Introduction

I have received many new skills while pursuing my major in cybersecurity. The three chosen or what seem to be the three most important skills I have gained, are an understanding of Linux, an understanding of implementing Cybersecurity measures, and an understanding of Networking. Now these skills are all interconnected when it comes to Cybersecurity because a broad idea of tech as a whole is very important when assessing when and where to implement Cybersecurity measures. A broad idea of tech is also very important to correctly assess when and where the cause of an exploit or vulnerability is located.
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Linux understanding: My understanding of Linux is further reinforced by some assignments I have completed while working towards my cybersecurity major. When doing my Basic Linux commands assignment, I learned things like how to find the IP of a Linux machine, display my current directory, change directories within the terminal, and finally, how to create new files and directories. Because I just started in Linux, there were no courses or theories I had previously taken that aided me. In my CYSE 270 Group and User Management, I gained an understanding of the Concept of Linux Groups and Linux User Accounts, which I did not have any previous experience with other than the “Basic Linux commands” to help me with that assignment. Finally, in my CYSE 270 Password Cracking, I gained an Understanding of password security, an Understanding of types of password attacks, and an understanding of how to thwart hackers with a strong password. In this assignment, it was completely new commands, therefore I did not have any previous learning to assist me. When gaining this skill, my biggest issue came in the growing pains of using a different operating system than what I had used my whole life. Nothing I learned about Linux beat me up too much, but it took me about a week of using Linux daily to grasp the operating system. This is a bit more niche, but an understanding of Linux is quite attractive to certain jobs, as not all organizations will use only one operating system. The use of multiple operating systems is often to support different systems and user needs.

Cybersecurity implementation and understanding: My first artifact for this skill is Security+. Though this is not a course I took at ODU, I will say ODU prepared me for this certification. This certification taught me how to implement cybersecurity practices directly in real-world scenarios, as well as taught me terms and practices that are necessary in working in a cybersecurity role. My CYSE 462 Cybersecurity Fundamentals class helped me the most with getting this certification. My second artifact for this skill is CS463 Cryptography for cybersecurity Course project: In this Course project I created a program that will, Generate a public/private key pair, Let user specify a password and sue it to generate a shared key, Encrypt an entered text using public and shared keys and also decrypt the cipher text, Generate a digital signature and verify a signature. The end product is a project report and a demo of your code and the code itself. I cannot find the programming class I took in Canvas to provide exact receipts, but at TCC, I took my first programming course, and that helped the most with this assignment. My final assignment to reinforce this skill is CYSE 301 pfSense firewall practice assignment: In this assignment, I learned a lot about pfSense and how to configure and set up a firewall. When gaining this skill, the hardest hurdle I had to get over was most likely the firewall configuration, since I like to attempt to learn what is being taught with the least amount of assistance if possible. By that, I mean I like to start by throwing myself out there, and then if I get stuck, I will look a little more into it and get a bit more assistance if needed. With the firewall configuration, I was just not familiar with pfSense, and getting into it for some reason gave me a hard time. This was the one part of cybersecurity implementation and understanding that I had no prior classes to assist with my learning. The only thing I can say that aided me in the struggles I first had with pfSense was just putting time into using it, and if I ever got stuck more, I would do more research and look more into what I was trying to complete. This is the easiest to tie right back in with assisting in my career, as it is exactly the type of skill that is needed of a technician who wants to work in the cybersecurity space. Prior knowledge is a must in cybersecurity, and my artifacts further reinforce that skill.

