Reflection from CVCSA’s October Speaker at ODU: Dr. Avooske

On October 14, I attended the October Speaker Series event hosted by Coastal Virginia Cybersecurity Students Association where the speaker was Dr. Avooske. he is the Vice President of Information Advantage at Frontier Technology. His presentation was engaging and gave key insights into how we can best defend against cybersecurity attacks from both a military and civilian perspective. He highlighted how in today’s world of constant attacks and evolving APTs, we must understand the differences between defending for if an attack happens, and when. I found this to be the most interesting part of the event as it shifted my perspective on how to defend, mitigate, and prepare for these types of threats. For lower-complexity attacks, we must defend our systems for if they get through; this includes firewalls, IDS systems, and other standard cybersecurity practices. For Advanced Persistent Threats, especially in the realm of cyberwarfare and cyberterrorism, we must prepare for when these attacks occur; this means we must be ready to respond and recover to the best of our ability because they are more likely to slip past standard cybersecurity defenses. Overall, I enjoyed listening to Dr. Avooske’s presentation, talking with him about his various roles in the cybersecurity community, and learning more about the field.