Cyber Work

Despite being told she was “too young, too inexperienced, and too naïve” to contribute anything to the industry, Christine Izuakor decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Security Engineering at the age of 23. Four years later she completed the program, making her the youngest student and first African American woman to do so. On today’s episode, Dr. Izuakor talks about being a security engineering prodigy, hiring for a diverse workforce and her new company, Cyber Pop-up, an on-demand cybersecurity service platform powered by vetted freelancers.– Get your free security awareness toolkit: http://infosecinstitute.com/ncsam2020 – Start learning cybersecurity for free: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcastChristine Izuakor is a Houston native, born of two parents who immigrated to America from Nigeria to pursue higher education. Starting from humble beginnings, Christine has always been motivated to maximize on the opportunities her parents and community created for her. In 2013, Christine decided to pursue a Ph.D. in Security Engineering at the University of Colorado. Her research contributions were published in numerous international journals, and she presented in international conferences from South Korea to Rome, Italy. During this entire journey, Dr. Izuakor also maintained a full-time job within the cyber security team of a Fortune 100 company. Most recently, in 2020, Dr. Christine Izuakor shook up the industry with her departure from the corporate arena coupled with the launch of her new cybersecurity startup, Cyber Pop-up (www.cyberpopup.com), an on-demand cybersecurity service platform powered by vetted freelancers.About InfosecAt Infosec, we believe knowledge is the most powerful tool in the fight against cybercrime. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with a full regimen of certifications and skills development training. We also empower all employees with security awareness and training to stay cybersecure at work and home. Founded by smart people wanting to do good, Infosec educates entire organizations on how to defend themselves from cybercrime. That’s what we do every day — equipping everyone with the latest security skills so the good guys win.

What exactly is the cloud? And how do you secure infrastructure that is not your own? On today’s episode, Oliver Tavakoli, chief technology officer at Vectra AI, discusses current cloud security best practices as well as tips he’s picked up during his 25-year cybersecurity career. He also has some good advice for people thinking of starting their own company (hint: have cash saved up, you're going to be money-losing for quite a while!).– Start learning cybersecurity for free: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcastOliver Tavakoli is a technologist who has alternated between working for large and small companies throughout his 25-year career – he is clearly doing the latter right now. Prior to joining Vectra AI, Oliver spent more than seven years at Juniper as chief technical officer for the security business. Oliver joined Juniper as a result of its acquisition of Funk Software, where he was CTO and better known as developer #1 for Steel-Belted Radius. Prior to joining Funk Software, Oliver co-founded Trilogy Inc., and prior to that, he did stints at Novell, Fluent Machines and IBM. Oliver received an MS in mathematics and a BA in mathematics and computer science from the University of Tennessee. About InfosecAt Infosec, we believe knowledge is the most powerful tool in the fight against cybercrime. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with a full regimen of certifications and skills development training. We also empower all employees with security awareness and training to stay cybersecure at work and home. Founded by smart people wanting to do good, Infosec educates entire organizations on how to defend themselves from cybercrime. That’s what we do every day — equipping everyone with the latest security skills so the good guys win. 

Learn all about cybersecurity job hunting with Eric Jeffery, senior managing consultant and solutions architect for IBM Security. Eric created the "Cyber Security Gray Beard" podcast to share his job experiences and help others advance their careers so they too can enjoy professional happiness in the cybersecurity industry. We dive deep into job hunting, rebounding if you've been fired or let go, ways non-technical people can make an impact in cybersecurity and other types of career advice he dispenses on his show.– Start learning cybersecurity for free: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcastEric Jeffery has over 20 years’ experience in cybersecurity and currently works as a senior managing consultant and solutions architect for IBM Security. Eric has extensive industry experience with stints in entertainment, defense, aerospace, healthcare and technology, among others. He’s published numerous articles and spoken at several conferences around the U.S. and Canada. He runs a podcast under the moniker of Cyber Security Grey Beard® where he helps students and early professionals begin and grow in the cybersecurity field. Eric lives outside of Denver, Colorado, with his wife and has four grown children.About InfosecAt Infosec, we believe knowledge is the most powerful tool in the fight against cybercrime. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with a full regimen of certifications and skills development training. We also empower all employees with security awareness and training to stay cybersecure at work and home. Founded by smart people wanting to do good, Infosec educates entire organizations on how to defend themselves from cybercrime. That’s what we do every day — equipping everyone with the latest security skills so the good guys win. 

