This is part of our ongoing series for Cybersecurity Awareness Month (#CSAM).
Each year, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month empowers both individuals and organizations to have a role in protecting their cyber footprint and provide others with the information needed to stay secure online.
Now, in honor of the event’s 18th anniversary, Cybrary is supporting this online safety awareness and education initiative by offering a variety of new, highly sought-after, and easily obtainable resources to the cybersecurity community.
Cybrary recently announced free, hands-on virtual labs and joint industry webinars and events with fellow industry leaders to support the growing global effort to promote online safety and privacy, and ultimately shrink the persistent cyber skills gap.
We spoke with Cybrary CEO Kevin Hanes to discuss the importance of #CSAM and how Cybrary is supporting the initiative.
How do Cybrary’s values and mission align with National Cybersecurity Awareness month?
National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) empowers individuals and organizations to own their role in protecting their part of cyberspace and seeks to provide everyone with the information they need to stay safer and more secure online. Cybrary’s catalog of online courses and experiential tools provide IT and cybersecurity learning opportunities to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Currently, Cybrary helps over 3 million members access world-class training and career development materials and enables them to not only connect with each other, but also various instructors and mentors with different industry backgrounds.
The theme of this year’s Cybersecurity Security Awareness Month is ‘Do Your Part. #BeCyberSmart’. How is Cybrary doing its part and supporting this theme?
Cybrary is proud to support this far-reaching online safety awareness and education initiative through the continued cyber skills development of team and individuals with Cybrary’s catalog of courses and certifications, including select free offerings. As a ‘Champion’ of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Cybrary encourages others to do their part this year by becoming more aware of potential malicious risks and educating individuals on how to implement stronger security practices to defend against attacks.
How is Cybrary participating in Cybersecurity Awareness Month?
Cybrary is offering a variety of new resources to the cybersecurity community, including free, hands-on virtual labs and joint industry webinars and events with fellow industry leaders.
What free virtual labs will Cybrary be offering and why were those selected?
The virtual labs Cybrary is offering include The OSI Model Lab, IDS, SYSLOG, and NTP, Network Security - Firewalls Lab, Scanning the Network on the LAN Lab, Exploiting a Vulnerable Web Application Lab and Log Analysis in Linux and Splunk Lab. These labs were chosen based on current trends in the industry and offer an easy starting point for individuals and teams to get into a hands-on application and discover greater options for learning and retention. With less information being taught on hardware and more about cloud architecture, software, and systems, providing a scenario and experience-based way to learn is imperative. Understanding adversary tactics and techniques through experiential training is a critical part of being an effective defender. These labs provide an understanding of everything from network setup to network protection and analysis - ranging from beginner to advanced - targeting those new to cybersecurity and others interested in advancing their current role/job in cyber.
What topics will be covered in the webinars, and what can they teach those who tune in?
Cybrary’s webinar with Infosec Learning surrounding “The Evolution and Impact of Hands-On Learning in Cybersecurity on Thursday, October 14 will focus on why hands-on learning is critical in cybersecurity, how organizations use hands-on experiences to build effective cybersecurity teams, and how to leverage virtual labs to prepare for a career in cybersecurity.
Cybrary will also be hosting a webinar with MITRE Engenuity, which will provide attendees with 12 free ATT&CK-based resources, provide a demo of their ATT&CK Workbench project, and provide a sneak peek at six new projects in development and an introduction to a new Center for Threat Informed Defense (CTID) program.
Why is cybersecurity training and education so important right now?
The cyber skills gap and shortage is continuing to grow, leaving organizations and professionals feeling unprepared for all types of cyber threats. These attacks are not limited to large corporations or government agencies either. Small businesses, healthcare organizations, and schools are prime targets because they are often vulnerable and not properly equipped with the resources to prevent or recover from attacks. This recovery process can take months at a time, while also being a severe drain on company staff and budgets. Not only has the complexity of cybersecurity attacks increased, but so has the cybersecurity technology stack. It is more important than ever that organizations make training a top priority and ensure the people leveraging these tools have the skill sets to do so effectively.
What have recent cybersecurity threats and breaches taught us about the current cybersecurity landscape and the skills gap?
Attacks like Colonial Pipeline and Kaseya showed how severe and widespread the harm from cybersecurity hacks can be. Recent events have also revealed that industries and organizations many expected to be out of reach or an unlikely target of attacks were not. The serious, global threats hackers and ransomware gangs pose require immediate action by organizations and individuals. The cybersecurity training professionals receive on the job is no longer enough and many organizations are struggling to fill cybersecurity roles to begin with. Additional on the job training, new certifications, and accessible cybersecurity courses are needed to fill these gaps.
What are additional resources that the cybersecurity community can seek out in October to enhance their cybersecurity posture?
Cybrary offers additional courses for teams and professionals to enhance their cybersecurity posture and stay ahead of emerging threats, trends and technologies. These include courses on security fundamentals, ethical hacking, web app security, security compliance and more. The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency also provides resources to decrease cybersecurity risks and educate individuals on how to protect themselves online.
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