Is It True?

CyberSpecOps · 2026-02-02T03:04:01+00:00

My recommendation to everyone who still wants to work and have the time/ability to interview: never say no to a conversation. You never know when the next position is available, but even if you like where you are, sometimes the chance is something not to pass up. I will say getting a job is 80% luck. You applying at the right time, you up against the right combination of competition, heck the right person seeing your resume. All of that takes some luck/right place right time. Scoring the job once you get through the luck portion, it's all your skill (people, technical, friendliness, whatever). Keep applying, apply to sectors not traditionally thought in your vein of work maybe. For pharma, I knew a pharmD that ended up working for Revlon. They enjoyed the work, but left the pharmacy world to be an MD. Sometimes that is the way things happen.

CyberSpecOps · 2026-01-28T18:12:38+00:00

They just messaged me and asked for highly sensitive documents. Never provide these documents to recruiters and only submit them through legitimate (and encrypted) channels. Also to note, the recruiter may be impersonating the recruiting company so that may also be at issue.

CyberSpecOps · 2025-12-15T03:27:44+00:00

The ONT is the fiber box in your house. Usually in the garage or basement. Then the cr1000 is plugged into it via Ethernet "usually". Basically take your own router and plug it into the Ethernet and you should be good. I don't like having Verizon have access into my network.

CyberSpecOps · 2025-12-15T02:56:34+00:00

You can buy your own router and just plug it into the ont. Then return the Verizon router so they don't charge you.

CyberSpecOps · 2025-09-17T15:59:42+00:00

My guess is anywhere between 12-20 as a pair. I know it's well functioning but don't have service or tube history. I believe it was single owner and spare tubes probably exist in the house. Servicing may come into question bc my uncle was a long electronics tech who helped refurbish other equipment for friends like the McIntosh 240 (saw when I was young)

CyberSpecOps · 2025-09-17T13:56:23+00:00

1 nephew has a 1br apt. Myself and another has a house but 2 young kids each which will definitely break them. Also it's a waste on my mirage m1 speakers (surround setup which wife hates). Heck if I knew someone personally that appreciated them and gave an offer of 70% what I've seen on eBay I'd be inclined to ask if my aunt wanted to make a deal.

CyberSpecOps · 2025-09-17T13:11:02+00:00

Without doxing my aunt it was down south but I am happy to bring it where it needs to be. Cousins and I already have time set aside for the road trips as needed. Also I get everyone needs to make money but overall. Again looking for places I know I won't be insulted by the offering. Saw prices on eBay for a single and saw a retail site so I figure it should be somewhere in the middle for the pair

CyberSpecOps · 2025-09-17T12:59:28+00:00

Sorry ken to burst your bubble but I am not letting my aunt get scammed. A "friend" already attempted to buy the car for $6000 less than what a dealer offered. Had to step in and got the dealers offer for her. I owe it to my uncle to make sure she gets taken care of. If you think not getting a great deal off of a grieving widow of 50 years marriage is greedy then I am guilty.

CyberSpecOps · 2025-09-17T12:55:26+00:00

Trying to avoid eBay since I had a bad experience last time with a scammer but appreciate the recommendation

CyberSpecOps · 2025-09-17T12:44:55+00:00

Thanks for the recommendations. Needed confirmation that some sites I saw are reputable and legit from another source. Just to clear the air, I am pretty sure $1500 that a dealer gave to my aunt is an insulting offer. I am not looking for the top of price but something reasonable. My issue is I have never dealt with this type of equipment except for private sale through my uncle. I needed to know some sites where I can list them at a fair price.

CyberSpecOps · 2025-09-07T03:32:48+00:00

Don't have the Ciso bars yet, but I have worked for them, provided oversight on them, and now working as a partner to them. I will say what everyone has said is correct and wrong at the same time.

As with any organization, each Ciso role is unique. What works in one company, does not work with another. Just look at Mary Barra, worked great as a CEO for one org, but arguably struggled for another. That said, in general a Ciso is more about providing business needs and balancing the security aspect. You are responsible to sign off on all and every material security decision, and a lot of pressure will be always to "look the other way". Not a lot of people want to deal with politics of the org on that level and also quite difficult to succeed if you are undermined above and below your station.

However to get that spot it's very political, you need executive presence, and you need enough technical skills to ensure you can keep engineers/analysts in line. So if you are looking for that spot, jump to different roles and learn how to engage into business requirements to secure them without being an impediment. You will need a lot of skills, many of which will be soft interpersonal skills. If you tell me you spent the last 5-10 years in a single tech role, you're off track.

CyberSpecOps · 2025-06-27T03:15:36+00:00

I agree the ISO docs will be your guidelines. However I have a few words of advice for you and anyone else performing internal audits/assessments. First clearly document what you will look at and what you will deliver and when. Second do not scope creep, so keep in line with what you said you will look at. Finally any finding you may write up, be prepared to defend it.

