Reflection:
I developed my leadership skills through my role as the captain of my high school basketball team and by earning the Best Student-Athlete/Leader Award at graduation. As team captain, I was responsible for leading my teammates, keeping everyone motivated, and setting a positive example both on and off the court. I had to communicate effectively, stay focused during difficult moments, and help bring the team together. Being recognized with the leadership award showed that my coaches and school trusted my ability to lead and represent the team. These experiences helped me grow as a leader and taught me how to take responsibility, support others, and lead with confidence.
Group Write-Up:
Rieco Hellams
Write Up
Attacks on availability:
Attacks on availability are cyberattacks that result in denying access to systems, networks, and services. The goal is to make people unable to access, causing downtime, degrading performance, or rendering critical resources inaccessible, thereby affecting the functionality of the target organization or system. Common forms of attack are Dos and DDos attacks which both are used to overwhelm systems causing them to crash. Other forms are: Server crashes caused by exploiting vulnerabilities in the system.
Resource exhaustion attacks, where attackers exhaust server resources (like memory or CPU) to prevent it from functioning properly.
Ransomware attacks can also impact availability by encrypting files and preventing access until a ransom is paid.
In 2024 January, A major cyber attack took place on a company known as LoanDepot. The type of attack was a ransom attack .16.9 million customers were attacked by this breach giving away sensitive information like including Social Security numbers, account numbers, names, addresses and other data. The company lost about 27 million due to the data breach. Companies systems were offline from January 8 to January 18 which resulted in money lost and lack of identity protection.
For users, the implications are even more personal. The exposure of sensitive information like Social Security numbers and account details can result in identity theft and financial fraud. Customers may face challenges in monitoring and securing their personal data, and the lack of identity protection during the attack period further amplifies the risk. Trust in the organization diminishes, and users may feel their privacy and security were not prioritized.
Overall, attacks on availability disrupt business continuity, undermine customer confidence, and can have lasting legal, financial, and reputational consequences for all parties involved.
Reference: Anna Fitzgerald. (2024, December 11). 15 Recent Cyber Attacks & What They Tell Us About the Future of Cybersecurity. https://secureframe.com/blog/recent-cyber-attacks
Job Experience:
I also developed my leadership skills by working as an aftercare teacher and tutor during the summer. In this role, I was responsible for supervising students, helping them with their schoolwork, and creating a safe and positive environment. I had to be patient, communicate clearly, and make sure each student understood what they were learning. I also helped manage behavior and keep students focused, which required responsibility and strong leadership. This experience taught me how to guide others, stay organized, and support students with different needs, which strengthened my ability to lead in both academic and real-world settings.