Infographic on Cybersecurity

stryder144 · October 2014

Here is a link to a site that has an interesting infographic on Cybersecurity.

Plantwiz · October 2014

Why not elaborate on why you find this interesting rather than merely posting a blanket statement? How did you find this site? What interests you most? And why would 'we' (the members here) care to go there and read more?

Thanks!

docrice · October 2014

Oh yes, it's "cyber" and there's a blinking cursor! (Sorry, had to go there).

The infographic is relatively sparse and reads like an employment informercial though. Infosec today is unfortunately riddled with trendy marketing buzzwords and a lot of gross over-simplification of the job requirements. It's become a grab-bag for a lot of security vendors to tout their offerings as the go-to solution and the "acquire this certification and you're set!" sort of mentality which I despise.

stryder144 · October 2014

My apologies for not posting more. I was rather busy and merely wanted to get this posted. So, to answer the questions:

1. I found this site from a post on Facebook for the National Cyber Security Awareness Month page.
2. I found the infographic interesting because of the information provided on top rated colleges, areas that are job hot spots, and the top tips to get you going section.

What I find most interesting, though, is how most of the information provided in the infographic is mentioned almost daily, to one degree or another, on this site. If nothing else, this provides validation for the advice given here. Ultimately, if a member of this site, or a lurker, is wondering if the advice given to them here is accurate and meaningful, then I would suggest that they can rest assured that it is (given that this is just one source).

Cheers

***And yes, docrice is right, the information doesn't adequately put forth what it takes to enter the market or how to be a good security analyst. While I don't think that was the intent of the infographic, I do see where it could be misleading. I also appreciate that credentialing was focused on a degree, as opposed to the typical "get your Security+ cert and you'll make buckets of money" spiel that the typical technical training school throws at wide-eyed IT wannabes.

docrice · October 2014

I think it's good that "cybersecurity" as a thought is gaining traction, but it's inherently a complex domain that tends to get dumbed down a lot so that it's easy to digest to those unfamiliar with it. Many awareness campaigns generally boil down to "get this type of education and get a job!" and unfortunately it doesn't work in a straightforward manner like that right now.

This is why I'm sure many newcomers are disappointed when they learn that getting into infosec can be tough because the money and time they put into getting a degree and certed up doesn't seem to amount to much without having the hands-on experience ... and no one wants to be told that they should start at helpdesk to gain an understanding of how the IT world works before jumping into the security side of things, otherwise it's difficult to frame issues into proper context before pushing the button on whatever vendor device seemingly makes the problems go away.

stryder144 · October 2014

Interestingly enough, reading the domains for the GSEC cert lead me to change my perspective on how best to prepare myself for entry into the INFOSEC world. After reading that you are required to understand Windows and Linux, OSes that I am thankfully familiar with but readily admit that I am entry level at best. Opened my eyes to needing to branch out into several domains before attempting to get into cybersecurity professionally.

So, based on my own limited knowledge, I would say that you are spot on, docrice, in your evaluation. It is difficult to get into, the base of knowledge necessary to be an effective cybersecurity professional is more extensive than most people are led to believe, and it can be frustrating when all you hear are the typical, overly simplified "do this and you are in" speeches that many hear day-in and day-out.

The value of the infographic, to my mind, is that it provides, at the bottom of the page, a link to the NICCS site. On there, I found this.

Infographic on Cybersecurity

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