The first line of defense: Internet security consultant
The concept of cybersecurity is the increasingly familiar one for everyone – including public, industry, governments etc. It’s the market that keeps growing, particularly because of the increased amount of all sort of hacker attacks. Cybersecurity is not a simple thing, it’s actually a wider discipline that includes information assurance, IT security and how-to-plan of defense against web-based and electronic attacks that are extremely difficult to detect, whose targets are not only individuals but also governments, organizations etc.
With the rapid increase of cyber attacks over the past decade that was highly complex and with the realization that our most valuable intellectual property can be stolen, the need for professionals that will advise the companies on what measures to take and what risks are waiting for them grew increasingly. Internet security consultants work within risk assurance teams and they are often specialized in something, thus being either technical assurance, the architecture of systems, security controls, change management, secure coding, patch management etc. They often work with some of the largest companies, financial institutions or government branches, because all of them need protection against the hacker attacks, but also help with discovering commercial espionage by rival international organizations.
Nowadays, hackers have access to very sophisticated technology and as a result – cyber attacks are terribly costly and dangerous, and furthermore, most of the affected are not even aware that their data is already in the wrong hands until it’s late. The evolution of threat is testing both the capacity and expertise of internet security team of companies, so consultants must give their best in order to stay ahead of the criminals and other intelligence activities. Cybersecurity professionals need more than technical knowledge, they need also good attitude and mindset. It’s often said that in order to succeed in cybersecurity business, they must understand the things with which they work completely and thoroughly. Internet security consultants have to deal with a strong human element also – they need to communicate with a huge audience, including management and all other staff.
In order for a security consultant to be successful, one must also be responsible for implementing and managing necessary training for work colleagues and all of the associated organizations and networks. The whole teams will be responsible in order to detect intrusions and attacks. It is often said that protecting an organization from the dangers of the Internet is similar to a job of a security guard – as long as one is awake and aware of the threats, the chances that something will happen are small. Well trained consultants will monitor the network for deviants while using the system software to set up audits in just the exact places.
It is considered that the future of Internet security lies in human intervention and innovation. Consultants are there to give bits of advice and to implement hardware and software solutions, but also to monitor the network – in this way keeping the attacks at bay will be most successful. A cybersecurity consultant plays a variety of roles within the cybersecurity field in a company. Consultants may be both the defenders and the attackers in not only networks but also software programs and computer systems. Seeking constantly what weaknesses there are and finding the solutions to strengthen the systems in order to prevent their failure in many aspects. The consultants must have specialized knowledge about the latest cutting edge hacking and security strategies in the cyber world. The more experience they bring to the table, the more valuable they will be for the company’s team. They must have to have specialized knowledge of the latest trends in hacking and various new invented security strategies that are available in the cyber world and to keep themselves updated reading blogs, magazines and all kinds of technology websites.
Cybersecurity professionals must have the following abilities and skills:
- Firewall safety and management – this includes backups and prevention protocols;
- Encryption techniques and capabilities – in order to send and receive data without falling under the hacking attack;
- Programming languages – the more languages they are familiar with the better defense they will be able to prepare;
- Familiarity with different and excellent operation systems – with all the systems in development and that are available to the public;
- Working knowledge of threat modeling – in order to understand hacking when it occurs;
- Testing – of the vulnerability of cyber programs and software that a company for which they work uses.
In order to lead a good defense of the company or agency, a consultant needs to be a good leader above all. They have a huge number of people reporting to him or looking to him for guidance so being a good leader is also a must. However, one must not forget the negotiation skills and to understand the possibility of actions against your company – each country has its own rules and cyber laws. And last but not least, the communication skills – a consultant must work in a good working relationship with his superiors and many ordinary people also because cybersecurity is the need for everyone.
The future of cybersecurity lies in many new and developing techniques, in following the latest advances in the fields and above all, as mentioned – in hiring excellent professionals to help to build up the good security system of the company. Once it’s established and rooted, it’ll be easy to follow the laws and rules to prevent DDoS and other hacker attacks. And one must know – in nowadays cyber society, cybersecurity is a must and the most important thing to work on and establish.