This week we're excited to have back one of the major figures in digital forensics, Paraben CEO Amber Schroader. Amber dives deep into the specific forensics skills you need to be successful, traits that make a good forensics investigator (her best team member is someone with a psychology background!) and the art of understanding language and semantics — all while walking us through key moments of a case. If you're looking towards career advice in computer forensics, get ready to learn from one of the best!– Don't miss Amber's live forensics demo on Discord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jdVqtXT5d8– Start learning cybersecurity for free: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcastAmber Schroader is the CEO & Founder of Paraben Corporation. She has spent the last two decades as a driving force for innovation in digital forensics. Amber has developed over two-dozen software programs designed for the purposes of recovering digital data from mobile phones, computer hard drives, email and live monitoring services. In addition to designing technology for digital forensics, she also spearheaded the procedures for mobile and smartphone devices as well as the emerging field of IoT devices. Amber is the patent holder on the EMI shielding container, otherwise known as a Faraday bag, as well as inventor to many other shielding products. Amber has written and taught numerous classes for this specialized field as well as founded multiple certifications in the field. Ms. Schroader continues support through book contributions and other industry speaking engagements.About InfosecAt Infosec, we believe knowledge is the most powerful tool in the fight against cybercrime. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with a full regimen of certifications and skills development training. We also empower all employees with security awareness and training to stay cybersecure at work and home. Founded by smart people wanting to do good, Infosec educates entire organizations on how to defend themselves from cybercrime. That’s what we do every day — equipping everyone with the latest security skills so the good guys win. 

Get a peek behind the curtain of security architecture careers from Pranshu Bajpai, a security architect with Motorola who recently earned his doctorate in computer science with an emphasis on ransomware research and analysis. Pranshu discusses how to break into security architecture and build the skills you need for that type of a career. In particular, he says academic study at that height mostly prepares you for research and teaching work, and there are there are quicker and easier ways to build up your skill set.– Start learning cybersecurity for free: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcastPranshu Bajpai has research interests in systems security, malware, digital forensics and threat intelligence. He has authored several papers for reputed magazines and journals including IEEE, Elsevier, ACM and ISACA. His work has been featured in various media outlets including Scientific American, The Conversation, Salon, Business Standard, Michigan Radio, GCN, GovTech and others. He is an active speaker at conferences and has spoken at APWG eCrime, DEFCON, GrrCon, Bsides, ToorCon and many others. He obtained his doctorate in Computer Science from Michigan State University and master's in Information Security from Indian Institute of Information Technology. About InfosecAt Infosec, we believe knowledge is the most powerful tool in the fight against cybercrime. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with a full regimen of certifications and skills development training. We also empower all employees with security awareness and training to stay cybersecure at work and home. Founded by smart people wanting to do good, Infosec educates entire organizations on how to defend themselves from cybercrime. That’s what we do every day — equipping everyone with the latest security skills so the good guys win. 

Whose responsibility is privacy, and what skills do you need to effectively implement and carry out new regulations like the right to be forgotten? On today's episode, Gabe Gumbs, Chief Innovation Officer at Spirion, discusses how GDPR and CCPA are affecting cybersecurity careers and how the data privacy job market will shift in the coming years. He also shares his thoughts on the much-discussed cybersecurity skills gap — and why it's never really existed.– Start learning cybersecurity for free: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcastGabe Gumbs has a deep-rooted passion for technology, information security and problem solving. As Chief Innovation Officer of Spirion, a leader in rapid identification and protection of sensitive data, he’s channeling that passion to make the digital world a safer place. By spearheading Spirion’s vision for data privacy in the next decade and beyond, he’s leading the way to a more secure and private future for us all.About InfosecAt Infosec, we believe knowledge is the most powerful tool in the fight against cybercrime. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with a full regimen of certifications and skills development training. We also empower all employees with security awareness and training to stay cybersecure at work and home. Founded by smart people wanting to do good, Infosec educates entire organizations on how to defend themselves from cybercrime. That’s what we do every day — equipping everyone with the latest security skills so the good guys win. 

Few people know what it's like to help take down a $1.2 billion dollar Ponzi scheme, but that's exactly what today's guest did. Sam Rubin, VP at The Crypsis Group, explains how he had to re-create the crime within a courtroom, as well as the tasks of digital forensics folks at all levels, from intern to the person giving the testimony. There's a good chance you may want to go into a career in forensics after listening to all of Sam's stories.– Start learning cybersecurity for free: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcastSam Rubin is a Vice President at The Crypsis Group, where he leads the firm’s Managed Security Services business, assists clients and develops the firm’s business expansion strategies. Sam is an industry-recognized cybersecurity professional with wide-ranging expertise in data breach incident response, digital forensics and cybersecurity risk management. Sam frequently serves as an expert witness and has provided expert opinions in numerous high-stakes matters, including a landmark civil trade secret misappropriation case, a criminal securities fraud matter and civil litigation stemming from a multi-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme. Sam is a frequent presenter, author and lecturer on cyber-related topics, including digital forensics and incident response, insider threats and information security best practices. Before joining Crypsis in 2017, Sam was at Stroz Friedberg, where he was Managing Director and head of the company’s west region digital forensic practice.About InfosecAt Infosec, we believe knowledge is the most powerful tool in the fight against cybercrime. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with a full regimen of certifications and skills development training. We also empower all employees with security awareness and training to stay cybersecure at work and home. Founded by smart people wanting to do good, Infosec educates entire organizations on how to defend themselves from cybercrime. That’s what we do every day — equipping everyone with the latest security skills so the good guys win. 

