CyberCEO Panel Notes

Why Cybersecurity Matters

Companies can lose billions of dollars from cyberattacks. If something gets stolen or corrupted, it can cost so much that a company might shut down.
AI can now be used to launch cyberattacks, making threats even more dangerous.
A lot of people in businesses and schools don’t really understand how cybersecurity works. Even with training, many still click on phishing links.
Until people take cybersecurity more seriously, it will continue to be a big problem.

0-day vulnerability: A flaw that has no fix yet.
- Example: Microsoft once released an update that came from the cloud. A hacker managed to sneak in a fake update, which gave all Microsoft computers a virus.
If you want to test how secure something is, sometimes you need to bring in someone who actually knows how to break in—like hiring a real burglar to test home security.
People who are trained in penetration testing (basically ethical hacking) are really good at testing how strong security systems are.

People working in cybersecurity often have access to sensitive data—like personal and private info—so being trustworthy and having strong values really matters.

In the 90s, some people got into computers because they saw it as the future. One speaker, Tricia, said she got inspired by reading books and realizing she could track down “villains” online.
You don’t need a super specific background—if you’re interested, you can start learning.
A background in IT (Information Technology) can really help get you started in cybersecurity.
What helps you go far: being organized, curious, and understanding technical stuff.
Anyone can go into this field if they put in the effort.

One big challenge is convincing companies to spend money on cybersecurity.
- It might not help them make money, but without it, they could lose everything.

Some companies are scared they’ll lose jobs because AI can code now. That’s why cybersecurity is a solid career option—it’s harder to replace people in this field.
Bigger companies already take cybersecurity seriously, but small businesses usually don’t have enough protection.
Cybersecurity isn’t something you can just turn off after work. New threats can pop up anytime.
You need to keep up with what’s going on in other countries too—cybersecurity is always changing.
There are still a lot of unknowns about how it’s going to evolve.
You’ll need a good network of people around you. Find those who are great at what they do, learn from them, and build friendships—they can help your career a lot.
Teamwork is everything in cybersecurity. You can’t do it all on your own.

There’s a certification called CC (from ICT) that helps you learn the basics of cybersecurity.
Doing group projects is really valuable—especially because later in life you might be working with or even managing those same kinds of teams.
One of the speakers mentioned working in labs and using tools like ETP servers, which help you practice and learn hands-on skills.

Meeting the FBI guy was super interesting, and what surprised me the most was that he didn’t even start off in computer science, but still ended up working in cybersecurity. It made me realize that you don’t have to know everything from the start—people from all kinds of backgrounds can end up in cyber.
I also learned that there’s a bunch of stuff I could be doing right now to get better at cybersecurity. There are tools and resources already out there, that I can use to learn more
Cybersecurity is clearly going to be a huge part of the future, so it makes sense to start learning and getting into it now instead of waiting until later.
Thanks to CyberCEO for introducing these people, it was a great event.

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