Technology is everywhere today; in-home refrigerators, and business and family vehicles. Smartphones are most likely the first thing many see first thing in the morning and the last thing before they go to bed. The most significant reason for this massive adoption is the reliability, accuracy, and convenience that technology offers.
The massive adoption of technology, however, brings the threats that cybercriminals pose even closer to individuals and businesses, which makes cyber security experts even more important. When communication, financial, and networking lines are compromised, the damage is often severe, costly, and far-reaching. The most significant forms of cyberattacks that both residential and commercial settings have to look out for are network breaches, viruses or malicious code or DDoS attacks.
The need for cybersecurity
The largest organizations in the globe have had to overcome the aftermath of well-coordinated and funded cyber attacks, which means that every business should consider itself a potential target. Nowadays, hackers have directed their malicious activities towards smaller firms who assume that only fortune 500 companies are targets. Unfortunately, this could not be further from the truth. Moreover, new programs and codes are emerging from the darknet that are specifically built to facilitate large cyber-attacks that often proceed unnoticed for months. Every firm, therefore, has a responsibility to its employees and clients to have a robust cyber security plan and certified IT security personnel in their information divisions.
Increased sophistication of hackers
Cybercriminals are adapting their technique to outmaneuver the many security walls that organizations put up. Facebook, the major social media network, has also experienced the brunt of a cyber attack. The Facebook attack was said to be politically motivated where a data-collecting firm illegally collected about 87 million account holders’ information to influence the 2016 US election. This surprising event was revealed in September 2018, and since then, users have been urged to change their passwords.
Readily available hacking machinery
The tools, highly-specialized equipment, and machines with high computing power are readily available for the right price. Over August 14th-September 18th 2018, 50 million Newegg online shoppers were astounded when a credit card skimming code was injected into the Newegg website. This attack effectively saw the transfer of payment information straight to the hackers’ command and control server. The hack exposed online shoppers’ credit card information.
The costs involved
In addition to the loss of client trust, losses, and corporate image damage affected businesses often have to pay hefty fines for failing to put up robust measures to protect their clients. One of the biggest hacks of 2015 involved UK telecommunications giant TalkTalk that was fined £400,000 for failure to have sufficient data protection after its personal data was breached. In the US, organizations have lost over $4.2 million because of data breaches.
Prevention is better than cure
Prevention is a significant component of cybersecurity. Penetration testing and routine and sporadic system analysis for peculiar activity and malfunction are often part of a robust cybersecurity plan. Major online games have also been targets for hackers. Fortnite is one of the most popular games, with over 200 million players globally. As expected, massive flaws in the subdomains that cybercriminals could use to take over a player’s account, and view personal account information were found by a team of researchers.
Benefits of studying cybersecurity
Certified cybersecurity professionals are in high demand in today’s job market. As of 2021, there will be over 3.5 million job opportunities up from today’s 1 million vacancies, which may be attributed to the projected increase in cyber threats and cybersecurity awareness.
Competitive remuneration
In addition to the encouraging job security statistics, another great reason to choose cybersecurity is the remarkable remuneration that hiring firms offer. With many hackers looking to target firms previously thought of as ‘untouchable’ like the FBI, enterprise-level firms are willing to pay their Chief Information Security Officers as much as $240,000-$380,000. Starting out will not be bad either; according to Indeed.com, IT security specialists have a median salary of $107,342.
There are many flexible programs available
If you are a working IT professional and are worried that studying cybersecurity will bog you down, worry not. There are hundreds of reputable certification programs that are either 100% online or hybrid for ultimate flexibility. Moreover, your learning materials will be digital and therefore, less expensive, and you will interact with students and professors from all over the world.
You will get much more in addition to the basics
Taking a cybersecurity course will not only give you basic skills and knowledge in cybersecurity but also management and the business setting as well. The right cybersecurity certification will enable you to get to the rank of CISO and allow you to plan robust, well-rounded security plans for the entire business.
Career prospects in cybersecurity
CISO
The chief information security officer position is a top-tier position in a firm. You will oversee and direct the security in the IT division and plan security policies to suit your employer’s needs. You will also supervise the security professionals in the firm and will need excellent IT security architecture skills to direct them effectively.
Forensic computer analyst
A forensic computer analyst is the first professional called in the case of a cyber-attack. They take into account client privacy and assemble data from affected hardware, software, and networks to obtain evidence. They also assist in data recovery from damaged devices.
Penetration tester
Penetration testers are the professionals involved in the more proactive aspect of cybersecurity. They use black hat techniques to attempt entering computer networks and servers, firewalls, and social engineering to determine vulnerabilities in the computer system and the company staff.
Security architects
These professionals build and configure secure networks and other systems for their firms. They also develop security policies and protocols for employees and other persons that may come into contact with the computer and data systems.
Security systems administrator
A security systems administrator installs, runs, maintains, troubleshoots, and fixes computer and network security systems. These professionals are responsible for the daily running of these systems. Some daily tasks include backing up data, monitoring the systems for peculiarities, and managing user accounts.
Conclusion:
As seen above, there are plenty of reasons to choose a career in cybersecurity. In addition to the conventional degrees, you need to take the CompTIA Security+ course, which is the benchmark for the best practices in IT security.
