Cyber Security Consulting Ops provides consulting services in the following areas.
Unified Threat Management, Enterprise Security Solutions, Threat Detection & Prevention, Cyber Threat Protection, Threat Protection and Network Security. We work with big or small businesses and residential owners. We fully acknowledge the threat landscape is growing day by day. Regular Anti-virus is just not sufficient anymore. Network and anti malware protection has to be implemented together along with customer education. This is how our company will be able to educate all our clients about cyber protection. There are various threats that we would like customers to be aware of. They are connected devices that falls under IoT (Internet of Things) devices. Smart TV and other smart home devices.
The problem is no longer if or when you will be breached, but in fact how often and how severe the breaches will be. But even more important is whether you will be adequately prepared to:
” Detect attacks
” Quickly recognize a breach
” Effectively remediate the attack
” Accurately assess the damage
Three Levels of Security Readiness
Proactive. Proactive companies have above-average manner of security readiness, while they are not as high as progressives. Proactive companies realize the value of IT security and have put in place basic steps to avoid breaches, although they are less likely to use technologies such as tokenization to minimize the value of data that hackers could compromise. C-level executives pay close attention to security and realize they are vulnerable to being breached. Proactive tend to perform monthly reviews of their security position and regularly perform risk assessments. Their primary motivation to use corporations is to supplement the bandwidth of their internal security team.
Reactive. Reactive companies have below-average approaches to security readiness. C-level executives pay moderate creedence to security while delegating security expertise and day-to-day management to IT. Reactive companies realize they are at risk of breach and are aware of many breaches. They react to breaches on a case-by-case basis. They perform quarterly reviews of their own security stance and third-party risk assessments. They look to third parties to supplement their internal expertise.
Passive. Passive firms are the least security ready. At passive companies, C-level executives take a hands-off stance to security with all knowledge and responsibility incumbent upon IT. They would prefer that the IT security issue would really just go away, tending to be blind to most breaches and reactive in the aftermath of breaches they do detect. Reviews of the security posture and third-party risk assessments of passive companies are infrequent, occurring twice a year or less frequently. And they are much less likely to look to other people for help.
A lack of foundational security increases risk:
As IoT deployments escalate in both number and scope, one concern rises to the top of people cyber security agenda: Just 10% of respondents to the survey are fully confident that their
connected products are secure, and only 12% are highly confident about the security of their
business partners’ connected devices. Given that backdrop, it’s no surprise that more
than two-thirds (68%) of the respondents say their companies plan to invest in IoT security in
2018. Half of those organizations are earmarking a minimum of one-quarter of their security budgets
toward the IoT.
Worldwide, city, federal and state governments, as well as other public-sector organizations, are leading the way in bringing the Internet of Everything to life. According to one of the company that is leading the charge, there are many examples of how the Internet of Everything is raising the lives of citizens everywhere. Having the ability to get information quickly which in some cases could be critical to saving lives is really important. This is the exciting part of IoE.
But with every benefits, there are concerns. Over the web today have now given access to all types of people with good and bad intentions. We now have all types of hackers, people spreading propaganda based on beliefs and others things that I dare not mention.
So even though the internet is and has been a great invention and is now getting ready to triple connected devices in our homes. It will bring a mixtures of bad and good. The car, the home and all connected devices MUST be protected like never before. People should be educated on all the downsides to free access to our homes and devices without restrictions. So unless security is at the top of our minds as we put IoE together we will leave ourselves open to all types attacks throughout the world.
According to Symantec:
“As the web of Things (IoT) begins transforming entire industries, threats are quickly evolving to target this rich and extremely vulnerable new landscape. With each industry embedding computing and connectivity into a wide variety of devices, such as cars, jet engines, factory robots, medical equipment, and industrial programmable logic controllers (PLCs), the consequences of security issues are increasingly serious. Consequences now include physical harm to people, prolonged downtime, and irreparable damage to capital equipment such as pipelines, blast furnaces, and power generation facilities, mainly in the industrial IoT. IoT systems are often highly complex, requiring end-to-end security solutions that span cloud and connectivity layers, as well as resource-constrained IoT devices often aren’t powerful enough to support traditional security solutions”.
