninety people to discuss and debate. Here’s what we learned, including excerpts from the chat.

Q1. What are some of the top benefits of a career in #cybersecurity?

The consensus was that cybersecurity jobs are fluid and provide a variety of challenges daily. Cybersecurity roles support the public good, and help individuals, families and companies stay safe online. People working in cybersecurity are part of supportive teams with great colleagues.

Q2. What are the top skills to have if you want to enter the #cybersecurity field?

This question prompted a debate about the needs for hard skills (coding, systems administration) vs soft skills (communications, emotional intelligence). Speakers questioned the value of four-year “traditional” degrees given the rapidly evolving cyberweapons and defensive technologies. Most speakers agreed that tenacity and passion were necessary skills to “keep shoveling against the tide of new threats”.

Q3. Was there someone in particular who inspired you to get into technology? Was it a famous person, a teacher, a friend, a family member?

This answer was surprising as many speakers got their start on technology by writing their own video games. Science fiction books inspired several people, and books and documentaries about famous hackers. Teachers and parents were also cited as inspirational figures for getting involved in technology, including a story of a CompSci professor who’d encrypted the final exam.

Q4. What are your predictions for the future of #cybersecurity globally?

The Internet of Things (IoT) was a primary concern for the audience given the comparable lack of security controls in consumer devices. There was also a discussion on the likely increase of regulations after GDPR, and how organizations may try to work around the regulatory controls. If there was a consensus, it’s that we have not yet hit bottom and things will get worse than in 2017.

 

The next #includecybersecuritychat will be on February 21st at 9 AM PST / 12 PM EST.

To learn about coming events, visit http://includecybersecurity.com.

Similar Posts

Cross-Site Scripting Attacks: How to Prevent XSS Vulnerabilities

ByKayne

“If an attacker can steal the user’s cookies, that attacker can impersonate that end user,” says Kayne McGladrey, a senior member and impact creator of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. “In an XSS exploit, if I can steal your cookies, I can become you or impersonate you. I can change your password. I can change your backup email account. I can take over that entire account.”

Banks can leverage automation, regulation for cyberattack prevention

ByKayne

Financial institutions can avoid becoming the next victim of a costly cyberattack by leveraging automation and existing legislation. Automation can help to mitigate risk when handling personal client information by storing records efficiently and securely, Kayne McGladrey, field chief information security officer at Hyperproof, told Bank Automation News. “If you don’t automate, that has a cost, because now people are spending their time doing control testing,” he said. “The organizations that recognize that are going to probably spend a lot less time on compliance and have a happier team, because they’re not doing routine stuff that they should have automated.”

Podcast: Making cybersecurity more effective in the age of cloud and COVID-19

ByKayne

Cybersecurity has always been a critical task that must be handled effectively. However, cloud—and more recently—COVID 19—have exacerbated cybersecurity issues and changed the security landscape. In this episode of the podcast, Mike Kavis and guest, Ascent Solutions’ Kayne McGladrey, discuss cybersecurity in the context of cloud, and vis-à-vis the changes wrought by the pandemic. Kayne’s take is that the transition to cloud and the pandemic have exposed and magnified issues that have always been a problem, and that companies should not skimp on cybersecurity, in favor of spending on other “more pressing” projects. The key to success is to focus on data, automation, and risk assessment.