Go deep into the weeds of Threat Modeling with Infosec Skills author Geoffrey Hill. He shares his Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation, waxes rhapsodic about the Radio Shack TRS-80 computer and explains threat modeling as a controlled form of sci-fi storytelling: "you can imagine a completely different world every day." He also provides excellent insight into the day-to-day duties of a threat modeler. – Start learning cybersecurity for free: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcastGeoffrey Hill has been in the IT industry since 1990, when he wrote and sold C++ based solutions to measure risk in the commodities markets in New York City. Since then he has worked around the world, specifically New York, Sydney, Tokyo, Emmerich-am-Rhein and London. In the mid-2000s, He was the main custodian of the Microsoft Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) initiative in the UK and then international services organization as part of the Microsoft Security Center of Excellence (SCOE). From 2013 – 2018, he worked as the sole application security architect for Visa Europe in London, where he started Tutamantic Ltd, a producer of software risk automation. Geoff is the inventor of the Rapid Threat Model Prototyping (RTMP) methodology. This threat model methodology allows for quick modelling in Agile and DevOps environments.About InfosecAt Infosec, we believe knowledge is the most powerful tool in the fight against cybercrime. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with a full regimen of certifications and skills development training. We also empower all employees with security awareness and training to stay cybersecure at work and home. Founded by smart people wanting to do good, Infosec educates entire organizations on how to defend themselves from cybercrime. That’s what we do every day — equipping everyone with the latest security skills so the good guys win. 

The demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals continues to grow, and effectively closing that gap requires a shared set of expectations around common work roles, core competency areas and upskilling employees.Join Leo Van Duyn, Cybersecurity & Technology Workforce Development Strategy at JPMorgan Chase & Co., and Bill Newhouse, Deputy Director of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) to learn how your organization can use the NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework (soon to be renamed the Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity) to establish a common language around skill development, provide targeted role-based training, create custom role profiles to match your organization, and better identify, hire and cross-train employees.– Start learning cybersecurity for free: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcastAbout InfosecAt Infosec, we believe knowledge is the most powerful tool in the fight against cybercrime. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with a full regimen of certifications and skills development training. We also empower all employees with security awareness and training to stay cybersecure at work and home. Founded by smart people wanting to do good, Infosec educates entire organizations on how to defend themselves from cybercrime. That’s what we do every day — equipping everyone with the latest security skills so the good guys win. 

Alissa Knight returns as the first ever three-peat Cyber Work guest, and the topic this week is — herself! Recorded at the end of pride month, Alissa talks about the benefits of diversity and inclusion when it comes to cybersecurity, her work hacking Bluetooth LE smart devices, her new company Knight Ink and a concept she’s created called “adversarial content.”– Start learning cybersecurity for free: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/free– View Cyber Work Podcast transcripts and additional episodes: https://www.infosecinstitute.com/podcastAlissa Knight is a published author, the managing partner at Knight Ink, principal analyst at Alissa Knight & Associates and group CEO at Brier & Thorn. She is a recovering hacker of 20 years and as a serial entrepreneur has started and sold two companies prior to her ventures she runs now. Alissa is a cybersecurity influencer working for market leaders and challenger brands in cybersecurity as a content creator. Follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn, and subscribe to her YouTube channel to follow her adventures in entrepreneurship and cybersecurity.– YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCejZj1i5m_UlwPqu_7IqBwQ– Twitter: https://twitter.com/alissaknight?lang=en– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alissaknight/About InfosecAt Infosec, we believe knowledge is the most powerful tool in the fight against cybercrime. We help IT and security professionals advance their careers with a full regimen of certifications and skills development training. We also empower all employees with security awareness and training to stay cybersecure at work and home. Founded by smart people wanting to do good, Infosec educates entire organizations on how to defend themselves from cybercrime. That’s what we do every day — equipping everyone with the latest security skills so the good guys win.