- Everyone Knows What "Cybersecurity" Means
- We Can Measure How Secure Our Systems Are
- The Primary Goal of Cybersecurity Is Security
- Cybersecurity Is About Obvious Risks
- Sharing More Cyber Threat Intel Will Make Things Better
- What Matters to You Matters to Everyone Else
- Product X Will Make You Secure
- Macs Are Safer Than PCs, Linux Is Safer Than Windows
- Open Source Software Is More Secure Than Closed Source Software
- Technology X Will Make You Secure
- Process X Will Make You Secure
- Faerie Dust Can Make Old Ideas Magically Revolutionary
- Passwords Should Be Changed Often
- Believe and Fear Every Hacking Demo You See
- Cyber Offense Is Easier Than Defense
- Operational Technology (OT) Is Not Vulnerable
- Breaking Systems Is the Best Way to Establish Yourself
- Because You Can, You Should
- Better Security Means Worse Privacy
- Further Reading
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Breaking Systems Is the Best Way to Establish Yourself
Egos are huge in cyber, and none more so than the egos driven by the perceived glory of a big hack. This is an unfortunate misconception. Finding flaws is sometimes an art, sometimes a science, and occasionally simple luck, but it is not usually the key to establishing oneself as an expert.
People who break things get temporary recognition and publicity, but that rarely showcases professional skill and expertise. There are a small number of exceptions, but fixing problems is the outcome most people desire, not a pile of broken code. Breaking things seems glamorous and fun, and it can occasionally be those things, but it alone is insufficient to build a career. It is not difficult for most people to break a crystal vase, but only some are qualified to make one. Houses can be broken into with minimal expertise; designing and building one takes considerable skill. Given the quality of most computer code, finding flaws is not a huge accomplishment; building systems that resist attacks is.
Generally speaking, breaking things is almost always easier than creating or fixing them, and the majority of cybersecurity careers are devoted to diagnosis and repair. We say that despite having extensive experience breaking systems ourselves.