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This Community Newspaper is a weekly publication of Escambia Santa/Rosa Bar Association Page 1 Vol. 15, No. 21 VISIT THE SUMMATION WEEKLY ONLINE: www.esrba.com May 26, 2015
4 Pages
Keeping the Internet Safe By: Josh Newby The Internet has become so much more than anyone expected. It is hard to believe that in the mid-90s, industry experts were expecting the World Wide Web to be mainly a professional and governmental tool, and that pedestrian use would be little more than a fad. Today, of course, it is ubiquitous, as important to our off time as it is to our work lives. The Internet has become nearly as important as electricity, a utility we take for granted. Access to servers, people and information across the world is not something to take lightly, though, and as more and more people sign on, there is a greater risk of widespread computer infection and theft. Luckily, national and local organizations are training a new breed of cyber soldier, a career path that simply did not exist a few decades ago. These cyber-protectors see the Internet not as a collection of news and cat videos, but as an assortment of attackers and defenders. In cybersecurity, the attacker needs to only know one vulnerability, but the defender needs to secure all entry points. And while the attacker has unlimited time, the defender is often working with time and cost constraints. Add to that the fact that overly or improperly secured systems can be more difficult to use and that users—and attackers—prefer simple passwords and you can see how the work of a cybersecurity professional is like solving a very important puzzle, one that has far-reaching ramifications. A cyber attack is launched from both international and national criminals every second, and most of these attacks are thwarted by defense mechanisms that are in place and professionals who monitor and respond to the world’s cyber traffic. These cybersecurity practitioners are highly sought-after. Often with just a two-year degree, these individuals can start out at $70,000 annually and make upwards of $150,000 by the end of their career. Subsequent bachelors and masters degrees promise even more opportunities and compensation. The University of West Florida’s (UWF) recently launched Cybersecurity Center serves as a local hub of research, partnership and educational opportunity. Susan Cerovsky was recently hired on as the director of the program. “Cybersecurity is an umbrella, under which are various other fields, such as computer science and information technology,” said Cerovsky. “We are routinely adding specializations to keep pace with the ever-changing industry. We focus on threats, vulnerabilities, protection, defense, operation, maintenance and more.” Relatively speaking, the Internet is still a new frontier, one that has become a necessity yet presents considerable risk. “The only way to not be at risk is to not be connected,” said Cerovsky. “In today’s world, you’re not going to not be connected.” An attack on the Internet or a company’s intranet can mean disaster for the power grid, water supplies and financial operations. There are also social ramifications, such as cyber bullying and cybercrime. While many attacks occur because of a shortcoming in physical security, which grants criminals actual, tangible access to resting data and servers, much of these attacks originate thousands of miles away over the Internet. Locally, high-wage businesses are snatching up UWF and Pensacola State College (PSC) graduates and even implementing software that the students create in classes. Companies like AppRiver and GBSI are well known for their cybersecurity services, and much of their workforce is comprised of young individuals working in the field. The local Navy and other government facilities also prize these cybersecurity individuals and pay handsomely for their talents. (Continue Page 3)
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The Summation Weekly
The Summation Weekly
Executive Director Mike Doubek mike@esrba.com Member Services Specialist Michele Kelley michele@esrba.com
Escambia/Santa Rosa Bar Office 216 S. Tarragona Street, Suite B Pensacola, FL 32502 Publisher Escambia/Santa Rosa Bar Association Published Weekly At: 216 S. Tarragona Street, Suite B. Pensacola, Florida 32502 Phone: 850-434-8135 Fax: 850-436-8822 Email: esrba@esrba.com Website: www.esrba.com Office Hours Monday - Thursday 8:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M. Friday 8:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M. Application to mail at periodicals Postage Rate is Pending at Pensacola, FL Subscription Rates $20/ year ( All ESRBA Members) $22.50/ year (Escambia/Santa Rosa/ Okaloosa County Non-Members) $27.50/ Year ( Other counties within Florida & All other States NonMembers) Postmaster Send Address Changes To: The Summation Weekly 216 S. Tarragona Street, Suite B Pensacola, Florida 32502
The Summation weekly is locally owned and operated. All rights Reserved. Reproduction or use of the contents herin is prohbited without written permission from the publisher. Comments and opnions expressed in this magazine represent the personal views of the individuals to whom they are attributed and/or the person identified as the author of the article, and they are not necessarily those of the ESRBA or the publisher. This newspaper accepts no responsibilty for these opinions. The ESRBA reserves the right to edit all manuscripts. All advertising information is the responsiblity of the indiviudal advertiser. Appearence in this newspaper does not necessarily reflect endorsement of any products or services by Escambia/ Santa Rosa Bar Association.
Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association CLE Library Credits Available
2015 An Evening with the DCA: 2 General/2 Appellate
2015 Family Bench & Bar Conference: 3 General
2015 Survey of Florida Law: 12.5 General/4 Ethics
2014 Survey of Florida Law: 12 General/3.5 Ethics
Family Law 101: 7.5 General
2014 Medicare/Medicaid Lien Seminar: 3.0 General/2 Health Law
Ethics/Professionalism/Substance Abuse Seminar: 4 General/3 Ethics/1 Substance Abuse
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The Summation Weekly
Keeping the Internet Safe (Continued) According to Dan Busse, dean of workforce education and vocational support for PSC, cybersecurity is a popular field for career-changers, 20-somethings who are desiring higher wages and more opportunities in exchange for relatively little schooling. “We see a lot of philosophy majors and liberal arts major who went to a big university but find that their skills are not as marketable as they hoped,” said Busse. “That’s when they come here.” Cybersecurity professionals can work as part of a dedicated company or firm with dozens or even hundreds of other computer safety professionals, or they can work on a team of one or two as experts for an organization that specializes in something else. But how does it all work? According to Robert Pratton, an instructor in PSC’s Applied Technology department, it is nothing like the movies. “It’s a fast-paced, challenging environment, and a lot of it does involve stopping hackers, but it’s so much more than that,” said Pratton. “Before you even get started building up a company’s defense, you have to audit the computer systems, and do a quantitative and qualitative analysis.” Pratton went on to explain that there are many unexpected effects of a cyber attack. Companies’ stock prices have plunged in the wake of identity theft, a type of cyber attack. Hundreds of hours in labor have been wasted and people’s money has been stolen as a result of a hacker or virus. In fact, it is estimated that cybercrime is the op risk to 42 percent of the world’s businesses. “You have to know how to prioritize your vulnerabilities and budget likewise,” said Pratton. “Your company, your customers and their money are at stake.” To prepare for these real-world scenarios, Pratton puts his students through actual attacks and makes them investigate compromised data in order to find the culprit for later prosecution. “I also teach them to hack,” said Pratton. “You have to know what you’re fighting, so we take them from the street to the machine and make them do in class what they’ll be doing in the workplace.” Students work with software meant to detect vulnerabilities and attacks, and then work to stop those attacks so they do not replicate. They also use account access controls to confine the data to only those authorized to see it, firewalls to block attacks through packet filtering, and intrusion detection systems to detect and log attacks for forensic purposes later. Making the job of cybersecurity professionals harder is the use of proxies, or fake Internet Provider addresses that bounce the attack across multiple networks and countries. Luckily most attacks—even homebound attacks—are often stopped with virus protection software and computer firewall precautions. Data in transit, such as confidential emails, is also a concern. Often these messages will be encrypted while traveling through servers to be decrypted only when reaching the destination. Oftentimes, a hacker can gain control of computer processors and other important parts of a system by finding a flaw or vulnerability in the coding. The hacker will insert a piece of benign coding that the computer allows, but it secretly contains executions that then cripple the software or grant access to the hacker. Criminals are working as hard or harder than those protecting against them. The key is to be proactive with defense systems rather than reactive. Nevertheless, attacks do happen, often multiple times a day against even a home-based user, and it is best to delete emails sorted as spam and have strong passwords. These simple tools, designed by cybersecurity professionals, are still among the most efficient weapons at foiling an attack. The field is growing as fast the Internet itself, and up-to-date certifications are necessary to stay abreast of the changes. Many organizations will pay for their employees to recertify in order to keep their networks secure. If you can hack it, the cybersecurity field is a high-wage, high-demand, exciting though challenging industry that currently sees limitless growth potential.
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The Summation Weekly
Job Board PARALEGAL: Taylor, Warren & Weidner is seeking a paralegal experienced in the areas of personal injury, insurance claims, and other civil matters. Our culture requires all team members to provide excellent client service; have high ethical standards and legal ability; and have excellent strategic judgment, initiative and selflessness. We provide a competitive salary, healthcare, paid leave, and 401(k) benefits. Candidates interested should submit: 1) A cover letter describing yourself and why you believe you would be a good fit for our firm; and 2) a résumé limited to one page. These should be emailed to pwarren@twwlawfirm.com with the subject line “Application for Paralegal Position.” *Ad paid by Taylor, Warren & Weidner LEGAL ASSOCIATE: Pensacola, FL, law firm of Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Rafferty & Proctor, P.A., is looking for a litigation associate with 1-5 years of litigation experience to work in firm’s mass tort litigation department. Pharmaceutical litigation experience is a plus but not required. Must be a current member of the Florida Bar. Salary commensurate with experience. Please send resumes to rsmith@levinlaw.com or to Robert Smith, Esq., 316 South Baylen Street, Suite 600, Pensacola, FL 32502. *Ad paid by Levin, Papantonio, Thomas, Mitchell, Rafferty & Proctor, P.A.
RELOCATION ANNOUNCEMENT William V. Linne announces his and Jan E. Langford’s relocation to: 17 West Cedar Street, Suite 3, Pensacola, Florida 32502. Their telephone number will continue as (850)433-2224. Their new email addresses will be blinne@linnelaw.com and jel@linnelaw.com. William V. Linne, a Florida Board Certified Tax Lawyer will continue his tax, trust, estate planning, transactional and business law practice at a new location, 17 West Cedar Street, Suite 3, Pensacola, Florida 32502. Joining Mr. Linne will be his staff and attorney, Jan E. Langford, who has worked closely with Mr. Linne for over 18 years and concentrates her law practice in tax, trust and estate planning.