Tag Archives:education

You’re interested in pursuing a career in cybersecurity, but aren’t sure where to start. What does a career path look like? Compared to other established industries, cybersecurity is still in its infancy in the civilian sector, which means there isn’t a clearly defined path to enter this growing sector. Unlike other industries, however, this isn’t one where you get your degree, land a job and then coast through it. We’ve mentioned previously on Axiom Cyber how jobs in this field require you to be driven and constantly on top of the latest technology and trends.

As with all computer science related degrees, cybersecurity studies are heavily math-intensive, and as such require strong analytics and statistical analysis skills. Cyber security degrees that are offered are associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. An associate degree will prepare you for entry-level positions related to support, programming, help-desk IT, and basic network administration. A bachelor’s degree will build on that knowledge to open up mid to upper level positions by providing you with skills in software development, network security, as well as forensics and tactics to defeat cyber-crime. Cyber Security Degrees website reveals that with a master’s degree you will be prepared for more senior level positions, or able to step into mid-level roles with less experience.

While it’s possible to find entry or mid-entry level positions with an associate or bachelor’s degree, many employers, like government agencies and established corporations, will require candidates to have a master’s degree in cybersecurity. In their feature on cybersecurity career paths, Learn How To Become notes that a master’s degree provides advanced instruction on protecting computer networks. While it will take an extra one or two years to complete, it does provide you with better skills to tackle network security defense techniques and countermeasures. A master’s degree also allows you to specialize in areas like cryptography, digital forensics and risk analysis among others.

Degree programs are available both in class or exclusively online, with the latter a convenient option adaptable around work and family schedules. Online degrees also allow you to work at your own pace without the need to attend classes every day. Maryville University breaks down how a master’s degree in cybersecurity also has a big return on investment, with top earners receiving six-figure salaries. Therefore, a master’s degree in cybersecurity can help you land management level or even C-suite positions, with companies offering better sign-on bonuses, relocation pay, and free medical insurance. You can later further your education by pursuing a doctoral degree, which will prepare you for leadership roles and allow you to innovate new solutions.

Even if you’re not in a tech position currently, VP of cybersecurity at IT security firm Infoblox, Rod Rasmussen recommends that you should start learning IT fundamentals on your own. Self-directed learning and experimentation are critical. Once you have that, build on that knowledge by applying for a degree program and complete certifications. Many established cybersecurity analysts got their start working in entry-level IT jobs and amassed experience in positions like network administration or programming. They studied on their own, then went on to complete degree programs and various certifications, to allow them to learn new skills and stay abreast of new technologies and security measures.

Article intended only for the use of axiomcyber.com

Submitted by HackersAway18

Ransomware. DDoS. Phishing. Identify theft.

Sadly, schools across the United States are becoming very familiar with these terms. In fact, recent research indicates that K-12 institutions will have the highest rate of ransomware attacks of any industry in the coming years.

For example, the release of sensitive student and teacher information can lead to identity theft. A hacker’s encryption of students’ grades and teachers’ lesson plans can lead to loss of productivity (especially if they are not backed up) and thousands of taxpayer dollars being spent to replicate data that is gone.

As you to turn to the 2018-19 school year, this is your opportunity to make cybersecurity a budget priority. Here are seven reasons why it’s important:

