Exploring Careers in Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics

by Lucy K. Tsado Lamar University, Robert Osgood

Overview

Exploring Careers in Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics is a one-stop shop for students and advisors, providing information about education, certifications, and tools to guide them in making career decisions within the field.

Cybersecurity is a fairly new academic discipline and with the continued rise in cyberattacks, the need for technological and non-technological skills in responding to criminal digital behavior, as well as the requirement to respond, investigate, gather and preserve evidence is growing. Exploring Careers in Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics is designed to help students and professionals navigate the unique opportunity that a career in digital forensics and cybersecurity provides. From undergraduate degrees, job hunting and networking, to certifications and mid-career transitions, this book is a useful tool to students, advisors, and professionals alike. Lucy Tsado and Robert Osgood help students and school administrators understand the opportunity that exists in the cybersecurity and digital forensics field, provide guidance for students and professionals out there looking for alternatives through degrees, and offer solutions to close the cybersecurity skills gap through student recruiting and retention in the field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538140628
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	02/15/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	154
File size:	887 KB
Age Range:	14 - 18 Years

About the Author

Lucy K. Tsado, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, Social Work and Criminal Justice at Lamar University, where she teaches cybersecurity, digital forensics, cybercrime, corrections, criminal justice policy, planning and evaluation, class, race, gender and crime to criminal justice students.

Robert Osgood is an engineer, CPA, and a twenty-six-year veteran FBI Computer Forensics Examiner and Technically Trained Special Agent. His specialties include: digital forensics, data intercept, cyber-crime, enterprise criminal organizations, espionage, and counter-terrorism. In the course of his work, he has performed digital forensics research and development and created unique new software tools for digital forensic law enforcement. He also serves as a digital forensics consultant to Probity Inc. working with the Truxton development team. He formed the first FBI computer forensics squad in 2000, served as the Chief of the FBI’s Digital Media Exploitation Unit and was part of the team that executed the first court-authorized digital computer intercept at the FBI. Osgood managed and deployed the Washington, D.C. gunshot detection system.

Table of Contents

Chapter One: What Is Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity and The Criminal Justice Connection

The Evolution of Digital Forensics

Chapter Two: The Cybersecurity Skills Gap: An Opportunity for Criminal Justice Students

Criminal Justice Students and The Infusion of Cyber Forensic Skills

What Educators, Advisors, And Career Counselors Need to Know

How Can A Student Attain A Successful Cybersecurity Career?

Chapter Three: It’s All About Skills

Digital Forensics Swim Lanes

Digital Media Forensics

Network Forensics

Cloud Forensics

Memory Forensics

Mobile Device Forensics

Reverse Engineering

What Baseline Skills Do I Need to Bring?

Programming

Operating Systems

Networking

Soft Skills

Written Communications Skills

Interviewing Skills

Legal Skills

Chain of Custody

Other Legal Stuff

Non-Examiner Based Analytical Skills

Chapter Four: Education and Certifications

Cyber Security Programs

Certificate Programs (Certs)

Formal (Academic) Education

Undergraduate Programs

Graduate Programs

Components of An Effective Digital Forensics Program

Online Programs

Cost

How to Pick an Institution?

The Centers for Academic Excellence (CAE) Designated Institutions

Chapter Five: Cybersecurity Career Opportunities in The Field of Criminal Justice

Current Opportunities and Jobs Needing Cybersecurity in Criminal Justice

Jobs Within the Federal Government (Public Sector)

Jobs Within State and Local Governments (Public Sector).

Courts and Corrections

Jobs Within the Private Sector

National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Cyberseek

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Workforce Framework

Other Important Roles

Chapter Six: Planning Your Path into The Cybersecurity Field

A Proposed Model for A Successful Cybersecurity Education and Career.

Education

Training and Certifications

Other Activities That Are Important for Students’ Success

Networking

Conferences

School Career Advancement Activities

Internships

Apprenticeship

Clubs and Social Organizations

Competitions

The Role of Colleges and Their Community

Chapter Seven: Getting the Job and Entering the Digital Forensics Field

Setting Up A Home Digital Forensics Lab

Looking for The Job Posting.

Persistent but Not Annoyance

The Resume

Conclusion: Career Advancement in Cybersecurity

Recap of Previous Chapters

Questions Students Should Ask Themselves Before They Begin A Career/As They Progress Through Their Career

Tips for Advancement in The Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics Field.

After A Cybersecurity Career, What Next?

Retirement: Was It All Worth It?

Appendix 1: Complete List of Feeder Roles According to Cyberseek.Org

Appendix 2: Cybersecurity Roles Suitable for Criminal Justice Students Adapted from Cyberseek.Org

Appendix 3: Cybersecurity Roles for Criminal Justice Students. Adapted from The NIST SP 800 181

Editorial Reviews

Recent headlines prove that there are ever-widening skill gaps between law enforcement and increasingly sophisticated cybercrime. This straightforward manual hopes to mitigate the discrepancy by providing clear cybersecurity career paths for individuals, counselors, and educational institutions. Written by two authors with considerable experience in both criminal-justice research and practice, the book is filled with charts, graphs, lists, reproducible forms, sample cases, and practical advice laid out in brief, accessible chapters. There's advice about desired coursework, majors, internships, networking, conferences, and apprenticeships (for both students and institutions). There are helpful hints on how to analyze job postings (interpreting government jargon, KSA—Knowledge, Skills and Abilities—requirements) and examples of functional resumes that stress skills as opposed to previous employment. Readers will also find time-honored interview caveats: wear a suit, shake hands, look them in the eye, smile. One extremely helpful appendix charts feeder jobs that can lead to top cybersecurity positions; others do the same for criminal justice students looking to specialize in specific areas. This concise guide, which could be an effective textbook, will be extremely valuable to anyone considering a career change.

Booklist

Recent headlines prove that there are ever-widening skill gaps between law enforcement and increasingly sophisticated cybercrime. This straightforward manual hopes to mitigate the discrepancy by providing clear cybersecurity career paths for individuals, counselors, and educational institutions. Written by two authors with considerable experience in both criminal-justice research and practice, the book is filled with charts, graphs, lists, reproducible forms, sample cases, and practical advice laid out in brief, accessible chapters. There's advice about desired coursework, majors, internships, networking, conferences, and apprenticeships (for both students and institutions). There are helpful hints on how to analyze job postings (interpreting government jargon, KSA--Knowledge, Skills and Abilities--requirements) and examples of functional resumes that stress skills as opposed to previous employment. Readers will also find time-honored interview caveats: wear a suit, shake hands, look them in the eye, smile. One extremely helpful appendix charts feeder jobs that can lead to top cybersecurity positions; others do the same for criminal justice students looking to specialize in specific areas. This concise guide, which could be an effective textbook, will be extremely valuable to anyone considering a career change.

From the Publisher