Professional Goals: Major in IT with Emphasis on Cybersecurity

Professional Goals
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Professional Goals
Cyber attacks are at an all-time high. From ransomware to supply chain attacks, I see several individuals and organizations becoming victims of cyber-attacks more than ever. Even though the global community is going through uncertain times, there is one thing that is certain - the rise in cybercrime. This certainty calls for innovative and creative minds in the industry to explore new ways of keeping data secure. And, this is why I am where I am today, pursuing my degree in IT to fit in where I belong.
According to Firch (2021), "cybercrime as a whole has increased by 600% since the beginning of the global pandemic." The threat actors did not even spare people going through such difficult times. They are exploiting the ones who are the most susceptible. For instance, I keep receiving Covid-19 or charity-related phishing messages, emails, or phone calls quite frequently. These scammers claim to help the people in need or the frontline workers and whatnot. Such scams make me wonder: "how vulnerable people have become with the advancement of technology." Since I am an IT student and very well aware of all kinds of cybercrimes, it is easier for me to identify phishing or other cybercrimes. However, people who are not familiar with the kinds of tactics hackers and threat actors use easily fall prey to them. Besides, most of the population does not even know how these threat actors can threaten them and invade their systems. They do not know how they steal their identity and data and how it affects their lives. This is why it gets easier for attackers or threat actors to achieve malicious goals. According to statistics, ransomware is the number 1 cyber threat that continues to cause billions of dollars of global damage (Government of Canada, 2021). In 2020, this cyber threat made history by causing death. The threat actors locked a German hospital out of their systems. Consequently, they were unable to treat patients, causing a death of a woman who needed urgent care. Incidents like these hurt me yet motivate me to work harder towards my goal of becoming a security architect, protecting organizations and people from cyber-attacks, tackling hackers and threat actors in smart ways.
Unfortunately, the cybersecurity trends do not look hopeful. Despite up-to-date endpoint protection, companies ar...