If you are a budding programmer or strategist, cybersecurity is one of the most important areas in 21st century.
Although cybersecurity isn’t something that is very visible, it has a profound impact on the way humans communicate, do business, vote, and interact with each other. There is inherent risk in humankind’s growing dependence upon digital networks. Hackers, spies and others use the vulnerabilities of networks to extort funds, manipulate public opinion and steal identity. Cybersecurity experts are crucial in stopping malign actors from dominating the digital age.
By obtaining a cybersecurity master’s, you can be a part of a group of fellow professionals who are able to help you improve your skills. You’ll be able also to tap into the expertise of your cybersecurity elders – professors and course conveners. This knowledge sharing is critical if you wish to be successful in the varied and lucrative field of digital security.
A wonderful career in cybersecurity involves high average earnings, low unemployment rates, and the opportunity to make the world a safer, more truthful place. Here are five reasons you should pursue a postgraduate cybersecurity master’s degree. This is a 21st-century qualification.
Cybersecurity Is More Important Than Ever
Studying for a cybersecurity masters will open up many opportunities. You’ll be able to join a dynamic, rapidly-growing field where innovative thinking and sound planning are highly rewarded. As more organizations and businesses depend on computers, you are likely well aware of the importance of cybersecurity. The news has rarely missed cybersecurity issues over the past 10 year. Here are a few of the examples you might have seen:
DNC Spear Phishing Campaign
This sophisticated Russian hacking operation aimed to discredit Hilary Clinton’s presidential campaign was a cybersecurity attack that may have altered the course of history. Staff members of the Democratic National Committee received innocuous-looking emails that appeared useful. These emails were in fact spear-phishing messages. Staff members were unaware that they had compromised the security system of the party by clicking the links in emails and entering passwords. Numerous emails that Clinton’s campaign received and sent were systematically leaked. Donald Trump was elected. During the 2018 midterm election, the hackers attempted to spear-phish yet again the Democratic National Committee. Students pursuing a cybersecurity master’s diploma will be able to teach organizational employees how to prevent this kind devastation.
Yahoo Data Breach
Yahoo was once an internet powerhouse, but their market credibility and market value were severely damaged after it was revealed that hackers had gained access all 3 billion accounts. Yahoo’s security personnel failed to catch the culprit for the data breach. Verizon would purchase them for much less than what they predicted. Cybersecurity master’s students will explore how large databases can have encryption as well as other security measures.
As you can see, cybersecurity incidents can have devastating consequences in politics and business. As the world gets more connected, cybersecurity has become an even more pressing matter. Hackers and thieves are quick in finding new ways to exploit technology. The DPRK has been exploiting blockchain-based crypto currencies, among others, as well as criminal gangs, spies, and nefarious extortion specialists.
Cybersecurity is now more essential to a safe, honest society than ever. The good news for cybersecurity masters is that the field is likely be even more relevant, as more people communicate online. As hackers discover weaknesses, cybersecurity specialists will develop in parallel to help fill those gaps and manage the risks.
Cybersecurity specialists are well paid
Organizations consider cybersecurity experts to be highly valuable – and they get rewarded accordingly. A company, government, and NGO who wants to reduce risk must make cybersecurity a priority. Graduates in cybersecurity masters can deliver risk mitigation operations, security audits, active countermeasures to data breaches, and are highly sought-after. A cybersecurity professional may earn between 74,000 and 127,000 dollars per annum depending on where they live.
As a senior cybersecurity consultant, you will earn significantly more than average salaries if you do find work. The same applies to those who are able to deliver security operations to U.S. Air Force, National Security Agency or other agencies. Since the inflection point of cyber attacks on national stability was not recognized by government agencies, they have invested huge amounts in cybersecurity and digital intelligence. RAND corporation in 2015 reported that the think tank was correct to identify the need for the U.S. Air Force’s investment in cybersecurity. The Air Force requested 1.25 million dollars in federal funds for cybersecurity programs during the 2019 fiscal.
The future value of cybersecurity will likely remain very high – this is a good reason to pursue a cybersecurity master’s. Security experts will be in high demand unless there’s a major global catastrophe. Cybersecurity employs around 780,000 Americans at the moment. There are usually around 350,000 open positions in this field and an average 0 percent unemployment rate. There are very few professions that can boast a zero percent unemployment rate.
Cybersecurity graduate can choose from many career paths
Cybersecurity is a vast field. Master’s in cybersecurity students have many options when it comes to choosing a path that will lead them to a fulfilling career. These are just a handful of the roles that qualified cybersecurity experts could find themselves in, if they work hard.
