ePortfolio Reflection Paper
By John Cover
Submitted to Professor Steffen
IDS 493
December 8, 2022
ePortfolio Reflection Paper
Reed & Koliba argue that, “Most of what we know about the world and our place in it is derived from learning through our experiences”. I believe that is true in my case. The last few years have dealt me some blows that have been hard to bounce back from. These personal experiences have imprinted on me more than any of the classes that I have taken. To be honest, some of the classes that I have taken are just a faraway memory. My degree’s major will be in Cybersecurity. I don’t feel that I have mastered any skill sets in this area while I have been in school, so I don’t want to single out any cybersecurity skills that I should have acquired from my cybersecurity classes. I do want to show through my artifacts the soft skills that I have acquired in the last few years, such as, that I am adaptable, hardworking and that I have good communication, attention to detail and interpersonal skills.
I found that the truly rewarding classes here at ODU had labs attached to them that put me into the position of having to learn the material that we were reading about. Experiencing the material through practice or manipulation made learning the material easier. For instance, a class I am taking now “Digital Forensics CYSE407” has labs attached to each chapter. The labs give you a step by step instruction on how to complete the assignment through the use of various applications. The assignments are developed to help you develop your instincts and skills in looking for problems or illegal activity in digital formats. I found it interesting and a lot of fun to do these labs. Without the practice, the material was just words on a sheet of paper. Two of the assignments in particular gave a scenario and you had to be creative and come up with solutions that you obtained from the readings and the labs during the term.
The first artifact (1. Forensic Lab Development Plan), as you will see was for me to come up with a Forensic Lab Development Plan. I had been tasked with creating and building a forensic laboratory for a mid-sized police department. I had to determine what I needed in equipment, personnel, software applications and space requirements. I also had to develop security protocols, storage protocols and accreditation protocols. Going through each section gave me an idea of what goes into developing a forensic lab and the amount of resources that are involved in conducting forensic investigations.
The development of a forensic lab begins with determining the format of the space and how it should be arrangement to meet the needs of the personnel and the equipment. You also have to be careful to ensure that the lab has security protocols in place to ensure the integrity of the evidence that you are processing. Considerations of security personnel placement as well as entry protocols have to be determined to ensure that no one comes into the lab that doesn’t need to be there. Even planning the type of door and entry systems have to be developed to ensure that nothing tampers with the evidence being tested inside the lab. Attention to detail is critical in the collection and processing of evidence and the preservation of evidence.
Another artifact (2. Forensic Expert Report) for Digital Forensics CYSE407 was to develop a case report of an investigation that I had conducted on evidence that was taken from a suspect. I had to ensure that I could testify to the results in court. I had to inspect the suspect’s cell phone and laptop. The scenario that was given was bare bones, just a Senator and someone named Red Ralph and correspondence that was discovered. I had to develop what I thought the evidence was trying to show. I had to determine how I was going to collect, test, preserve the evidence that was discovered on the devices and any conclusions that I had about what the evidence did show. The scenario that I came up with involved the Senator in the case and they were in a run for reelection. To ensure that the Senator would win, she had someone that was called Red Ralph deposit money into their opponents account and then tip off the IRS that the opponent was not declaring income and was taking bribes.
The assignment called for determining the hardware and software applications that would be used to examine the evidence. The case report would show the step by step process of each individual examination of the cell phone and the laptop and the results that were determined. After reviewing the evidence, I would also give my opinion on the results of the investigation and make any recommendations of any further action on the case. I found both assignments fun and thought provoking and truly enjoyed them.
My next artifact (3. Leadership Statement), was developed in my CPD395 class. This class focused on leadership along with team building. I had to develop a leadership philosophy statement that discussed my views and thoughts on leadership and the values and skills that I wanted to embrace when leading a team. It was more of a guideline to follow in how I would treat my team and how I wanted them to view me.
The next artifact (4. Stop, Keep, Start – Effective Feedback Paper), developed in CPD395, was based on effective feedback and how one would determine what leadership behaviors to keep and what behaviors to get rid of in my dealings with people. I developed the paper as a result of an interview with my grandmother based on “Stop, Keep, Start – Effective Feedback”. She knows me very well and is always honest with me in our conversations. I had asked her what behaviors should I stop, what should I keep and what should I start doing. It was an eye-opening assignment as it made me realize that the advice my grandmother had been trying to give me throughout my life was the same things I was trying to discuss in the paper.
The last artifact (5. Leadership Essay Paper), from CPD395, is an assignment that development my thoughts on the leadership style that would be most effective in leading a team. It also discussed the importance of communication between myself and my team to ensure that ideas, suggestions and directives are received and understood by the team. This will ensure that we are all on the same page and that any project we are undertaking will be successful.
The next artifact (6. Cyber Warfare and Militarization Paper), was developed in my CYSE495. It was an interesting class which focused on the cyber threat posed by different countries around the world. It was interesting and scary to learn of the wars that can be waged through the internet. Attacks on critical infrastructure in countries could have devastating effects on their people and their economies. Though its not cyberwarfare, the news has discussed the damage the Russians have down to Ukraine’s infrastructure with missiles and the terrible effect it will have on her people in the upcoming winter months. Imagine what it would be like if all Ukraine’s computer systems were compromised with Russian attacks through cyberspace.
The next artifact (7. Defects and Vulnerabilities), that was developed in my CYSE462. This paper discusses the defects and vulnerabilities that a company might face and suggestions on how the cybersecurity professional should deal with it. The articles suggest the types of policies that companies should have in place to ensure the integrity of its data.
The next artifact (8. Warfare Paper), that was developed in my CYSE462. This paper discusses the art of warfare through cyber space versus a conventional war with people and bombs and missiles. Personnel that fight cyberwars are generally far away from their target versus the foot soldiers that risk life and limb in war operations. Though there may be less deaths associated with traditional soldiers, I think the civilian population suffers just as much.
The next artifact (9. Pegasus Blog), was developed in CYSE495. This blog discusses a spyware called Pegasus that is a hacking application. Once it has found a home in your phone or on your computer, it can make copies of emails, messages and anything else that it finds interesting. The company that created this application states it only for governmental use. How they can guarantee that is not known. It would be terrible if the application wound up in the terrorist’s hand to track potential targets. Hopefully, this application is used within the boundaries of the law.
So, to conclude my thoughts on my college career, it has made me more aware of how important it is to have a cybersecurity field full of professionals that understand the dangers that are inherent to cyberspace and that they need to be prepared to fight those battles wherever they may find them. Some people may go on from college and work for the government and may be involved with monitoring those countries that we feel are a threat to our country. Some may go into the military and actually fight in cyberspace through monitoring other countries technology, finding ways to prevent them from launching missiles and bombs or from putting viruses in the systems of countries that handle that countries infrastructure. Some may even be involved with drone strikes that take out terrorists in other countries. Other graduates may work for private companies, such as banks or other institutions that require knowledgeable people that can protect the company’s data and assets.
I hope through the artifacts that I have listed that I have shown that I do understand the importance of this field and the value of the knowledge that I have obtained to further myself in the field. I hope it also illustrates my communication abilities through my writing. Even with the traumatic events I have faced, I think that the fact that I have finished all these courses shows my adaptability to the changes and adjustments that I have to make to start each new class. I hope it shows that I try to my best to turn in the best work that I can with each assignment. Hopefully, my ePortfolio also tells the personal side of myself and the tough times I have faced and how I have been able to work through them and come out on the other side with the prize being graduation!
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