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Software Development Security and Hacking Prevention

Today’s technology translates every business and activity into a vast digital language, creating networks that connect information and data, which needs to be protected with software development security services . As a result, protecting all this stored information and implementing software development security is vital to maintaining these businesses’ safety and integrity. Enterprise cybersecurity solutions have a significant contribution at this point, as they implement and test their organization’s programs and develop strategies to facilitate hacking prevention.

What is the first thing you think about when I say Cybersecurity? Mine is Mr. Robot, a character from a well-known series that hacks systems and networks. Many people tend to think about hackers as well when it comes to Software Development Security; that’s why I wanted to find out more about this vast area of expertise. In order to do that, I talked to my AROBS colleagues from the Cybersecurity Department, Ioana O., and Andrei G., to better understand the way this area of specialty works.

How would you explain software development security and hacking prevention through an analogy-based perspective?

Ioana & Andrei: Software Development Security is an extensive domain whose nucleus is made of two complex parts: offensive and defensive. The offensive is known as the Red Team, and the defensive is the Blue Team. When the two of them combine, they create the Purple Team, which simulates an actual attack: the Penetration Testers try to break into the system, using ethical hacking methods to attack networks and detect their vulnerabilities; as a response, the Blue Team defends it. There is also an objective side, the White Team, that oversees the whole process.

Let’s take the following analogy: you own a house. You are aware that your home has weak entry points- someone can enter anytime through the windows, break the doors, and so on. To achieve the goal of making your house safe, you hire someone specialized in the field to simulate an actual break-in to test those weak entry points. In this case, a professional ethical thief could eventually recommend concrete security solutions for your house: implementing alarms, bars for windows, and so on.

In some cases, an actual thief might break into the house; if this incident happens, the police analyze it in order to discover what access method was used and what was stolen or compromised.

In our analogy scenario, the house is the correspondent to a system, server, or app, the thief is the equivalent to the Penetration Testers, and the police refer to the Incident Response experts in Cybersecurity technical terms.

There will always be newly found vulnerabilities in systems or networks; that’s why you need to be constantly updated; and Cybersecurity plays its part in the whole process, mainly in hacking prevention.

Name at least one challenge that you encounter in your daily work.

Ioana & Andrei: There is always the risk of not achieving your desired goal. As a penetration tester, the challenge is to continuously find proper ways to ethically hack the systems, as well as provide remediation recommendations based on the circumstances of the system. Coming back to our house analogy, you need to find ways to break in on your own, not ask neighbors for help. Our daily work implies staying updated all the time, keeping up with all-new discoveries, technologies, and working towards your purpose.

You started as interns. How does the Cybersecurity Internship at AROBS work?

Ioana & Andrei: The Internship at AROBS is a blend of all the main areas of Infosecurity: the interns assimilate all the technical terms to acquire ability on any tools, and it builds a foundation for a career in Software Development Security. Also, this Internship prepares the interns for the primary certification in Cybersecurity and CompTIA Security+.

What subspecialties in Software Development Security exist, and what are their qualifications?

Ioana & Andrei: What most people don’t know about Cybersecurity is that it’s a giant sphere with many opportunities to specialize in diverse fields. Any affinity in this area of interest can be translated into one of the positions available in Software Development Security:

If you enjoy writing and implementing procedures, there is a specific branch of Cybersecurity, the Compliance and Governance Department.
If monitoring types of attacks and their frequency interests you, there is the Blue Team you can join- you will work with Security Operations Centre (SOC) and observe alerts in real-time.
If you are passionate about simulating attacks, you can opt for the Red Team, which plays the offensive part.
If observing things from different perspectives, seeing the bigger picture, and finding solutions for what doesn’t work is your thing, you may consider joining the Engineering Department.
If creating the architecture from the security point of view seems interesting, check the Architecture Department.
If you’re interested in Artificial Intelligence, multiple machine learning tools in Cybersecurity use AI.

Please share some advice for people considering specializing in this area of expertise.

Ioana & Andrei: There isn’t any special skill that you need to have to start a career in Cybersecurity; it can be challenging, even difficult at times, but it’s up to your adaptability, perseverance, and willingness to work hard.

Software Development Security, or any other field, is about the idea of waking up in the morning and thinking that “today, I get to do what I am passionate about, not only a job that I’ve chosen.” This area might not be so familiar to everyone, so it’s normal to fear the unknown, but if you don’t risk, you don’t win.

Opportunities for specializing in Cybersecurity and hacking prevention are becoming more and more frequent. Still, it’s up to each of you how you choose to approach this challenge. For some people, following the Software Development Security path may seem uncertain and risky at first, but having the right attitude and a growth mindset can lead you to a fulfilling career in the the Cybersecurity department.