Here is another article from Dave Lewis from Forbes around security and IoE:
“One of the terms out there that is getting increasingly visibility is the “Internet of Things” or IoT. I’ll admit that I have fought hard against even invoking the term for fear some evil apparition would appear if I were to say it three times. Alas, it has come to the point where I know I have to comment. I’m realizing that, when relatives are asking me how to know if their refrigerator is online or not, it is well overdue.
What is the Internet of Things anyway? This refers to the interconnections between all manners of devices with an addressable interface that can communicate online. A lot of devices now have embedded operating systems that introduce a wealth of new opportunities for the end user as well as ne’er do wells who may not have your best interests at heard. Whether it is your thermostat communicating with Google GOOGL -1.72%, Apple AAPL -2.86% Watch collecting your health data, your car or truck receiving firmware updates or your fridge sending you a text to remind you to pick up a carton of milk, it has arrived. The terminology first reared its head in 2009 in the RFID Journal. The article “The ‘Internet of Things’ Thing” by Kevin Ashton is given the hat tip as the point at which this all began.
From RFID Journal:
If we had computers that knew everything there was to know about things-using data they gathered without any help from us-we would be able to track and count everything, and decrease waste, loss and cost. We would know when things needed replacing, repairing or recalling, and whether they were fresh or past their best.
We need to empower computers with their own means of gathering information, so they can see, hear and smell the world for themselves, in all its random glory. RFID and sensor technology enable computers to watch, identify and understand the world-without the limitations of human-entered data.
A lofty ambition. Of course the comedian that lurks in the dark spaces of my mind cracks wise about Skynet and evil robots from the future bent on our destruction. What is troubling is the possibility that security not taken into account with these carious implementations. All of that data being harvested in an automated fashion but, who has access to the data? What type of information is actually being collected? Has my coffee machine been pressed into service by a foreign government? Sure, I’m being just a little facetious. It is not too far of a stretch to think that problems could be in the wings when you have devices that can monitor environmental controls, critical infrastructure such as smart grid, medical devices and transport systems.
Businesses love the idea of the Internet of Things. It opens up new markets while providing more information on customer buying habits. I on the other hand sit back in my chair and look at the darker side of IoT. Case in point, how do you go about managing the username/passwords for your ever increasing number of connected devices and appliances? What about the privacy of your information? Take as an example various Internet connected surveillance cameras with easily defeated security controls or baby monitors. These are all issues that will need to be dealt sooner rather than later.
Recommended by Forbes
This summer the Open Interconnect Consortium was born. This is an organization that purports to create a framework for the Internet of Things. From their July 7th press release:
Leaders from a broad range of industry vertical segments – from smart home and office solutions to automotive and more – will participate in the program. This will help ensure that OIC specifications and open source implementations will help companies design products that intelligently, reliably and securely manage and exchange information under changing conditions, power and bandwidth, and even without an Internet access.
It is nice to see that there groups are popping up with the state mission to add frameworks to “securely manage” information that is being transmitted and at rest. There is a question that I have which is, are we too late? I was working on smart grid deployments seven years ago and this group was announced in 2014. I’m hopeful that security will be taken seriously but, I must admit that I do fret as I think that the horse has already bolted from the barn.
What are the implications to the individual? Imagine the new announced Apple Watch as an example. This is a device that will know 1) who you are 2) where you are via GPS 3) What you’re doing via accelerometer and gyroscope 4) your health and 5) even be able to monitor your mood. While I’m sure they have taken time to secure these devices, the ramifications could be significant if there was a failure. I once had a rotary phone and to see that a Dick Tracy-esque watch that can monitor my health and act as a phone is amazing to me. I’m always enamored with new technology. The Internet of Things brings with it huge benefits but, we must be sure to include security and privacy at the outset across the board.
We should not sacrifice security and privacy on the altar of convenience”.
In my opinion and warning, security ought to always be front and center with anything we do online.
We heard during the past year of many breaches into many US companies and gov departments. Many of the breaches happened to companies and organizations with 100 times better security than what you would find in a home that may or not be protected by a wireless router or CMTS that may or not be password protected.
