About me
I am a graduate level student at Old Dominion University in the Cybersecurity program, and I have been very dedicated to cybersecurity over the last few years. I originally came from a marketing background, however having graduated during the pandemic it was difficult to break into the field. Some of my hobbies outside of school are working out, playing sports, making music, and hanging out with my friends. I’d really like to break into IT governance positions, as I feel that it best represents my skill set.
Core Knowledge
Data Protection Strategies
During the course, we learned about data protection strategies. There are several methods of data protection in cybersecurity. Steganography and cryptography are two big ones, with cryptography boasting many options for data protection as well. There are many different types of algorithms, including hashing algorithms, symmetric, and asymmetric cryptographic algorithms. The whole point of data protection is to either hide data in plain sight or to lock it away, with only the intended receivers able to decipher the text.
Here is a short essay on the blockchain.
To first discuss the blockchain’s viability in the stock market, lets analyze what the blockchain is and how it functions. Essentially, the blockchain is defined as a “digital database or ledger shared among a computer network’s nodes” (Hayes, 2023). It is a block of data that is linked as a digital chain and cannot be edited. Usually, a blockchain is decentralized, however banks are wanting it centralized around their specific systems. But on the blockchain, there is full transparency, meaning any transaction performed on the chain can be confirmed by any and every participating computer and user. The blockchain usually relies on trust and validity due to its dispersed nature. The several components making up the blockchain are: the block, the block height, the distributed ledger, and the hash. The block in a blockchain is the ledger that information is added to, which is permanent and cannot be edited. The block height refers to how many blocks are connected within a chain. The blocks operate on a distributed ledger, and this ledger is shared with all computers on the network, meaning location is not a constraint. The computers on the network are called nodes, and they will contain full records of the transactions on the blockchain. This feature is why data on the blockchain cannot be edited or tampered with, because then it won’t match the hashed data stored by the other nodes. The hash function is the mathematical function that is used to map out the data, which is the basis of the creation of cryptocurrency but also how each blockchain differs in its securing of its data.
Identity and Access Management
Identity and Access Management is another interesting and key aspect of cybersecurity. Identity and Access management is all about strategies and techniques to authenticate and identify users and block out unauthorized users. Typical categories would be: something you are, something you have, something you know and something you do. Passwords, tokens and security keys, biometrics and behavioral biometrics. Securing passwords and secure authentication strategies are key, as well as access control schemes and access control lists.
Infrastructure Security
Infrastructure security is about securing the IT infrastructure within a network. This includes common network security devices as well as infrastructure security hardware. Web filtering, DNS filtering, File Integrity Monitoring, and extended detection and response are all important aspects of infrastructure security. VPNs and NACs also allow for better security and protecting data in transit.
As firewalls are integral, here is an artifact displaying when I configured firewall rules blocking TCP and ICMP traffic.
Project/Research Showcase
In another of my classes, I wrote a research paper on ERP systems and how to secure the systems, and that is very relevant to the topic of Infrastructure security in this course. Infrastructure security is about protecting a company’s IT infrastructure, and this has to be a very carefully planned project for a company. Doing the above project was interesting because it forced me to think of infrastructure security in every aspect, as I was in charge of recommending a system to a large business owner that could integrate all of their business processes into one and protect all of their data. I would’ve included screenshots of some of the work that I did in this class in the live simulations, however Cengage would not allow me to access them. Web filtering and DNS filtering is important for an organization because it helps them to protect their systems from accessing malicious websites, and likely companies would need to use NGFWs, or Next Gen Fire Walls to enable filtering at the application layer, or the seventh layer. For companies in more secure industries that require higher levels of security and access controls, File Integrity Monitoring software is great as well because it enforces integrity for files in the system, especially highly sensitive files that could cause the company a good amount of trouble, such as HIPAA violations. Extended detection and response systems are something that I wish I included in the above project, as every company should employ them. They not only cover bases by offering advanced detection and response services for multiple aspects of a network, but they also centralize the analysis of the security data as well. XDR’s can provide cloud security, as well as endpoint devices, networks and email. This all provides faster threat detection, more efficient security teams, improved security posture and cost savings.
Learning Reflections
In this course, I learned many different cybersecurity principles and I hope to continue my learning in later courses, as well as working on my mastery once I enter the job force and gain experience. I have developed greatly during this past semester, having to experience many tough cybersecurity learning challenges, the biggest of them perhaps using Linux or powershell commands, as it can be very frustrating when they don’t work how you want and its all because of a few small typos. I challenge that I overcame during this course most definitely has to be the technical challenge of using the Cengage lab website, because the website can be pretty bad sometimes. Other than that, it was probably the live simulations. Doing different aspects of a project across various virtual machines can be difficult and sometimes confusing, and it can be disheartening sometimes when the expecting outcome and your outcome doesn’t match up. I hope to apply the things I’ve learned academically firstly in a professional setting, showing that I can have mastery of cybersecurity principles such as data encryption or infrastructure security.