In my never ending search for the perfect career, I have discovered cybersecurity as a potential path.
My plans to pursue a Masters in Public Health/Emergency Management are on hold until I hear definitively from the power company because I can get them to pay for it.
So I've been checking out a few cybersecurity programs and have been discussing the basics of a distance learning program for a masters in cybersecurity with a university in Florida.
Anyone work in the industry? Anyone got pros/cons? My current job as a intranet communications manager ties into cybersecurity at a basic level.
Thanks all.
Since this thread really set the boards on fire I am posting again.
I have secured funding through my employer for my first certification on the road to a cyber-security specialist, and will not be going for the degree because it doesn't seem necessary. I can get 3-4 certifications which would amount to the same thing.
Anyone have any thoughts? I know a lot of you work in IT fields so any suggestions would be welcome. I am going to get my certifications through this vendor:
http://www.comptiastore.com/category_s/158.htm
Quote from: Gusington on May 30, 2012, 10:35:14 AM
Since this thread really set the boards on fire I am posting again.
I have secured funding through my employer for my first certification on the road to a cyber-security specialist, and will not be going for the degree because it doesn't seem necessary. I can get 3-4 certifications which would amount to the same thing.
Anyone have any thoughts? I know a lot of you work in IT fields so any suggestions would be welcome. I am going to get my certifications through this vendor:
http://www.comptiastore.com/category_s/158.htm
Yeah, you certainly found the time :P
With the first world's Cyber War sorta-over,
the Flame trojan-worm taking the Iranians by surprise,
and the fact that almost every large organization these days has built a special unit of people to handle cyber-warfare...
Well, these are interesting times... cyberly :P
^My thinking exactly. And if I can have my education paid for, well, there's little risk involved.
You will be...
Agent Smith I presume?
I'm afraid I can't elaborate :)
Gus in the Machine?
Quote from: Barthheart on May 30, 2012, 11:36:21 AM
Gus in the Machine?
And the GrogHeads chief of cyber security. Now we'll have someone to blame!
Isn't that me already? I do like Gus in the Machine and have the shirt to go with it, btw:
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcf.mp-cdn.net%2Fb0%2F5d%2F229334f0d3ee0a3e683f1e905f23.jpg&hash=726437b3f30d977a2f7589b1faefc984c45c46fc)
Quote from: Gusington on May 30, 2012, 10:43:47 AM
^My thinking exactly. And if I can have my education paid for, well, there's little risk involved.
That is the way to do it.
Quote from: Gusington on May 30, 2012, 12:33:02 PM
Isn't that me already? I do like Gus in the Machine and have the shirt to go with it, btw:
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcf.mp-cdn.net%2Fb0%2F5d%2F229334f0d3ee0a3e683f1e905f23.jpg&hash=726437b3f30d977a2f7589b1faefc984c45c46fc)
Is Andy Summers the middle one?
No that's me.
Quote from: Gusington on April 25, 2012, 08:22:44 PM
Anyone work in the industry? Anyone got pros/cons? My current job as a intranet communications manager ties into cybersecurity at a basic level.
I can put you in touch with a few people in the biz. One is the heading of training/wargaming for USCYBERCOM at Ft Meade. Another is a contractor that does a lot of high-level cybersecurity work for the gov't. Let's talk later.
^Thanks Brant. It will be some time until I get the proper certifications. Setting the foundation with A+, networking and general security this year hopefully and then moving along to higher level security certifications (probably 2) if all goes well after that, next year.
It will take some time to get there but that's where I'm headed.
Quote from: bayonetbrant on May 31, 2012, 10:39:33 AM
Quote from: Gusington on April 25, 2012, 08:22:44 PM
Anyone work in the industry? Anyone got pros/cons? My current job as a intranet communications manager ties into cybersecurity at a basic level.
I can put you in touch with a few people in the biz. One is the heading of training/wargaming for USCYBERCOM at Ft Meade. Another is a contractor that does a lot of high-level cybersecurity work for the gov't. Let's talk later.
That reminds me - I know someone who used to work in the industry, too. Best way I know how to get hold of him is Facebook, though...
^Thanks LB. I'm just starting the process now but I will hit you up again once I actually have the certifications.
Quote from: LongBlade on May 31, 2012, 12:12:31 PM
Quote from: bayonetbrant on May 31, 2012, 10:39:33 AM
Quote from: Gusington on April 25, 2012, 08:22:44 PM
Anyone work in the industry? Anyone got pros/cons? My current job as a intranet communications manager ties into cybersecurity at a basic level.