Networking: My first artifact for this skill IT 315 Network security: In this assignment, I learned how to List and define common security threats, explain how a buffer overrun works Explain how virus scanning works to protect against security threats Describe the differences between automated (virus, worm) and human attacks Describe what an attacker normally does after a computer is “pwn3d”Explain the problem with relying on users to enforce security, Explain the purpose of defense in depth, Describe how to analyze the costs/benefits of a security protection, Describe how to break a Ceaser Cipher, Explain how public key encryption works, Explain how symmetric and public key encryption work together, Explain how hashing works, Explain the process for storing passwords and user log in, Describe the process of cracking passwords and explain the rules for strong passwords, Describe the role of biometric and token authentication, Describe how digital signatures work, Describe the typical network architecture of a firewall system, Explain how a packet filtering firewall works, Define deep packet inspection, Explain security problems with wireless Ethernet, Describe the process of SSL/TLS, Describe the difference between a site-to-site, remote user, and  point-to-point VPN, Explain how hardening and responding work together to make a network secure. This definitely took a while to come to me, as it was a lot of new concepts and ideas I had never learned about before. The second artifact I chose was CYSE 270 Assignment 12 Advanced Networking Configuration: In this assignment, I learned how to assign appropriate IP addresses to each system, define routing rules to ensure proper packet forwarding, and enable NAT to allow communication across different networks. Here is where the IT 315 Network Security assignment helped me the most. My final artifact to reinforce my networking skill is IT 315 TCP/IP Internetworking In this assignment, I learned how to describe the relationship between a host name and an IP address, explain the router’s role in moving packets across a network, describe the hierarchical structure of IP addresses, describe the use of routers to connect different types of networks, explain routing decisions at the sending computer, explain the relationship among the items in a computer’s TCP/IP properties, explain routing decisions at a router, describe how a routing table is used to make routing decisions, describe why and how routers share information with other routers, explain why IPv6 isn’t being adopted in the U.S. while being adopted slowly outside, explain the structure of the domain name system and how network resources get their names, identify the role of port numbers in application to application communication, recognize the port numbers for Web and Email, describe how UDP is connectionless and unreliable, describe how TCP is connection-oriented and reliable, describe how NAT works, recognize the role of private addresses in NAT. Now, though this assignment was heavy on information, I will say that Assignment 12 Advanced Networking Configuration helped me the most when getting through this assignment. In getting into networking and gaining that skill, I ran into a lot of my issues in the beginning when learning and understanding the protocols. To get over that hump, I consistently made flash cards, and on one side I would have the acronym and on the other side I would have the protocol and definition. This skill is most necessary to track and understand the networking side of cybersecurity, as job ads will list that an understanding of networking or even the Network+ certification is required to work at the job site.

Conclusion

IDS 300W aided me in the following. I will say that the interdisciplinary method that has been applied more than the others has been the 10-step approach to finding an interdisciplinary approach. Step one is common throughout any field or study: “Identify the Problem.” No matter what career path you choose, there will always be a problem. Not meaning to sound negative, but no matter what career you choose, there will have to be an initial issue and or in this case problem that must be solved and or aided. Step two is “Justify using an interdisciplinary approach.” Now this is an important step due to the fact that sometimes when you pursue answers, there has to be a why, and that is what step two justifies. Step three, “Identify relevant disciplines,” is crucial in deciding which information is most important for the problem at hand. Step four is “conduct the literature research.” Now, with this step, it will not always be used, but it is one of my favorites, as I rarely decide without doing my research beforehand. Step five is “Develop Adequacy in each relevant discipline”. Step five is used every day while pursuing our majors at ODU as we are constantly building knowledge and building a bigger grasp on our major. Step six is “Analyze the problem and evaluate each theory”. Step six is important to do right before attempting to implement solutions, as weighing your options is always going to come into effect. Step seven, “Find conflicts between theories and sources,” adds to step four, as it is important to find sources. Step eight, “Create common ground,” is the most important to an interdisciplinary approach, in my opinion, because this is what it’s all about. Step nine, “Create a better understanding,” is important, as even if an understanding of a topic is obtained, you can always learn more. Finally, step ten: “Reflect, Test, and Communicate Understanding”. Step ten is incredibly crucial to working in cybersecurity, as that is exactly what the jobs boil down to. It is important to be an interdisciplinary thinker in my field of study because in cybersecurity, all tech is included, even IoTs or Internet of Things. After all, any tech can be seen as a vulnerability.