Cybersecurity and Its Importance
The evolving structures and values of Cybersecurity are often established as a necessity in modern day advancements of technology worldwide. When we hear the word 'Cybersecurity', the first of many considerations that comes to mind are criminal attacks, as well as the safety of our personal information. Technology companies across the world continuously refine their security measures to ensure that their data is not vulnerable to public accessibility.
According to G. Nikhita Reddy's research paper titled: "A STUDY OF CYBER SECURITY CHALLENGES AND ITS EMERGING TRENDS ON LATEST TECHNOLOGIES", they highlight that more than approximately 60 percent of total commercial transactions are completed online, begging questions regarding the trust that we must have in high quality transactions through the internet.
With security across a multitude of industries, ranging from e-commerce to net banking, requiring high surveillance, enhancing Cybersecurity within working environments is essential to the progression of economic well being.
What is required to enter the field of Cybersecurity?
Referring to a previous virtual event held by Xccelerate, Senior Security Consultant Key Sing (KS) Lam had expressed that, although becoming a penetration tester requires patience, it also requires the ability to identify weak points in an organization’s system. In correlation to this information, KS had also suggested that software developers are fixated to strict timelines, focusing on completing various tasks rather than making attributes secure, primarily because developers do not necessarily have the expertise to measure and manage security control over their specified platforms for transferring information, whether this is a mobile application or a company’s website.
On the contrary, all penetration testers fail attempts in exploiting various mediums numerous times, therefore it is essentially a rule of thumb that you should not give up. If professional hackers still fail countless times when trying to find vulnerabilities, you can do the same!
Where can I get started?
Under most circumstances, you do not necessarily need to be an excellent programmer, rather you are expected to be able to write bash scripts. Moreover, you are expected to have understandings in the fundamentals of Python, Java and C#. A great place to start if you are a keen individual willing to dive deeper in the field is by reading the Web Application Hackers Handbook, as it is a beginner friendly guide to learn possible ways to hack or pentest a web application, though many of the essentials will be taught on the job.
If you are an individual who has zero experience within the field of computer science, it may take you a year to catch up with basic computation fundamentals, and there are numerous YouTube channels that can guide you through your learning process.
However, if you do have some experience and would like to broaden your scope of knowledge into cyberspace, Xccelerate will be launching our own Penetration Testing course, whereby you will have the ability to perform lab assignments and further enhance your understanding in penetration testing.
Successful completion of this course provides you a guaranteed offer to join PwC Dark Lab Hong Kong as a ‘Junior Penetration Tester’.
If you are not up for a full-time position, you also have the option to join PWC’s Bug Bounty Program. More information on this program can be found here.
What other certifications are worthy for those entering the Cybersecurity industry?
A well known certification course that will further increase your chances of landing a position as a Penetration Tester is Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) Certification and is also required for many Pen-Testing jobs. This is due to the vast amount of methodologies discussed in this certification which are essential for an actively working Penetration Tester.
Final comments towards your future in Cybersecurity
We agree that students of future generations should be entitled to gain greater insights into Cyberspace and, more importantly, the changing impacts of security on multinational corporations.
Our new Cybersecurity: Dark Lab Academy - Penetration Testing Course will provide all learners a comprehensive experience within the field of Cyber Threat Intelligence. Course instructor Jason KA Lee has progressed to become a lead of 10 threat intelligence analysts to produce timely and actionable cyber threat intelligence reports for various projects as well as cyber threat operations. Attending and completing all aspects of this course will become an incredible asset to your portfolio, as you will be one step closer to embarking on an incredible career in the technology industry.
Sign up now and Xccelerate with us!
