8 hard truths about working in cybersecurity

My professional career as an administrator of systems has been characterized by exposure to cybersecurity, precisely when I worked for financial institutions. As security breaches continue to happen due to various vulnerabilities (both technological and human mistakes), the stakes keep increasing. We've reached a point where careers are created and destroyed to protect corporate assets.

If you're considering the field of cybersecurity or already have started on the route, here are some honest observations that can assist you on your path to success.

1. Information is only a beginning
Information is fantastic; we are in IT, which means information technology. But when it comes to providing details to users about security guidelines to follow or keep an eye on, do not assume that it's the final, best plan or an all-in-one when you click the send button.
For example, simply telling people not to click suspicious emails does not guarantee that they'll follow through. Also, the warnings become outdated or are forgotten after a while, making them useless. Many emails are without being read or lost, which means there's less security of conformity. Be prepared to be more active.

2. The policies are significant; however, having technology control mechanisms to back them up is much better
Security policies that dictate what users are allowed to and cannot do can help establish limits and expectations. Examples of policies on TechRepublic's twin site Tech Pro Research. Tech Pro Research covers the following areas:

Mobile Device Computing
Information Security
Network Security
Information Security Incident Reporting
But, be sure to implement technological safeguards to go in line with these guidelines, like enforcing complex passwords and secure storage device encryption, monitoring and alerting of security violations, and various other tools.

3. Clueless users pose a more significant threat than malicious hackers.
Hackers are aware of that. This is one reason the social engineering technique is practical and easy to convince a victim that you're in an IT department and need their password to solve the issue rather than trying to crack or guess the password, even using brute force methods.

It's also crucial to remember that ignorance can outweigh bad intentions when a user is caught doing something wrong, such as accessing a suspicious site or logging in to an unauthorized system. This is why you should have policies to limit the number of errors or actions that are not advised.

4. Cybersecurity is not glamorous except in the movies.
It's not often that Hollywood depicts cybersecurity with accuracy. I'm pleasantly surprised when the film even references the concept of IP addresses. A lot of the time, "busting cybercriminals" are made to appear attractive and cool. Security professionals are shown at the James Bond-level of brilliance and sophistication.

Unfortunately, the reality of cybersecurity isn't so much about the ability to catch criminals using a shrewdly designed trap as it is more about mundane tasks. Watching someone comb through logs and apply patches, taking part in training, and studying security advisory messages isn't going to make a film ticket.

5. Automation is essential.
It's crucial to know and apply any central control that you can employ to implement security changes, like closing down weaknesses and patching the system. Using Group Policy Objects or other configuration management tools, such as SCCM or Puppet, and even basic bash scripting for executing a "for" loop can save you hundreds of hours throughout the Cyber security course ![Uploading image #NaN...]() throughout your profession. They can also work better than manual intervention, which reduces the chance of mishaps or errors.

6. You cannot be sure of a sufficient amount of tests.
Before you implement any security-related changes, make sure that you thoroughly test these in a setting as close to the live production environment as is possible. Specific changes could be very complex and could result in unexpected outcomes. However.

In particular, deactivating the obsolete TLS (Transportation Layer Security) 1.0 protocol could cause problems associated with older SQL databases. The relationship between the modification and the problem might not be immediately apparent. Make sure you thoroughly examine the user's and systems' results before modifying a test system.

7. Being"the good guy" is worth peanuts
It could sound depressing; however, as my police officer friends have shared, Contrary to what the media has said, the truth is that crime pays. Hackers who commit an incident that compromises data could make a fortune in hours. At the same time, a cybersecurity expert could work in a legitimate job for 30 years and not earn the same amount of money.

My intention is not to say that it's more beneficial to commit criminality, but if you're planning to be the good guy, be aware that criminals have a massive financial incentive to carry out their actions. Therefore, fighting them becomes more complicated when they're driven by greed. In the case of avarice, people will commit outrageously outrageous or desperate acts in contrast to honest people who are earning an enduring (if only a comfortably) income.

8. Security is a process, not an endpoint
The only secure system is one behind a locked entrance removed from the network and consequently wholly unaccessible. However, until that door is locked with a key stored in possession of someone else, there is a chance that the system will be in danger.

There isn't any such thing as ideal security or a fully secure environment. The work of cybersecurity professionals isn't done; it's just "done for the moment."