Trained Information Security Professionals – The Need of the Hour

Jerry Nelson

According to a Deloitte Survey, more than 50% of companies surveyed admitted to having a data loss in from June 2005 - June 2006, with roughly 33% of those incidents directly resulting in financial losses. It is estimated information security breaches in the U.S. are reported at a rate of one every three days.

Information Security – A Never Ending War

Government sites are bearing the brunt of this spurt in hacking activities. Recently the U.S Department of Agriculture website was attacked and defaced by cyber terrorists who stole critical personal information of 26,000 employees in the Washington D.C. area, including names, social security numbers and photos.

Even everyday consumers are not safe. In one of the most serious cyber-crimes of recent times, more than 65000 user's personal information including names, addresses, passwords and encrypted credit card information were stolen from gaming website SecondLife.

It is estimated that consumer and business identity theft contributed to losses of $2 trillion in 2005(ComputerWorld).

Perimeter Security - The best defense is a good offense.

In today's world, no business can operate without securing its computers. In order to secure your system you need to know the methods & tools used by hackers. In short, you must think like a hacker.

IDC expects IT security spending to grow twice as fast as IT spending over the next several years, surpassing $116 billion by 2007. Companies across all industries place a high priority on safeguarding their data and systems. Growth in these areas is expected to fuel demand for specialists who are knowledgeable about network, data, and communications security.

Knowledge – The Only Solution

Appin Knowledge Solutions, technology leaders in Information Security and Ethical Hacking have launched courses Information Security and Ethical Hacking Course focusing on this emerging field of information security.

The Information Security course from Appin Knowledge Solutions provide an in-depth coverage of this field – starting from the basics to the most advanced topics like VPN security, BS 7779 procedures etc. From start to finish, the focus is on action: what information security is, how to test security as well as it's counter measures.

The objective of the course is to master the current trends in information security methodologies and tools. The "think like a hacker" approach encourages students to test the security vulnerabilities of their own networks. Students also learn about intrusion detection, policy creation, social engineering, open source intelligence, incident handling, and log interpretation.

Whether you're a sys-admin, infosec professional, an ethical hacker or a student of IT – This course equips you will all necessary skill-sets to protect the system and illegal data extortion. These courses also act as a stepping stone for higher certifications like CISSP, GIAC, CISA etc.

Learn from the experts in the field of Information Security: Information Security & Ethical Hacking Course – An Overview

(Course contents may vary from course to course)  Module- 1

1. Introduction to Information Security & Ethical Hacking Hacker Vs Cracker, Ethical Hacking Challenges for a Hacker

2. Desktop and Server Security How to Look for Vulnerabilities?, Securing Windows, Windows Security Center, Windows Updating 3. Viruses, Worms, Spywares Viruses and Worms Introduction, Modes of Spreading , Countermeasures like Norton Anti-virus 4. LAN Security Encryption, Authentication and VPN, Wireless LAN Policies, Intrusion Detection and Protection 5. Firewalls & Security Types of Firewalls, Packet Filters, Proxy Gateways, Network Address Translation , Intrusion Detection 6. Internet Security Tools and methods of safeguarding against Internet Security threats.

Module-2 1. Information Gathering Detection of TCP Port Scan, TCP SYN Scanning Detection of SYN Scans, SYN/ACK Scanning, Detection of SYN/ACK Port Scan  2. Attacking the System-1 Network Infrastructure Attacks, Operating System Attacks, Application & Other Specialized Attacks, Technical Attacks, Denial of Services attacks (DOS Attacks), Distributed DoS attacks (DDos), Key Logging, Trojan Attacks  Module-3  1. Attacking the System-2:  Phishing, Phishing Prevention, , Sniffer Attacks, Detection of Sniffers Running, Stopping Sniffing Attacks.  2. Data Backup  Reasons for Data Backup, Strategies for Data Backup, Tools & Methods  3. Art of Googling Terminologies, Advanced Search Techniques  Module -4 1. Penetration Testing Definition, Methodology, Basic Approaches, External and Internal Views 2. Catching Criminals  Cyber Terrorism, Forms of Cyber Terrorism , Factors & Reasons , Countermeasures  3. Cryptography and Forensics  Introduction to Cryptography, Private Key Encryption , Public Key Encryption, Computer Forensics, Digital Evidence.  Proactive security procedures & policies across networks, desktops and servers are an absolute must. The needs of the hour are trained information security professionals who can take care about the function and administration of networks.

The demand of certified professionals is skyrocketing and very soon they'll become indispensable for corporates and governments alike.

The author is a practicing[ network security ] (link: http://www.appinlabs.com/information-security-combo-offer.php)issues. For more information, please visit : http://www.appinlabs.com/

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