CyberQuestions: #6 – How can I become a security expert?

Asking how to become a security expert is a bit like asking what it takes to become Batman, which in some ways are very similar roles.

Cybersecurity experts often have to protect everyone from bad guys. If they’re doing a great job, no one should know just how close the bad guys came to stealing their data. Of course, if something bad does happen, everyone will look to you for help. You have to be as tech-savvy, as determined, and as committed to keeping everyone safe as Batman!

But, before you take over the role altogether, there are some things you should learn.

Getting educated and certified is a great way to learn the details about networks, applications, operating systems, encryption, and pretty much how the internet works. A security expert needs a holistic view of all of this, plus an understanding of how everything works and how the various parts interact with each other. While school helps you with the basics, certifications allow you to expand your knowledge in a particular area – networking, cryptography and reverse engineering, for example.

But sometimes you need to discover information by yourself and learn things that weren’t covered in your formal education. With both technology and cybercriminals continually evolving, you need to be up to date, meaning you need to read, experiment with, and understand how even the newest technologies work. Cybersecurity experts are always up to date with everything security-related.

Curiosity is vital because you need to tinker with new technologies, understand how they work, and figure out if they can help you in any way. Perseverance comes next, because sometimes you need to spend a lot of time investigating every little detail. On the bright side, being a cybersecurity expert is never boring because each day you’ll probably learn something new.

And remember: Being a cybersecurity expert is not a job, it’s an attitude! A Batman attitude!

3 Surprising facts about cyber security:

Cyber crime will cost the economy $2 trillion by the year 2019

95% of all security incidents involve human error

After infiltrating a network, hackers remain in the system undetected for an average of 211 days before corporate victims detect their presence.