What Courses to Take for Cyber Security During your Bachelor Program
In 2017, there were 14,714 new vulnerabilities discovered in programs ranging from obscure games to the operating systems that we use every day. That is over 40 new security threats identified every day, and 2018 is on pace to shatter that number by the end of the year.
If there is one constant in the world of cybersecurity, it is that the professionals working to keep computers safe to use must consistently search for more information so they can be one step ahead of the malicious users. If you want to be ready for the next threat, here are three critical courses that you should take during your learning process.
Web Site Management and Security
Enterprises of all sizes rely on their websites more than ever to communicate with their teams, reach out to new customers, and do their daily business. Some companies are focused solely on their website, making money purely off of the services provided by their servers.
Of the more than 14,000 vulnerabilities from the 2017 list, 1,515 - over 10% - of them fall under the categories of cross-site scripting (XSS). It's not important that you know how these attacks occur right now, but you now know that XSS attacks are so prevalent amongst websites that they merit their own tracking in the vulnerability database.
While XSS is a dangerous hacking method, there are known ways to remove these vulnerabilities from websites - as long as the administrator knows to look for them and the company is willing to devote time to patching the threat. You might think that every company, especially those handling sensitive personal or financial data, would, at the very least, look out for two of the most common vulnerabilities.
Yet there have already been over a thousand new XSS attacks discovered in 2018, and the year is on pace to easily surpass 2017's numbers. By taking a website management and security course, you will be ready to diagnose critical web application issues like XSS and potentially save the data of companies and their customers from falling into the wrong hands.
Virtualization Management
Virtualization is a vital component of modern server infrastructures, allowing large computer servers to be broken down into digital copies of smaller machines. Splitting up a powerful server this way can be more cost-effective than purchasing multiple desktops or laptops and passing them to personnel.
Having your hardware centralized at the server also makes it much easier to upgrade overall computing capabilities, since all you have to do is switch out parts in a handful of servers rather than dozens of individual units.
The complicated nature of how virtualization distributes a system's resources and compartmentalizes each virtual computer are designed to protect the host server from security breaches in the divisions. That centralization is not without its own security risks.
If the server is breached, every workstation using the server's virtualization capabilities can be placed into the hands of a hacker. Even the compartmentalization is not a perfect defense, so a savvy hacker coming up on an improperly configured virtual computer could potentially use it to breach the host and gain control of the entire system.
It is almost a guarantee that you will come across virtualization if you go to work as a cybersecurity professional, so learning how to configure, monitor, and secure a virtual environment is a critical skill.
Ethical Hacking
While they may that "the best defense is a good offense" in some sports, the adage for cybersecurity should read as "the best defenses are created by security experts who know the best offenses." Once you have a solid foundation of computer security concepts, it is time to learn how people break them.
Knowing how a critical vulnerability like XSS is maliciously used in the wilds of the Internet helps the admin to protect their site from the attack. Ethical hacking courses expand on that concept and cover a range of vulnerabilities.
More than that, they will teach you how to perform "white hat hacking," where a tester with proper authority attempts to breach a network or website using the same tools that a hacker might use.
Get Ready for the Digital Battlefield
Are you interested in cyber security? If you want to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer and Information Science with a Major in Cyber and Network Security, ECPI University offers this course at an accelerated rate. For more information about this exciting degree program, connect with a knowledgeable admissions counselor today.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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