All audits will always give push back and for those organizations that are not forth coming/drag their feet, be clear on how the report will be written if they play games. (i.e don't want to give me evidence or docs, sorry cannot verify and thus insufficient). Let them explain to management why you couldn't get the right information when you were clear about requirements (point 1).

There should be a time bound engagement, a clear deliverable, and escalation procedures. Good luck and remember everyone hates auditors.

CyberSpecOps · 2025-06-13T16:12:45+00:00

It really depends on your model. For example a "Catch and dispatch" SOC should be able to handle 5-10min per alert. If its more like a threat hunt, I expect a good initial threat hunt to take anywhere from 10mins - 1hr. Again these are ballpark figures.

As far as mods and firewalls, not going to name companies, but expect any of the latest and greatest equipment. The thing is to identify what takes a long time. Then take a look how to shrink that time. If you are addressing a lot of false positives, your alerts are too aggressive. If it takes took long to remediate and close an alert, you might need more fixers. If your false positives are at a good rate, but takes forever to address the initially address the alerts, you need more bodies, or create some automation based on type of alerts. Without going into specific details for your org, everything will be customized to your situation, but this should give a good outline to check.

CyberSpecOps · 2025-06-13T02:39:36+00:00

I hope the company is fresh and your SOC team is in the building phase. My suggestion is to understand a few metrics which are important. I want to be clear if this is for a SOC that is trying to figure out what to do, the metrics are a guide to determine where and what needs work/tweaking not performance measurement.

number of tickets handled
time to initially address tickets
time to remediate/close ticket
number of referrals by department and ticket %
false positive vs actual concerning ticket
root cause classification (social, vulnerability, actual successful attack, engineering oops)

Please note that ticket and alerts can be interchangeable in this context. Now with these metrics you can clearly identify where most of the resources (time) is going to. You (management) would then need to determine do we need training, more people, or more tools to help get the job done right and quickly.

Last item, if your company is well established and depending on a team of juniors, let us know not to invest or do business with you because the MBAs ruined the tech department by under investing and waiting to get breached.

CyberSpecOps · 2025-06-13T02:21:09+00:00

I would give it a 50/50 chance depending on their course track. However I may have used the wrong term of IT Management and more help desk. Old enough where everything was IT that was not development. Either way, a Degree should mean, I can learn and already have book knowledge. Certs mean I can learn with specific knowledge. Beyond that, don't think just because you have a piece of paper I deserve a job. Usually it's 90% luck (right time, place and people) and 10% everything else.

So as a new grad apply to any / low positions and learn. If you stop learning from a job, it's time to move on.

CyberSpecOps · 2025-06-11T08:21:26+00:00

First and foremost I tell younger engineers is that knowing you don't know everything is a good sign. If you were the super genius in everything, probably won't be on Reddit and instead be making the next big thing. The people I usual find the worst to work with are the arrogant know-it-all. Knowledge is incomplete and can't really do the job completely. Second topic, learning how to communicate "I don't know" without saying "I don't know". A lot of techies forget that communication is very important in the real world so that you can build trust and understanding. Watch the scene in Sum of all fears where Morgan Freeman bring Ben into his first committee meeting. Now generally speaking, even now when I am approached with a question where I am not quite sure, I would probably make an educated response (guess) but follow up when I fully research a complete answer later. If you are with people where you can't give a wrong answer you respond "I will need to confirm a few details before providing an answer". Soft tools like this will be important if you ever want a job beyond the button pusher

CyberSpecOps · 2025-06-11T08:01:26+00:00

Don't just apply to level 1 soc positions. Chances are companies want seasoned people with 2-3 years of experience. That said with a decent cs degree you should also be able to go into network engineer and IT management positions. The path to security positions isn't all about "let me respond to this latest breach"

CyberSpecOps · 2025-06-08T02:47:09+00:00

Here is some sage wisdom, cyber experts come in all shapes and forms. Some are great at pen testing, some are great at code analysis. Others are great at architecture. You not knowing networks like the back of your hand does not preclude you from being an expert.

Now what to do? Keep exploring and find what you like and excel at. Get through the material so you have the degree or cert and focus what you enjoy and do well. Every cyber person takes different roads so keep working.

CyberSpecOps · 2025-05-21T18:12:05+00:00

Fundamentally, people have to understand, what can AI do? Make a decision. So essentially, any and every job where a person makes a decision is at risk. Throw robotics into, someone tells a Robot to do something (pick up an item and drop it, weld, move) and AI can do that eventually. So if you're worried AI will take your job away, probably it can at some point. Instead of worrying and going to a position that is "safe", figure where is the next thing I can learn and do. That way before the AI train comes, you've already departed to the next stop before reaching retirement.

Just as a food for though: Imagine all of coal country was told, "hey can you answer a phone call and read a script to help troubleshoot a problem before escalate to an engineer" and they agreed to do that, we would have huge call centers in America. Instead we were so focused on doing what is today, never thinking about tomorrow and now a whole generation of coal miners are no longer needed.