The consumers MUST be protected before big companies sell them a products they have little to no understanding of and expose them to risks that may steal their live savings.
New Cyber Security Companies opening as per Forbes:
-One Million Cybersecurity Job Openings In 2016
There’s an explosion in the cyber security field. According to the national government, there is over one million jobs available with very few people to fill these roles.
From Forbes:
“If you are thinking about a career change in 2016, then you might want to have a look at the burgeoning cybersecurity market which is expected to grow from $75 billion in 2015 to $170 billion by 2020.
A knack for cat and mouse play may indicate that you have an inherent ability for cybersecurity. It is a field where the good guys — cybersecurity professionals — are pitted against the bad guys — cybercriminals a.k.a. hackers. Assuming you’d want to be a good guy – a career can mean a six-figure salary, job security, and the potential for upward mobility.
More than 209,000 cybersecurity jobs in the U.S. are unfilled, and postings are up 74% over the past five years, according to a 2015 analysis of numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics by Peninsula Press, a project of the Stanford University Journalism Program.
A report from Cisco puts the global figure at one million cybersecurity job openings. Demand is expected to rise to 6 million globally by 2019, with a projected shortfall of 1.5 million, says Michael Brown, CEO at Symantec, the world’s largest security software vendor.
If you are already in the tech field, then crossing over to security can mean a bump in pay. Cybersecurity workers can command an average salary premium of nearly $6,500 per year, or 9% more than other IT workers, according to the Job Market Intelligence: Cybersecurity Jobs 2015 report published by Burning Glass Technologies.
For newbies to the tech field who are contemplating a career in cybersecurity, they will often start out as information security analysts. U.S. News and World Report ranked a career in information security analysis eighth on its list of the 100 best jobs for 2015. They state the profession is growing at a rate of 36.5% through 2022. Many information security analysts earn a bachelor’s degree in computer science, programming or engineering.
The most recent median pay for an information security analyst is $88,890 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which says the typical entry level education is a Bachelor’s degree. The lowest 10% earned less than $50,300, and the highest 10% earned more than $140,460″.
The bottom line is cyber security breaches and identity theft is on the rise because of connected devices. We who are educated about cybercrime must take the time to use our companies, firms and all resources available to teach others about the dangers of cyber criminals.
We at Cyber Security Consulting Ops will do all we can to help individuals protect their assesses against malware, phishing or any social engineer threats that may arise to steal their data and make them a victim of cybercrime.
The question is no longer if or when you will be breached, but in fact how often and how severe the breaches will be. But even more important is whether you will be adequately prepared to:
” Detect attacks
” Quickly recognize a breach
” Effectively remediate the attack
” Accurately assess the damage
Three Stages of Security Readiness
Proactive. Proactive companies have above-average stages of security readiness, even though they are not as high as progressives. Proactive companies realize the importance of IT security and have put in place simple measures to avoid breaches, although they are reluctant to use technologies such as tokenization to minimize the value of data that hackers could compromise. C-level executives pay attention to security and realize they are at risk of being breached. Proactive tend to perform monthly reviews of their security position and regularly perform risk assessments. Their primary motivation to use third parties is to supplement the bandwidth of their internal security team.
Reactive. Reactive companies have below-average strategies for security readiness. C-level executives pay moderate awareness to security while delegating security expertise and day-to-day management to IT. Reactive companies realize they are at risk of breach and are aware of many breaches. They respond to breaches on a case-by-case basis. They perform quarterly reviews of their security stance and third-party risk assessments. They look to third parties to supplement their internal expertise.
Passive. Passive companies are the least security ready. At passive companies, C-level executives take a hands-off stance to security with all knowledge and responsibility incumbent upon IT. They would prefer that the IT security issue might just go away, tending to be oblivious to most breaches and reactive in the aftermath of breaches they do detect. Reviews of the security posture and third-party risk assessments of passive companies are infrequent, occurring twice yearly or less frequently. And they are much less likely to look to establishments for help.
A lack of foundational security increases risk:
As IoT deployments escalate in both number and scope, one concern rises to the top of people cyber security agenda: Just 10% of respondents to the survey are fully definitely sure their
connected items are secure, and only 12% are highly confident about the security of their
business partners’ connected devices. Given that backdrop, it’s no surprise that more
than two-thirds (68%) of the respondents say their companies plan to invest in IoT security in
2018. Half of those organizations are earmarking a minimum of one-quarter of their security budgets
toward the IoT.
