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The internet connects hardware, software, and sensitive data. In recent years, this connectivity became indispensable and ubiquitous. A wide variety of businesses now rely on cutting edge technologies to earn profits. As a result, the demand for data analysts and security specialists experiences a very steep increase.

Cybersecurity has become a major concern for individuals and companies. Cybersecurity is a set of tools and practices that help to safeguard information during use, storage, and communication through various devices. An entity requires cybersecurity specialists to keep the data safe. How desperate are the companies? Between Jan 2019 and July 2019, around 4.1 billion records got exposed due to various types of data breaches (source). A company’s data is its asset and liability.

Career Options In Cybersecurity Sector

People assume a white hat hacker is the only cybersecurity job in the market. Security experts have to prevent and remedy various online threats. They analyze malicious email and phone calls. They also takedown phishing websites and clean up the internet. These professionals also handle unauthorized data access, viruses, malware, and identity theft.

The security consultants understand computers, software, operating systems, and networks. They are also good at programming, Cyber Piracy, security audits, and visualization software. One can also find jobs for security analysts, cyber breach investigators, researchers, and so on. In general, the job falls under two categories – pure cybersecurity and hybrid titles. The demand for pure cybersecurity professionals is very high, as it requires industry-specific skills.

Secure Career

But is a career in cybersecurity itself well-paid and secure? Let us look at a few statistics to assess the market demand and need of employers:

• In the last six years, job postings related to cybersecurity grew by 94%.
• These jobs now constitute more than 13% of all the IT jobs in the market (source)
• In India, there are close to 67,000 jobs for security professionals.
• Australian experts predict 21% growth in demand until May 2023.
• Also, there are more than 11,000 cybersecurity vacancies open, as of today.
• Every month more than 50,000 new cyber threats occur (Source)

Why The High Demand?

Almost all businesses operate web stores and professional sites to offer data, goods, and services. Start-ups and small companies are flourishing on the internet too. Cloud computing services are turning to be one of the basic requirements of any business.

All these advances created an expansive internet landscape. And digital information transmits at a rapid pace in this cyberspace. Every individual creates 1.7MB of information every second, according to a study in 2020 (source). This data is not only voluminous but also sensitive and valuable. It includes personal information, business contacts, bank transaction, financial data, etc.

The unethical hackers target businesses and individuals to steal data, shut down sites, or extract ransom money. On the other hand, you can find scammers on almost all internet platforms. The cost of falling victim to such fraud was $1.7 billion worldwide in 2018 (source). Thus, every business chooses to hire security experts to avoid such pitfalls.

Is it a secure field to set a career?

There are numerous niche business areas that bloomed and died within a decade. Is cybersecurity one such mushroom area? Well, experts have a different opinion. Here are the reasons why a career in this genre is safe and financially stable.

Job Designations

There is a job vacancy for all levels of expertise and experience. Technicians handle viruses, malware, while analysts look for bugs, defects, and breaches. Ethical hackers test code and detect weaknesses. The architects, specialists, and administrators handle AI, cloud security, and software safety. Other job titles are cryptographer, security officer, freelance/bounty hunter, software, and hardware engineers.

Career Mobility

Cybersecurity is vital for all industries. If you are tired of being a security analyst for a financial institute, you can move over to a corporate establishment. This mobility is available only in a handful of career lines. The skills and expertise you gain in one industry are applicable across the market. Thus, the opportunities for growth are very high. Since the opportunity for a candidate to switch jobs is high, employers tend to try and make the talent stick with the company.

High Salaries

A single data breach can cost up to $3.29 million in terms of money, time, resources, goodwill, and lost businesses. The cost of a breach is 14% more in 2020 than it was in 2014. Thus, companies try to retain their talents with high salaries, as the security team is the main asset. The highest level in this genre (varies from company to company) is the information security manager or head of cybersecurity, whose average salary is between $125,000 and $215,000 per year. Freshers start as an analyst or a trainee and can easily move up the ladder. An analyst’s average salary is $90,000 per annum, which is higher than most of the jobs with similar skill requirements (source).

As mentioned above, job vacancies are huge and growing. So, the attrition rate for the next few decades is close to zero or negative. So, a cybersecurity job is profitable, secure, and long-lasting.

Submitted by: David Chandler

Help, I was sitting in front my computer and it starting acting strange! Pop-ups were on my screen and I was not even surfing the web. My home page was changed somehow and so did other web settings. My programs are at a crawl and overall my computer is just not working the way it should be.

If this sounds like your computer, chances are you have been infected with some type of malicious software. Several types of software can infect your computer; some of these are spyware, a virus, a Trojan, and a worm. That is why you need security software.

Below is a brief and simple description of the software that can infect your computer and cause poor performance.

Spyware is a program that gathers information about the user through the internet without their knowledge. It monitors your web activity and passes this information to another party without your knowledge. Spyware is designed for commercial gain, thus when it is installed in your computer you will probably receive unsolicited pop-up advertisements. It can also gather your email addresses, passwords, and credit card numbers stored on your computer.

