Jacob Crabtree

CYSE 368

When I started this internship, I was not fully sure what to expect because this position is my first step into the IT world. I have been in school for several semesters and have gained a decent amount of knowledge within the field of it and cybersecurity but having the opportunity to apply some of this knowledge within the workplace is a whole new challenge and experience for me. I am familiar with being in a workplace that deals with some levels of information security because I used to work in healthcare. Within the medical field, it is a daily requirement to ensure that no patient’s information is being mishandled and that only those who are authorized for each patient can access the information. While this internship is not within the medical field, there are still many levels of security involved within this position as an IT helpdesk technician. This role requires me to be able to perform basic troubleshooting for navy personnel as well as help to ensure that any files or information disclosed is kept confidential and secure.  In addition to what is required within the role, there is security that is enforced as soon as I set foot onto base. Once I drive onto base, I am required to show a CAC* (common access card) that is scanned to grant me access on to base. Then once I am able to access the building I work in, I then have to badge into my office using a RFID badge. Even with accessing my computers for the day, I am required to use dual smart cards to authenticate and authorize me access into the system and the tools and services used within my role. I have noticed that a lot of the calls and issues that we deal with daily involve verifying and authenticating customer and staff to ensure the correct person is calling and that no information is being discussed with the wrong customer. One of my objectives is to expand my knowledge and experience with encryption and authentication and this position has already helped me to start working on that. One of the most common issues we deal with daily is helping staff access or set up their outlook email profiles and aid in setting up their encryption and signature settings. When assisting in the setup of their profiles, if there are multiple email accounts, they have access to we have to set up individual profiles for each one. This is to ensure that any email accounts that could potentially handle sensitive or classified information are isolated from the unclassified section so as to prevent any spillage of data. Once the profiles are set up, then we make sure that the individual’s certificates that have been assigned to them have been published into the global list available to other staff within the outlook application. This helps to further secure any emails they need to send because it provides them the ability to encrypt and decrypt emails as well as be able to digitally sign their emails. This adds confidentiality as well as integrity to the information being transferred through outlook. In addition to being able to learn more daily in regard to information security, I have also been able to learn about the general structure of my workplace as well. The environment is very calm, and the training is mostly self-taught.  You have about 2 weeks with a trainer to get the general idea of how the job operates and then perform some practice calls and troubleshooting to allow you to gain more confidence in the position before you are fully on your own. From that point on, you have reference guides and general knowledge to help guide you through completing your roles as a help desk technician. As this internship continues, I am sure I will gain more knowledge and insight as to the structure of my workplace as well as the different aspects of cyber security and handling more sensitive customers and information such as classified information and/or machines.