Cybersecurity Career Paths

Introduction to Cybersecurity

• This course is an introduction to the field of cybersecurity, covering the basics of online safety, types of malware and attacks, and career options in cybersecurity.
• Cybersecurity professionals have various roles, including Cybersecurity Guru, Cybersecurity Forensic Expert, Information Security Expert, and Ethical Hacker.

Chapter 1: The Need for Cybersecurity

• Cybersecurity is necessary to protect personal data, including medical records, education records, employment and financial records, and online identity.
• Personal data is stored in various devices, including computing devices, and can be accessed by cybercriminals.
• Cybercriminals want money and personal identity.
• Organizational data includes traditional data, Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data, and must be protected to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
• Confidentiality ensures that data is only accessible to authorized individuals, integrity ensures that data is accurate and complete, and availability ensures that data is accessible when needed.
• Cybersecurity professionals must have the same skills as cyber attackers, but work within the bounds of the law and use their skills ethically.
• Cyber warfare is the use of technology to attack a country's infrastructure and disrupt its operations.

Types of Attackers and Cybersecurity Professionals

• Types of attackers include internal and external threats, with internal threats coming from within an organization and external threats coming from outside.
• Cybersecurity professionals must have the same skills as cyber attackers, but work within the bounds of the law and use their skills ethically.

Cybersecurity Breaches

• Cybersecurity breaches can have severe consequences, including financial loss, damage to reputation, and legal liability.
• Examples of cybersecurity breaches include Security Breach Example 1, Security Breach Example 2, and Security Breach Example 3.### The Need for Cybersecurity
• Digital information gathering and sharing increases the need to protect national security and economic stability
• Cybersecurity is the ongoing effort to protect networked systems and data from unauthorized use or harm

Your Online and Offline Identity

• Online identity is how you present yourself online, and should only reveal limited information
• Offline identity is your personal life, including friends, family, and daily interactions
• Choose a username or alias that does not include personal information and is respectful

Your Data

• Any information about you is considered your data, including personal, medical, financial, and educational information
• Data includes pictures, messages, and other online exchanges with family and friends
• Data can be used to identify you and can be accessed, shared, and sold by companies and hackers

Medical Records

• Electronic Health Records (EHRs) include medical history, mental health, and personal information
• Medical devices, such as fitness bands, generate clinical data that can become part of your medical records

Education and Employment Records

• Education records include grades, test scores, attendance, and disciplinary reports
• Employment records include income, expenditures, tax records, and performance information

Where is Your Data?

• Data is stored on your devices, in company databases, and on servers around the world
• Data can be accessed and shared by companies, hackers, and governments

Cybersecurity Threats

• Hackers want your money, identity, and personal information
• Cybercriminals use stolen credentials to access accounts and steal money
• Identity theft can lead to financial loss, reputation damage, and long-term consequences

Organizational Data

• Corporate data includes personnel information, intellectual property, and financial data
• Intellectual property, such as patents and trade secrets, is valuable and vulnerable to theft
• Financial data, including income statements and balance sheets, is sensitive and confidential

Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability (CIA Triad)

• Confidentiality ensures data privacy through authentication and encryption
• Integrity ensures data accuracy and trustworthiness through version control and checksum hashing
• Availability ensures data accessibility to authorized personnel through backups and recovery plans

The Consequences of a Security Breach

• A breach can result in lost data, downtime, and revenue loss

• A breach can lead to reputational damage, legal liability, and employee turnover

• The monetary cost of a breach is higher than just replacing lost devices and investing in security### Cybersecurity and Attacks

• Cybercriminals can take over online accounts if people reuse their passwords on different websites and accounts, leading to security breaches and impact on company reputation.

• Parents need to be more vigilant about their children's privacy online and demand better security for children's products.

• Manufacturers of network-connected products need to be more aggressive in protecting customer data and privacy.

Equifax Security Breach

• Equifax, a consumer credit reporting agency, experienced a data breach in 2017, exposing millions of U.S. consumers' sensitive personal data.
• The breach, which occurred between May and July 2017, included full names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses, and other personally identifiable information.
• The breach may have affected customers in the United Kingdom and Canada.

Attackers and Cybersecurity Professionals

• Attackers are individuals or groups who attempt to exploit vulnerabilities for personal or financial gain.
• Types of attackers include:
  • Amateurs (Script Kiddies): attackers with little or no skill, using existing tools or instructions found on the Internet.
  • Hackers:
    • White Hat: ethical hackers who use their skills for good, ethical, and legal purposes.
    • Grey Hat: individuals who commit crimes, but not for personal gain or to cause damage.
    • Black Hat: unethical criminals who violate computer and network security for personal gain or malicious reasons.
  • Organized Hackers: groups of cyber criminals, hacktivists, terrorists, and state-sponsored hackers.

Internal and External Threats

• Internal security threats: attacks originated from within an organization, often by employees or contractors who can mishandle confidential data, threaten internal servers, or facilitate outside attacks.
• External security threats: attacks from amateurs or skilled attackers who exploit vulnerabilities in network or computing devices, or use social engineering to gain access.

Cyberwarfare

• Cyberwarfare is an Internet-based conflict that involves the penetration of computer systems and networks of other nations.
• The main purpose of cyberwarfare is to gain advantage over adversaries, whether nations or competitors.
• Cyberwarfare can be used for industrial and militaristic espionage, sabotage, and stealing defense secrets.
• Examples of cyberwarfare include the Stuxnet malware, which was designed to damage Iran's nuclear enrichment plant.

Analyzing a Cyberattack

• Security vulnerabilities are software or hardware defects that can be exploited by malicious users.
• Exploits are programs written to take advantage of known vulnerabilities.
• The goal of a cyberattack is to gain access to a system, its data, or a specific resource.
• Software vulnerabilities are often introduced by errors in the operating system or application code.
• Examples of software vulnerabilities include the SYNful Knock vulnerability in Cisco IOS, which allowed attackers to gain control of enterprise-grade routers.