I can put you in touch with a few people in the biz. One is the heading of training/wargaming for USCYBERCOM at Ft Meade. Another is a contractor that does a lot of high-level cybersecurity work for the gov't. Let's talk later.
That reminds me - I know someone who used to work in the industry, too. Best way I know how to get hold of him is Facebook, though...
There's an irony there somewhere.
Quote from: Staggerwing on May 31, 2012, 05:25:58 PM
Quote from: LongBlade on May 31, 2012, 12:12:31 PM
Quote from: bayonetbrant on May 31, 2012, 10:39:33 AM
Quote from: Gusington on April 25, 2012, 08:22:44 PM
Anyone work in the industry? Anyone got pros/cons? My current job as a intranet communications manager ties into cybersecurity at a basic level.
I can put you in touch with a few people in the biz. One is the heading of training/wargaming for USCYBERCOM at Ft Meade. Another is a contractor that does a lot of high-level cybersecurity work for the gov't. Let's talk later.
That reminds me - I know someone who used to work in the industry, too. Best way I know how to get hold of him is Facebook, though...
There's an irony there somewhere.
Several.
So I just purchased my first two vouchers for the A+ certification. This will be my 'foundation' to get certified in other more advanced areas including networking, as a build up to security and then advanced security certifications as well as Sharepoint.
The expense hurt a lot less by placing it on the corporate card :)
Quote from: Gusington on June 01, 2012, 09:45:55 AM
The expense hurt a lot less by placing it on the corporate card :)
It always does :)
^It's new for me! Moving on up!
Quote from: Gusington on June 01, 2012, 01:07:34 PM
^It's new for me! Moving on up!
So, the Inaugural Groghead Conference and Keg Party Debacle is on you? Nice! Where's it going to be?
Quote from: MetalDog on June 03, 2012, 03:41:29 PM
Quote from: Gusington on June 01, 2012, 01:07:34 PM
^It's new for me! Moving on up!
So, the Inaugural Groghead Conference and Keg Party Debacle is on you? Nice! Where's it going to be?
Probably same place as last year: in the alleyway behind Lulu's Finest Discount Beer and Wine-o-porium. It'll probably run until dawn or until Lulu's cousin Bruno the Eyebrow chases us away, whichever comes first. I have dibs on the tipped over shopping cart seat!
Actually this year it's in my pants. First come first serve though...it's already crowded in there!
Going to take a practice exam for this some time this month and then move on to the real thing so I can then move on to the next tests :)
Etc., etc., etc.
Gus...
Sorry for the delayed response. An excellent resource for Cybersecurity info is availabe at SANS.org. SANS is a cooperative research and educational organization that includes discussion, training, certification, conferences, and resources for the entire spectrum of IT security-based services, including things like corporate policy, electronic forensic data collection, auditing, physical controls, documentation standards, programming standards, continuation of business planning, cryptography, steganography, etc.
There are some real "ones and zeroes" guys that work in IT security, but there is also a need for real-world thinkers and communicators. A few years back, I did an complete IT infrastructure assessment on behalf of a company wanting to buy another company (really - it was an IT audit of sorts) and I used some SANS resources to guide my work.
Let me know if you have any other questions...I'm not a programmer, virus protection, or firewall guy, but I have by necessity dealt with many of these issues. I also know at least a couple of guys who work in data forensics that I may be able to point you to.
Yours in technology,
Jack "stateful packet inspected and approved" Nastyface
^Now that is a post. Thanks Jack. I am nothing if not a communicator. As I get further on in the process I may take you up on your offer. I still need to decide the dates of my first two certification exams :)
Just FYI...at one time, IT auditors were in big demand by traditional accounting firms (PWC, Anderson, Deloitte Touche, E&Y and KPMG). Considering that more and more companies are producing intellectual property (as opposed to manufactured material goods), ensuring that a company has a robust IT policy and infrastructure is just as important as making sure they have a robust accounting practices. Although the work is somewhat boring, compensation is usually fairly good.