A virus is programming code or a piece of code that loads onto your computer without your consent. A virus is also self-replicating by inserting copies into an executable code or documents. Any virus is dangerous as it uses up memory and brings your system to a halt.

A worm is much like a virus in the fact that it is self-replicating but differs in the fact that it does not need another program to do so. A worm can spread itself without any action from the user. A worm can attach itself to you address book and send a copy to everyone in it, then attaches itself to the receivers address book in addition, send it out to everyone in that address book. Worms are dangerous and in the end can cause networks to crash.

Trojans are designed as legitimate software that you can download onto your computer. Once installed though, they can be annoying and/or malicious. Annoying activities of a Trojan would be changing your desktop around or silly icons appearing. Malicious damage from a Trojan is capable of deleting files on your computer and allowing personal and confidential information to be collected without you being aware.

Preventing spyware and other malicious software from infecting your computer through security software is lots easier going online and finding a reputable online scanning site after the fact. Sometimes if your computer is infected, you may not even be able to get online. Therefore, prevention is better than fixing.

You can protect your computer from malicious programs in many ways. Here are a few tips to consider.

Always have the latest version of anti virus and anti spyware technology on your computer. You will also need to keep the program files up to date in order to protect against newest threats.

Only download files from a trusted source. If you are not sure, run a virus scan on the file before downloading it or saving to your computer.

There are limitless resources on the internet offering anti spyware and antivirus programs. Many sites offer free online scans, and provide instructions for removal of any malicious programs on your computer. Once you have selected a well known, (well-known being the optimal word) follow the instructions for installation carefully to ensure that the scan will work properly. Below are the most common and well-known virus and spyware removal programs.

McAfee (mcafee.com) virus remover features up-to-date protection from the latest viruses and web activity threats for the user. They have three main anti-virus and anti-spyware programs that you can choose perfect for home and business uses.

Microsoft has an anti spyware (microsoft.com) removal tool that you can use to scan your computer. This functions mainly by reviewing and checking your files for unwanted software contents, and once found can be selected and removed depending on the procedures indicated on the program. Just follow the tools and guides on how you can remove the infected files.

Ad Ware Personal provided by Lavasoft.com features scanning and fixing infected files and drives, detection of known and unknown but potentially damaging software with its Code Sequence Identification (CSI) technology. This program also has a spyware removal and capabilities of removing other damaging programs in your system.

The above sites are just a few of anti spyware and anti virus removal programs that are available on the web. Take the time and do the research and you will find the right security software for your needs. Once again, it is imperative that the site you select for your computer security is credible.

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Submitted by: William Piker

You may think that your home computer internet network is as safe as a bug in a rug . After all your Linksys or D-Link brand or another popular brand offers state of the art security features. Perhaps you have the standard WEP 64, or the safe as the banks WEP 128 encryption format. Perhaps you have even gone one step further to the ultra newer safe WPA router data security formats or even to greater security heights.

Your computer network is ultra secure. Or so you think and have beer reassured. Perhaps you have even had a computer security professional do the setup and maintenance,

And yet your personal data or banking information may be stolen. Your children may be directed to bad internet sites or worse. Your windows security updates may be compromised leaving your computer and network open to wide and wider scale attacks on your computer. Your confidential passwords whether they are for email, medical, airline or even banking may be compromised or stolen. Finally your computer may be utilized as a zombie in large scale denial of service attacks on the internet. Your computer and many thousands of other may be set, waiting patiently for long periods of time, to be activated as a sleeper agent. Which along with many thousand of other remote computers are set on secret activation to altogether overwhelm some target whether it be government computers, the CNN online news network or whatever?

How are all of these threats possible? Computer security is always a case of cat and mouse with human ingenuity always at the root of the game. The hackers do this.

The computer security network react to fix the security hole it issue whether it be Microsoft, Apple Computer or the Computer Hardware of Computer Hardware accessories manufacturers . And then the computer hackers think of an alternate means of attack.

In this case, even though it apparently seems that even though your wireless or simple cabled non wireless computer network has another gaping security hole. Home routers are at risk of being compromised by remote hackers. As a result of innocently or inadvertently visiting web pages malicious standard java script type software can access the controls of your home router and reset the controls inside the router to cause you big trouble.

Your router can be set to visit certain sites instead of where you wish to go. This may be simply to redirect you to sites containing advertising of the villain s daily choice. You may be taken inadvertently to websites which in a flash download further viscous and mean software, on a regular basis. Or even worse you may be taken to fake sites which are not what they represent. For example you may well type in the bank of America http://bankofamerica.com website. You may even have searched the name by Google. You will think you are being directed to this banking website where you enter your account name and password only to discover you cannot access your account because you are a bogus copy of the front page of that website whose purpose is to steal your banking account and passwords.

The answer to this security problem is simple. Simply change the administration password in your router from the default out of the box, out of the manual and factory to anything else.

As a result the malicious java script will not be able to unlock and enter your router and do its damage. The simple answer to these router security issues and securing your router firmly is to easily and simply change the administration password on your router whether it is wireless or a wired router. Now your home computer network and router will be safe from this threat.

About the Author: Max A. Rubin

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