All over the world, city, state and federal governments, as well as other public-sector organizations, are leading the way in bringing the Internet of Everything to life. According to one of the company that is leading the charge, there are many examples of how the Internet of Everything is improving the lives of citizens everywhere. Having the ability to get information quickly which in some cases could be critical to saving lives is really important. This is the exciting aspect of IoE.
But with every good things, there are concerns. The internet today have now given access to all types of people with good and bad intentions. We now have all types of hackers, people spreading propaganda based on beliefs and others things that I dare not mention.
So even though the internet is and has been a great invention and is now getting ready to triple connected devices in our homes. It will bring a mixtures of bad and good. The car, the home and all connected devices MUST be protected like never before. People should be educated on all the downsides to free access to our homes and devices without restrictions. So unless security is at the top of our minds as we put IoE together we will leave ourselves open to all types attacks throughout the world.
According to Symantec:
“As the web of Things (IoT) begins transforming entire industries, threats are quickly evolving to target this rich and extremely vulnerable new landscape. With each industry embedding computing and connectivity into a wide variety of devices, such as cars, jet engines, factory robots, medical equipment, and industrial programmable logic controllers (PLCs), the consequences of security issues are increasingly serious. Consequences now include physical harm to people, prolonged downtime, and irreparable damage to capital equipment such as pipelines, blast furnaces, and power generation facilities, mainly in the industrial IoT. IoT systems are often highly complex, requiring end-to-end security solutions that span cloud and connectivity layers, as well as resource-constrained IoT devices often aren’t powerful enough to support traditional security solutions”.
Here is another article from Dave Lewis from Forbes around security and IoE:
“One of the terms out there that is getting much more visibility is the “Internet of Things” or IoT. I’ll admit that I have fought hard against even invoking the term for fear some evil apparition would appear if I were to say it three times. Alas, it has come to the point where I know I have to comment. I’m realizing that, when relatives are asking me how to know if their refrigerator is online or not, it is well overdue.
What exactly is the Internet of Things anyway? This refers to the interconnections between all manners of devices with an addressable interface that can communicate online. A great number of devices now have embedded operating systems that introduce a wealth of new opportunities for the end user as well as ne’er do wells who may not have your best interests at heard. Whether it is your thermostat communicating with Google GOOGL -1.72%, Apple AAPL -2.86% Watch picking up your health data, your car receiving firmware updates or your fridge sending you a text to remind you to pick up a carton of milk, it has arrived. The terminology first reared its head in 2009 in the RFID Journal. The article “The ‘Internet of Things’ Thing” by Kevin Ashton is given the hat tip as the point at which this all began.
From RFID Journal:
If we had computers that knew everything there was to know about things-using data they gathered without any help from us-we would be able to track and count everything, and help reduce waste, loss and cost. We would know when things needed replacing, repairing or recalling, and whether they were fresh or past their best.
We need to empower computers with their own means of gathering information, so they can see, hear and smell the world for themselves, in all its random glory. RFID and sensor technology enable computers to observe, identify and understand the world-without the limitations of human-entered data.
A lofty ambition. Of course the comedian that lurks in the dark spaces of my mind cracks wise about Skynet and evil robots from the future bent on our destruction. What is troubling is the possibility that security not taken into account with these carious implementations. All of that data being harvested in an automated fashion but, who has access to the data? What type of information is actually being collected? Has my coffee machine been pressed into service by a foreign government? Sure, I’m being just a little facetious. It is not too far of a stretch to think that problems could be in the wings when you have devices that can monitor environmental controls, critical infrastructure such as smart grid, medical devices and transport systems.
Businesses love the idea of the Internet of Things. It opens up new markets while providing more information on customer buying habits. I on the other hand sit back in my chair and look at the darker side of IoT. Case in point, how do you go about managing the username/passwords for your ever increasing number of connected devices and appliances? What about the privacy of your information? Take as an example various Internet connected camcorders with easily defeated security controls or baby monitors. These are all issues that will need to be dealt sooner rather than later.