1. Clickbait.
   The email may look legitimate but unfortunately, it is not. Embedded in the text is a hyperlink that sends you to a malicious site. This link has now taken down your school’s system.Solution: Ensure every employee has the highest email filter settings for spam, phishing and executable files. Employees should also be trained on what suspicious emails look like and always report suspected emails to the IT department.
2. Outdated Technology.
   Your school may feel they need to hold onto computers and tablets until they break. The problem with this plan is they may not support the current operating system, which opens you up to a cybersecurity breach.Solution: Do a complete inventory of all your computer equipment. Make certain it runs iOS 11.3.1 for iPhones/iPads, macOS 10.13.4 for Mac computers and Windows 10 for PCs. For all devices that do not support these versions, disengage them from your network today. Purchase new devices to replace them before or during the next fiscal year.
3. Not Paying Attention to Patches.
   All operating systems require patches from time to time.Solution: When your computer tells you updates are needed, complete them within a few hours. It will require a restart however, many patches have security updates within them.
4. User Error.
   When users are allowed access to sensitive and/or confidential data, there is always a risk for exposure.Solution: Partition student, administration and public networks. Practice whitelisting which allows only a handful of individuals into the classified information, blocking nonessential personnel from that data.
5. Allowing Weak Passwords and not having a Change Policy.
   Passwords less than 14 characters are problematic and/or not enforcing changes of the passwords can lead hackers right to your data’s door.Solution: Make strong passwords a norm, along with two-factor authentication. Provide an automated system that requires password change every 60- to 90-days.
6. No tools.
   Its time to think of your school network, more like a bank. These financial institutions have a vault, security guards and cameras – different methods to keep your money safe. The same goes for cybersecurity. You need the right tools to keep all the data out of the hands of hackers.Solution: From Mobile Device Management to cybersecurity audit and monitoring, speak to a cybersecurity expert for a full understanding of the best tools for your school system.
7. Vulnerability testing is nonexistent.
   Without continuous checking, hackers will continue to try and access your data. 

Solution: Initially, you need a cybersecurity organization to analyze the vulnerabilities in your network and recommend fixes. Once those solutions are in place, its vital to have 24/7 monitoring of your network to ensure your data is safe.

Start a Conversation with Axiom Cyber Solutions

We can protect your school from cyberthreats at a very reasonable cost! Give us a call at (800) 519-5070 today to learn more about our offerings!

The news is full of stories about how computer networks are being infected by malware, trojans, viruses, and that nasty malware variant known as ransomware. Starting off as an innocent looking email with an attachment or link sent to someone in HR or Finance, an independent consultant, even the business owner, and ending with the encryption of the business’ networks or a data breach. The news loves to harp on the fact that the human factor is the biggest risk in cyber security but they often do not talk about how humans are also the best defenders against cyber crime.

You can’t just rely on one person in a 10-person company; everyone needs to have a good understanding of cybersecurity and what the risks are for the organization.

Patricia (Pat) Toth

Supervisory Computer Scientist, NIST

 

Employee education is one of the best ways to defend against malicious activity. Letting your staff know what a phishing email looks like, why they should not enable macros on files they receive by email, and just overall being smart about how they use the internet are all steps in a positive direction for businesses who take cyber security seriously. Firewalls, endpoint protection, SIEM, that’s all great but unless you also pay attention to the inside of the business, the threats and damage will continue to occur.

Four in ten organisations had experienced insider damage at least quarterly in 2015.

Information Age, 2016

Start with Employee Orientation: Incorporating data protection and cyber security best practices into new employee orientation and annual training is a great place for businesses to start hardening their inside defenses. Nearly all companies handle sensitive data, whether from employees to customers, so outlining safe data practices in the employee handbook and giving employees guidelines on how to safely handle data could be the difference between a W-2 phishing scheme that reveals sensitive data about your employees to a hacker and keeping that data secure.

Passwords: Seems like a no-brainer but organizations continue to struggle with password expiry, complexity, and even forcing their IT professionals/admins to change their passwords on a regular basis. A survey during the RSA security conference found that 55% of admins make users change their passwords more regularly than they change their administrative credentials. And believe it or not, 123456 and password still top the list as the most popular passwords still in use.

Safe Data Handling: Employees need to be aware of ways to safely handle data. Whether it’s encrypting sensitive data sent by email or shredding sensitive data on paper, employees need to be told how to handle data.  Employees also need to know the process for assisting people who call for assistance. Kevin Roose from Fusion learned the hard way how easy it was to con a customer support representative into letting a hacker into his mobile phone account with the help of the recording of a crying baby and the hacker pretending to be his stressed-out wife.

See Something, Say Something: Employees should not be punished for asking for verification of requests emailed to them. Too often phishing schemes are successful as they appear to be coming from the highest levels of management and are labeled urgent. Employees should know the normal procedure for making such requests and management should put check-and-balances in place to ensure sensitive data and money do not leave the organization without some form of verification. Those in Accounting should be told that the CEO, COO, etc will not email and tell them to wire money to a vendor without a verbal confirmation (and if that is not the procedure, the business should consider it or else be at risk for failing victim to a common phishing scheme!) And HR departments need to know that they won’t receive email requests for sensitive employee information either.