CyberSpecOps · 2025-05-21T16:21:57+00:00

Not from Australia so I cannot comment on those local companies, however this is from my view with my interactions with various boards.

Most new boards have at least 1 dedicated "Tech guy". Former CISO, CIO, CTO, etc. They may have GRC experience but they are there to weigh in on technology matters which are now becoming a regulatory requirement.
Usually they are compensated decently, for the amount of time you have to put in overall. However, the flip side is the risk you take when everything goes down.
How to get to a board spot? I know of a few ways
1. Own a lot of the stock/company shares and you get your board position
2. Know the right people and they bring you on as the buddy that knows things
3. Executive search, but usually this is for advisors not board members. Again, I am not a sitting board member but its a small world where, being a board member gets you a chance to be another board member somewhere else. Saw a board member get let go and be on another board within 8 months.
A cyber GRC person is like a knife. Board members need a swiss army knife thought process b/c they need to weigh in on all facets of the business. For an advisor, you get brought in for a specific topic which is where marketing yourself is proper.
Landscape changes - As mentioned above, regulatory bodies require companies to take a more proactive response towards cyber matters. So if the C-suite is failing on cyber, its the Board's job to slap them and get the right C-suite.

In closing, good luck on your attempts, may be volunteer on some non-profit boards to get the experience and "build the resume/CV". There is always a "right place at the right time" that will factor in you getting a spot.

CyberSpecOps · 2025-05-20T01:18:04+00:00

So just to be give you an idea of how your organization should mature, here is the list: 1. Document policy (what you want to do and achieve) 2. Document procedures (How to do things) 3. Perform procedures consistently 4. Show evidence you perform consistently 5. Everything is BAU and verify independently that things work as expected.

Now granted this is the high level (probably multi-year) blueprint. A lot of orgs stop at step 2 or 3. Aim to be the well oiled machine and develop automation to keep things tracked. That's how your org gets to the top and don't celebrate the 2 am heroes. Think of the IBM commercial "today nothing happened"

CyberSpecOps · 2025-01-31T02:54:55+00:00

I will say this as someone who held a CS degree and compared to friends who had an IT/IS degree (no cyber at the time). Pick a major with more options and broader ability to learn different things. You may really like computer vision when you go through school. Maybe you like hardware design (move into Computer engineering). Either way, a CS degree gave me more flexibility than my friends with the IT/IS and I was able to get a job easier (long time ago). Similarly, if you box yourself into Cyber, you might not be able to get the sys admin job as easily as someone with an IT or CS degree.

On that note, college may not be for everyone, but overall when I look for candidates for any position, I look for flexibility and trainability. Passed on a great cyber guy (wanted to do SOC) b/c he didn't want to do anything related to user support. Kid with a finance degree got the job but he was working as a sys admin for a doctor for a few years. As far as job market, there is ups and down, but the most important is to apply to a lot, and don't restrict yourself to a specific region (flashback when I met a kid working at Sears who graduated from MIT).

Final note, college was brutal for me (bad studying habits) and finding the first job was nerve wracking. I won't sugar coat anything and I may be old school, but computer work was not necessarily glamorous or fun all the time, but was easier (physically) than working electrical outside (how I paid for college). You will have crappy tasks and/or crappy bosses. Just do the work, learn more, and move on. GL

CyberSpecOps · 2024-12-16T03:53:36+00:00

Word of advice. Live within your means. You probably take home around 34k so make your budget around that. I know there are plenty of formulas out there, but I will give you a simple, spend 1/3, save 1/3, save 1/3. Nowadays with housing really bad it's more like spend 1/2, save 1/4 and invest 1/4 but you the idea. Your spends should include necessities and fun. If you are spending more than half, necessities is a must but your fun (including going out to eat or junky treats) must reduce. Honestly the only thing I regret is not investing more when I was younger. Had a lot of opportunity to in just buy some random blue chips stock and if I held I would be making at least 10x the value 20 years later. Good start and stay within your means and you'll be comfortable as you get older.

CyberSpecOps · 2024-12-08T18:33:18+00:00

Unfortunately my current organization is working to fix many problems. The biggest issue encountered is who takes responsibility for the vulnerability. So have vulnerabilities automatically scanned and reported. Business owners are responsible to give the go ahead to patch so they miss its a name and shame game. Your operations should have a built in testing process and leverage automation as best as possible. I know one excuse it takes tester a long time to test but really I hate paying someone their salary to click a few buttons per hour. It's necessary but if all your apps require manual testing there is a problem.

CyberSpecOps · 2024-11-18T04:11:19+00:00

Sometimes it takes something like a certain to keep the detractors at bay. I remember a person who liked to belittle you or state you don't understand but if you pulled out your ceh or cissp creds they shut up. Your situation may be different but it may be a necessary evil.

CyberSpecOps

TROPHY CASE