I have the privilege to be uniquely situated between two communities, cybersecurity and information technologies, to a point where I am actively able to contribute to both. Cybersecurity and IT certainly seem straightforward, and on the surface it is. “Secure companies digital assets in the cheapest, most effective manner possible.” While cybersecurity and information technologies sound wildly different, they constantly collaborate and work alongside one another. The two are subsections of one greater community, cybersecurity focuses on the software side of the tech field, while information technologies primarily deals with the hardware aspect, but that does not mean that their spheres of influence don’t greatly overlap.
My true contribution I have been able to make to both of these industries so far is time. Both of these industries, seemingly near identical, require hundreds of hours dedicated to wrapping your head around industry basics. Understanding the network makeup of a business is fundamental to more advanced network concepts, which is why I built a complete network diagram, each device having a unique IP, configured subnets and firewalls, VLANs, and much more, with an accompanying “network pitch” explaining how the network operated, costs, and specific model numbers for each device, as if I were truly pitching and presenting to company investors.
A primary component of understanding cybersecurity is understanding zero-day vulnerabilities and how to push security updates from the publisher of those softwares in the event of a zero-day (or just a regular patch/update). In order to understand the process of security updates I practiced pushing software updates through only the command line in Amazon EC2 instances, through an SSH connection on my desktop (this simulated an SSH connection to push updates to a network router, as well as pushing updates to a Linux based server). As more and more companies move to cloud computing, this process will only grow bigger and more complex, and is critical to keeping systems housed in a third party server safe.
One of the most important things anyone in the tech field should do is participate. I believe a phenomenal way to contribute to the cyber community (and your skill set) is to participate in competitions called Capture the Flag events. This has been my overall biggest contribution to the cybersecurity field. I have participated in the Google CTF, Hack The Box Cyberapocalypse CTF, as well as Hack The Port (which I had the opportunity to travel to Florida for, meeting and engaging with fellow cybersecurity personnel from across the country) and many other CTF events. These Capture the Flag competitions are critical in my understanding of cybersecurity, its processes, and its philosophy. These events gave me practical applications of classroom learned items, as well as the ability to engage with community members, both online and in person.
My physical participation in the information technology community isn’t quite as extensive as cybersecurity, but I have become the face of IT in my local community. Friends, family, and even strangers have approached me with all sorts of tech issues, looking to me for answers. I have built computers, configured routers and firewalls, secured systems, all for little or no cost to those who approach me. I will continue to do this, both as a way to expand my skills as a network technician, but also as a friend to the people in both the IT/cyber community, and my local community.
My true contribution I have been able to make to both of these industries so far is time. Both of these industries, seemingly near identical, require hundreds of hours dedicated to wrapping your head around industry basics. Understanding the network makeup of a business is fundamental to more advanced network concepts, which is why I built a complete network diagram, each device having a unique IP, configured subnets and firewalls, VLANs, and much more, with an accompanying “network pitch” explaining how the network operated, costs, and specific model numbers for each device, as if I were truly pitching and presenting to company investors.
A primary component of understanding cybersecurity is understanding zero-day vulnerabilities and how to push security updates from the publisher of those softwares in the event of a zero-day (or just a regular patch/update). In order to understand the process of security updates I practiced pushing software updates through only the command line in Amazon EC2 instances, through an SSH connection on my desktop (this simulated an SSH connection to push updates to a network router, as well as pushing updates to a Linux based server). As more and more companies move to cloud computing, this process will only grow bigger and more complex, and is critical to keeping systems housed in a third party server safe.
One of the most important things anyone in the tech field should do is participate. I believe a phenomenal way to contribute to the cyber community (and your skill set) is to participate in competitions called Capture the Flag events. This has been my overall biggest contribution to the cybersecurity field. I have participated in the Google CTF, Hack The Box Cyberapocalypse CTF, as well as Hack The Port (which I had the opportunity to travel to Florida for, meeting and engaging with fellow cybersecurity personnel from across the country) and many other CTF events. These Capture the Flag competitions are critical in my understanding of cybersecurity, its processes, and its philosophy. These events gave me practical applications of classroom learned items, as well as the ability to engage with community members, both online and in person.
My physical participation in the information technology community isn’t quite as extensive as cybersecurity, but I have become the face of IT in my local community. Friends, family, and even strangers have approached me with all sorts of tech issues, looking to me for answers. I have built computers, configured routers and firewalls, secured systems, all for little or no cost to those who approach me. I will continue to do this, both as a way to expand my skills as a network technician, but also as a friend to the people in both the IT/cyber community, and my local community.