I.T. Security Engineer
I.T. Security engineers are responsible for assessing the organization’s ability to build its network and to manage risk. They work with executives, programmers and data engineers to guide a team in building a secure network. They are the most innovative members of a cybersecurity team.
Incident Responder
The demand for cybersecurity incident responders is very high. They quickly respond to any attacks and take down all vulnerabilities. They compile legal information and present reports to organizations on how they can prevent another incident like the one that occurred.
Investigator
While an incident responseer reports on vulnerabilities, cleaning up damage and making repairs, an investigator looks at the causes, motivations behind, and personnel behind a cybercrime. Cybercrime investigators play an important part in uncovering schemes and plots within government agencies such as the FBI. Investigators need to be able to see the details and have technical knowledge.
Malware Analyst
Malware analysts are a mix of reverse engineers, programmers, and detectives. After a security breach, they offer in-depth intelligence and insight. Malware analysts can assist security teams in developing more robust strategies to protect themselves against future threats by analysing malicious programs. They can even collaborate with ethical hackers in order to inform them during security tests.
Ethical Hacker
Ethical hackers test security and countermeasures in a system. They pretend to be malicious criminals and hack into networks, exposing vulnerabilities. This assists other team members in assessing and mitigating risks. Ethical hackers can be encouraged to think of creative ways to expose security vulnerabilities – just as their unethical counterparts. Often, they will be contracted in to solve an unanticipated challenge without the knowledge of the wider cybersecurity group.
Learn how to spot vulnerability before it is exploited
Many cybersecurity roles involve identifying vulnerabilities before they could be exploited. An inability to act when faced with a crisis is a hallmark of a well-designed cybersecurity strategy. You’ll learn how cybersecurity masters can help you spot warning signs that may indicate a potential security breach.
The majority of the work of any cybersecurity engineer is concerned with risk mitigation. There are four major steps to any cybersecurity risk mitigation strategy.
Identify your Risks
Just identifying potential vulnerabilities is an important step towards making a network safer. Cybersecurity master’s students learn how to thoroughly audit the networks they are working on.
Assess the risks
Cybersecurity experts can find ways to mitigate vulnerabilities by understanding what they can be exploited and identifying the types of vulnerabilities that are present in a network. Sometimes, ethical hackers are used as a testing ground to exploit these vulnerabilities.
Identify possible mitigation measures
It is important to fix as much of the security flaws as possible. This may include staff training and programming.
Decide what to do regarding residual risk
A network can never be completely protected from exploitation. Networks that are cybersecure must be able to spot vulnerabilities that they have failed to fix. They must then create a contingency plan to address breaches as they happen. To continuously improve security, it is common to implement a continuous risk assessment process.
You Have the Chance to Make the World More Real
Technology advancements have led to an age in which truth objectivity has been eroded. In the ‘posttruth age’, facts can be falsified, populations can be manipulated, as well as seeds of doubt planted by unscrupulous actors. It can be difficult to discern the difference between what is authentic and what is faked online. Our identities and identities are all stored on the internet. This makes us more vulnerable to being misled and exploited online. Social scientists and political scientists are alarmed at how quickly misinformation can be spread. There have been worrying ripple effects on society as well. The fragility of truth means that online humans are less able than ever to recognize and ignore evidence of wrongdoing, prejudice, or manipulation. People are more likely become apathetic, or to have extremist views. Compromising is hard when truth is subjective.
Cybersecurity experts are responsible for bringing some level of security and meaning to all information we share online. Businesses and government organizations have begun to hire cybersecurity teams to teach staff how to manipulate the truth to extract money from criminals. Bellingcat, an open source investigator, uses cybersecurity techniques in order to reveal the dark world that is message manipulation by military and political agents. As a cybersecurity expert, it is essential to identify and eliminate falsehoods that are being spread online. Apart from protecting against material attacks you will be providing protection for online conversations.
Governmental organisations have probably run the most important and effective online misinformation campaigns. The Internet Research Agency was created by backroom deals with the Russian Government and thousands of fake Facebook accounts and Twitter accounts in an attempt at influencing domestic and global politics. They were successful in all cases. Cybersecurity experts are qualified to combat these tactics. The fight against digital misinformation won’t be won anytime soon. As cybersecurity professionals develop new methods to eliminate fakery, people with an interest spreading misinformation will also develop their tactics. Increased use of human beings instead of bots is one of the ways misinformation spreading organisations are evolving. Workers will be able to use multiple VPNs in their offices, and pretend to be real people. It sounds like exhausting work.