Is Cybersecurity training the new cash cow?

Hi and welcome to another Security weekly. Where we laugh, we cry and share the latest and greatest in security and tech news.

In this week's edition:
🐮 Cybersecurity training - the new cash cow
🐬 Flipper Zero banned from Amazon: the Flippening continues
❔ Disable User Explains: (Credit) Card Skimming
🔥 the quick and dirty

Reading time: 03:32

Cybersecurity training - the new cash cow?

I don’t know how your feed looks, but mine is FLOODED with people offering cybersecurity coaching, training and everyone has a newsletter (hehehe).

And I get it:

a) helping people is good
b) earning some money while doing so, is a win-win

But, my dear readers, not everyone means well. Not everyone has the same good intentions as ya boy, me.

I often see false promises of easy to land, high paying, jobs.
“Follow these 3 steps and get a cyber security job, yesterday.”

Horrible.

It just isn’t that easy. Cybersecurity jobs have a lot of responsibility - you’re often guarding the company’s crown jewels - so what makes you think it’s an easy profession to roll into?

Let me debunk some myths, and spit some truth’s with my hat turned backwards, Ash Ketchum style

• Cyber security is hard - there is no way around years of experience. Believe me, I tried.

• The amount of entry level jobs in cyber is limited - with reason. I wouldn’t want a starter handling company critical alerts.

• Entry level jobs are not high paying - sure, seasoned professionals get paid a lot. But that is true for every profession.

• You won’t make it if it doesn’t interest you - don’t spend months learning something that doesn’t interest you. You don’t have to be a major geek (I’m not either, I think..) but if it doesn’t speak to you at least a bit, go after something else.

The above doesn’t apply to those with ‘relevant’ experience in programming, networking or sysadmin.

I wouldn’t consider them entry level either.

So yeah, don’t get sucked in with false promises of riches. Think about it, and if you realllllyyy want to take it on, here’s some advice:.

A bit hypocritical to link your own advise page right after whining about others, isn’t it? #YOLO

Speaking of cash cows..

As my day-1 readers have noticed, there was no newsletter last week.

Did I forget? No.
Did I fall asleep for an entire day? Again, no.
Did I save an entire family from a burning house, endangering my own life and possibly leaving my son to grow up without a father? Also no, but that would have been craaaaazey.

No, I went to do my Security+ exam.

Why? Practice what you preach, I guess.

But dang. +- €150 on training materials, and €350 on the exam. That’s a lot of money for an entry level exam..

Flipper Zero banned from Amazon: the Flippening continues

So apparently Amazon is following Brazil’s trend in banning our beloved aquatic mammal tool, Flipper Zero. Wow, that’s an obscure reference.

After writing this, only 3 weeks ago:

Amazon decided to join in, and removed every Flipper Zero tool listed on their website.

I have to admit, ever since the tool gained traction on TikTok, a lot of people have been using it for.. lesser good?

• Trolling wireless door bells

• Traffic light regulation

• and, supposedly, Credit Card skimming

The latter being a rather harmful crime, that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
In response to this, the CEO of Flipper Zero said that the tool is not capable of this.

I’m pleading for Amazon to bring it back. I mean c’mon, it resembles a cute dolphin.

(Credit) Card Skimming

When a credit card’s magnetic strip is read by an unauthorized device, leaking the data to unwanted sources.

Often done by placing an extra terminal over a working ATM, leaving the victim unaware they are sticking their card into a skimmer.
The magnetic strip on the back of the card is then read by both the skimming device, and the real ATM.
This data is then later used for things like cloning, or card fraud.

The quick and dirty

• Cybersecurity on a budget — small business advice - cool tips from Kaspersky

• Top 10 Cybersecurity Trends for 2023: From Zero Trust to Cyber Insurance - not much change from 2022 so far

• MSI confirms security breach following ransomware attack claims - aiino, my favorite gaming brand :(

• Meme of the week

Oh yeah, for those interested, I passed.