Journal 11 – Cybersecurity Analyst

The role of a Cybersecurity analyst fits into social behaviors in several ways. The analyst serves as the first line of defense from cyber-attacks within an organization. Analysts can help monitor networks, analyze potentially malicious emails, train employees, and create cybersecurity awareness training, among other tasks. Social engineering is when an attacker gathers information to conduct an attack. Criminals can do this directly via phishing campaigns that are conducted via E-mail. Smishing is via text message (SMS), and vishing would use phone calls. It’s important for analysts to understand how society acts and identify risks that could manipulate individuals into releasing information that can be used in an attack. For instance, say someone fills out a survey online and, in that survey, identifies the company they work for and the CEO of that company. This could be used to conduct a walking campaign where the attackers go after the CEO to breach a network and potentially extort a large amount of money via ransomware.  Analysts help keep organizations and individuals safe from cyber-attacks.