Recommended by Forbes
This summer the Open Interconnect Consortium was built. This is an organization that purports to create a framework for the Internet of Things. From their July 7th press release:
Leaders from a broad range of industry vertical segments – from smart home and office solutions to automotive and more – will participate in the program. This will help ensure that OIC specifications and open source implementations will help companies design products that intelligently, reliably and securely manage and exchange information under changing conditions, power and bandwidth, and even without an Internet connection.
It is nice to see that there groups are popping up with the state mission to add frameworks to “securely manage” information that is being transmitted and at rest. There is a question that I have which is, are we too late? I was working on smart grid deployments seven years ago and this group was announced in 2014. I’m hopeful that security will be taken seriously but, I must admit that I do fret as I think that the horse has already bolted from the barn.
What are the implications to the individual? Consider the new announced Apple Watch as an example. This is a device that will know 1) who you are 2) where you are via GPS 3) What you’re doing via accelerometer and gyroscope 4) your health and 5) even be able to monitor your mood. While I’m sure they have taken time to secure these devices, the ramifications could be significant if there was a failure. I once had a rotary phone and to see that a Dick Tracy-esque watch that can monitor my health and act as a phone is amazing to me. I’m always enamored with new technology. The Internet of Things brings with it huge benefits but, we must be sure to include security and privacy at the outset altogether.
We should not sacrifice security and privacy on the altar of convenience”.
In my opinion and warning, security should always be front and center with anything we do online.
We heard during the past year of many breaches into many US companies and gov departments. Many breaches happened to companies and organizations with 100 times better security than what you would find in a house that may or not be protected by a wireless router or CMTS that may or not be password protected.
The consumers MUST be protected before big companies sell them a products they have little to no knowledge of and expose them to risks that may steal their live savings.
New Cyber Security Companies opening as per Forbes:
-One Million Cybersecurity Job Openings In 2016
There’s an explosion in the cyber security field. According to the federal government, there is over one million jobs available with very few people to fill these roles.
From Forbes:
“If you are thinking about a career change in 2016, then you might want to have a look at the burgeoning cybersecurity market which is expected to grow from $75 billion in 2015 to $170 billion by 2020.
A knack for cat and mouse play may indicate that you have an aptitude for cybersecurity. It is a field where good guys — cybersecurity professionals — are pitted against the bad guys — cybercriminals a.k.a. hackers. Assuming you’d want to be a good guy – a career can mean a six-figure salary, job security, and the potential for upward mobility.
More than 209,000 cybersecurity jobs in the U.S. are unfilled, and postings are up 74% over the past five years, according to a 2015 analysis of numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics by Peninsula Press, a project of the Stanford University Journalism Program.
A report from Cisco puts the global figure at one million cybersecurity job openings. Demand is expected to rise to 6 million globally by 2019, with a projected shortfall of 1.5 million, says Michael Brown, CEO at Symantec, the world’s largest security software vendor.
If you are already in the tech field, then crossing over to security can mean a bump in pay. Cybersecurity workers can command an average salary premium of nearly $6,500 per year, or 9% more than other IT workers, according to the Job Market Intelligence: Cybersecurity Jobs 2015 report published by Burning Glass Technologies.
For newbies to the tech field who are contemplating a career in cybersecurity, they will often start out as information security analysts. U.S. News and World Report ranked a career in information security analysis eighth on its list of the 100 best jobs for 2015. They state the profession is growing at a rate of 36.5% through 2022. Many information security analysts earn a bachelor’s degree in computer science, programming or engineering.
The most recent median pay for an information security analyst is $88,890 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which says the typical entry level education is a Bachelor’s degree. The lowest 10% earned less than $50,300, and the highest 10% earned more than $140,460″.
The bottom line is cyber security breaches and identity theft is on the rise because of connected devices. We who are educated about cybercrime must take the time to use our companies, firms and all resources available to teach others about the dangers of cyber criminals.
We at Cyber Security Consulting Ops will do all we can to help individuals protect their assesses against malware, phishing or any social engineer threats that may arise to steal their data and make them a victim of cybercrime.