You may also want to take a look into IT privacy policy, especially in the healthcare sector. Lots of stuff happening there, but you have to chew through some pretty dry material (apologies to any lawyers who have a jones for HIPAA, etc)
Jack Nastyface
^The Wife works in the health care sector. Believe it or not, right now, working for a modeling and sports agency, can be not-so-exciting as well. I can deal with boredom. Not well, but I can deal. Thanks again for the advice Mr. Nastyface.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.economist.com%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fimagecache%2Ffull-width%2Fimages%2F2012%2F06%2Farticles%2Fmain%2F20120609_wwd000.jpg&hash=62f5f5819a7810e4884a9f92f7ac8326160b299e)
OK so without knowing jack squat I just took my first A+ practice exam and got half the questions correct. Didn't pass the test, but getting half right without any preparation is pretty good. With a study guide and some time invested I should be able to get my A+ certification and then move on to networking, security and then more hardcore cybersecurity certifications. It will take some time but appears pretty doable.
Good to hear. Although I would hate to see you spend less 'net time here, you wouldn't do half-bad to spend some time lurking on the SANS forums.
Jack Nastyface
^Thanks Jack...you mean here:
http://www.sans.org/
Quote from: Gusington on June 29, 2012, 10:04:03 AM
OK so without knowing jack squat I just took my first A+ practice exam and got half the questions correct. Didn't pass the test, but getting half right without any preparation is pretty good. With a study guide and some time invested I should be able to get my A+ certification and then move on to networking, security and then more hardcore cybersecurity certifications. It will take some time but appears pretty doable.
Isnt A+ pc hardware technician stuff? What does that have to do with cyber security?
It's been recommended to me that I get a good foundation of the basics and go from there. Once I get the A+ I will move on to networking, then basic security, then more advanced security certifications.
Hey Gus,
Just happened upon this thread. I have been in a number of fields within Information technology for over 20+ years and was a manager for an Information Security team at a large financial instituion for 4+ years. In the end, I decided the field of security was not my favorite area so I have since moved on, but I have to say that anyone working in Information Technology should at one point in their career spend some time in a security position because it gives you a whole new appreciation of what these people have to do. I am not sure if this is the case in all companies, but typically the security department is thought of as "big brother" and just there to make it difficult for project teams to implement projects. However, after managing the team, I have a whole new appreciation of what goes on. There is so much involved and much of it is not black/white which makes the job difficult. You do have to play the role of a "bad guy" since people might not like decisions you make (i.e. implement policies, block web sites people want to use, discover illegal use of material, etc.). It was actually an exciting role since you had access to "behind the scenes" stuff that most people never hear about, some of it just plain scary. It was also interesting in my area because our physical security team (i.e. guards, facilities, etc.) was combined into out team so I also was exposed to physical protection. Pretty neat stuff. There are many roles within security you can pursue such as perimeter (i.e. firewall, network, proxies, etc.), policies, analysts, architect, user access administrator, physical security, forensicsm etc. Personally, I don't see the security role going away anytime soon especially in certain industries such as financial and healthcare since government regulations keep increasing (i.e. SOX) which typically has some kind of guideline for protecting consumer data and such.
By the way, if you haven't considered it yet, getting your CISSP would be a great certification since when I was doing the hiring for security people it was a qualification that helped separate the candidates from each other. This is a certification that basically helps to prove you have good overall general security knowledge, sort of like getting your PMP certification for project management.
Well, sorry for rambling and good luck in your pursuit...
^Thanks Grim...I do plan on getting the CISSP, once I have basic A+, basic networking and basic security certificates.
With recent personal developments that literally occurred just a couple of days ago (new job that I have been waiting to get hired on for a year), I am planning on combining these technical and IT security skills with an Emergency Management background earned professionally (new job), academically (new job may lead to a new Masters in Public Health degree), and a jaunt with the Army, if you can believe it.
I will give more details once it calms down here a little bit. It's been busy few months.
Last chance to remove DNSChanger virus before web access is cut
"The FBI is snipping a cyber safety net on Monday that kept thousands of computer users online after their internet connections were hijacked by a piece of malware called DNSChanger, meaning those users could be disconnected from the web if they still haven't removed the virus by July 9."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/07/06/tech-dns-changer-virus.html (http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/07/06/tech-dns-changer-virus.html)
Well, my main 'puter is clean. If I hear a howl of anguish that day when youtube clips of Disney movies suddenly won't load I'll know the anti-spyware I installed on my youngest son's rig wasn't up to the task. For that, I have my Backup Win7 disk. He will sulk, I will fix, he will smile. ;)