| June 2007 |
| Looking to, er, break into security technology as a specialty? A variety of strategies are available. Here's a rundown. |
| By Sixto Ortiz, Jr. |
Security is one of today's hottest topics, and with good reason. As more companies store scads of sensitive data, the risk from security breaches has grown exponentially. Data loss can result in loss of customers, revenue and - perhaps worst of all - a company's reputation. So, personnel who understand security technologies and how to deploy them are in high demand.
The Landscape
Many industry watchers believe cyber-criminals are moving away from "recreational hacking" and into hacking for profit. This shouldn't surprise anyone: As the potential pie of ill-gotten gains grows, so does the number of criminal enterprises vying for their slice.
Then there's the ongoing threat from terrorism. Observers widely believe terrorists are just as eager to attack Western digital infrastructures as they are brick-and-mortar assets. A successful attack on the technical systems so much of the economy depends on could be a crippling blow.
Hand in hand with the surge in "hack for cash" cyber criminals is an increasing variety of attacks that can be unleashed on unsuspecting businesses. As computing moves away from desktops and laptops into the realm of mobile devices, Malware continues to find new niches to infect. And the arrival of Windows Vista means hackers the world over have a new target for their exploits.
"Ten Most Important Security Trends of the Coming Year," a report by the SANS Institute, reveals alarming trends occurring in security. These include targeted cyber attacks by other nations against systems of the U.S. government and commercial organizations, the arrival of cell phone worms, attacks on VoIP systems and the continuing growth of spyware. In terms of defensive strategies, SANS - which provides information-security training and certification - predicts network access control (NAC) will become a common security technology.
Hot Areas
Allan Paller, Director of Research for the SANS Institute, says a 2007 salary survey reveals security assessment is the most important area for IT professionals to focus on. He breaks security assessments into four key areas: vulnerability assessments, defense assessments, forensics, and early warning systems.
Vulnerability assessment involves the performance of sophisticated penetration testing, while defense assessments focus on conducting what Paller calls "war games" to determine how effective an organization is at finding and rejecting attackers. Forensics involves determining the damage done after assessments are conducted or attacks occur, while early warning systems "provide the eyes and analysis to identify new attacks as they are being launched against your organization."
Developing Security Expertise
Because of its inherent complexity and constantly changing landscape, security isn't an easy field to break into. Professionals must be able to react quickly to impending attacks that may be of types never seen before. In most cases, the ability to perform with grace under the pressure of new and unique situations is required, along with deep technical knowledge. "There are only two ways to get good at security - work in it and take immersion training," says Paller.
Certification is a good way to demonstrate mastery of any IT technology, and security is no exception. But, professionals must ensure they focus on the correct certification program lest they acquire a credential without much value in the marketplace.
One of the SANS Institute's missions is to provide certifications for IT security professionals. These are offered under the umbrella of the Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) program, designed to demonstrate that an individual has "practical awareness, knowledge, and skills in key areas of computer and network and software security."
GIAC certification is offered in 18 security job areas within security administration, management, operations, legal, audit, and software security. Three levels of certification are provided within GIAC: silver, gold, and platinum.
"Technical certifications are harder to get, but worth far more than less technical certifications, because the demand for security people with technical skills is surging while the demand for generalists is crashing," says Paller.
Examples of SANS certifications include the GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) for security assessments, the GIAC Certified Forensics Analyst (GCFA) for forensics, and the GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA) for intrusion detection.
Of course, the SANS Institute is not the only organization offering security certification. (ISC)2, founded in 1989 and headquartered in Florida, offers certifications including the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), the Information Systems Security Architecture Professional (ISSAP) and the Information Systems Security Management Professional (ISSMP).
In addition, vendors such as Cisco and RSA Security offer their own programs. However, unless a work situation absolutely calls for one, it's probably better to obtain vendor-neutral certifications. You can always pursue vendor-specific certifications as the need arises.
As long as there are hackers willing to ply their trade for fun or profit, there will always be a need for savvy security professionals who know how to defend organizations from attack. While it won't be an easy task to obtain and demonstrate mastery in a security field, those able to do so will be handsomely rewarded in today's attack-weary IT landscape.
Sixto Ortiz Jr. is a Houston-based journalist who has been writing about information technology since 1996.
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