13 minute read
Meet the cyber crime fighters
BUSTING CRIME
Cyber security is the new frontier of warfare, and cyber criminals are the enemy
For every physical crime that makes the national news, or headlines on social media, there’s an often unacknowledged world of shadowy intrigue sitting beside it, full of crimes much harder to trace and infinitely more dangerous. On any given day, 164 ordinary Australians and businesses report acts of cybercrime, targeted at their personal and sensitive data. Cybercrime can involve anything from the acquisition of private passwords, communications and photographs, to financial information and funds.
START YOUR CAREER HERE
cyber+fighting crime study Bachelor of Cyber Security and Behaviour, University of Western Sydney Bachelor of Information Technology, Australian Catholic University Bachelor of Information Technology (Networking and Cyber Security), University of South Australia cyber+fighting crime jobsCyber security analyst: $52K–$114KEthical hacker: $101K (average income)Forensic computer analyst: $71K–$119K* *Source: salaries according to payscale.com
Stand and deliver
A common thread among cybercrimes in recent years is ransomware. Ransomware refers to software or other technical bugs designed for the sole purpose of capturing (and holding hostage) private and sensitive data. The sting comes both from the threat of that information being released and the cash that must be paid to get it back.
Ransomware as a criminal tool is most effective when the target of an attack is a larger corporation, a government agency or another organisation that provides an essential service to society. Getting started Most of us are kept safe from the threats of cybercrime by highly specialised cyber intelligence analysts, but if you’re interested in cyber security and crime prevention, your career options don’t stop there. Other pathways include ethical hackers or penetration testers (pen testers) – peeps with special skills in breaching security, so teams can identify flaws in a system and patch them up. The Australian Cyber Security Growth Network points to a skills shortage across digital technologies. In fact, the Wall Street Journal estimates it’ll take 3.1 million people worldwide before the job needs for this growing industry are met.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) defines cybercrime as:
• Crimes directed at computers or other digital technologies such as hacking • Crimes where digital tech is an integral part of an offence. Think: online fraud
Staying safe
The internet has become integral to our every day and the way we communicate with others. While it can all feel interconnected and we sometimes don’t hesitate to share data, we’ve also gotta remember we’re essentially broadcasting information to strangers. If our info ends up in the wrong hands, things like identity theft, photoshopping personal pics with explicit material and other invasions of privacy become a real risk. So always be cyber aware! – Hannah Diviney
The dancing cyber criminologist
By day, Kelsy Luengen fights cybercrime. By night, she’s a sequinned superstar of salsa
Ever since she was very young, Kelsy Luengen has always loved to dance. It started with cheerleading in primary school, then Latin classes in high school. By the time she went to uni, Kelsy knew enough to teach. She now owns her own dance company and coaches competitors. In 2020 she made her international teaching debut at a Hawaiian salsa conference, and has won several national championships.
But Kelsy started uni with a different dream in mind – she wanted to be a war correspondent. “I wanted to be an embedded journalist,” she says. “I was interested in peace and conflict and trying to understand modern warfare.”
After a few years of study, Kelsy realised that her chances of joining the troops on the frontline were pretty small, so she decided to add a criminology major to her arts degree.
Kelsy also did an Honours degree on policing truancy (something to think about if you’re tempted to wag school!) and then went to work for Queensland’s Crime
Secure study ops!
Criminology gave Kelsy her start in cyber, but that’s not the only pathway at UQ. Cyber security is one of the five majors offered as part of the Bachelor of Computer Science. You can also combine the bachelor with a Master of Cyber Security as part of UQ’s vertical dual degree program. This pathway lets you complete two degrees in four years and gain a deep understanding of everything cyber. Cool!
kelsy luengen PHD candidate
and Corruption Commission, where she became interested in cybercrime. “I was learning about trends in organised crime and the regulations around digital devices,” she says. Encouraged to pursue her new passion, Kelsy's Honours supervisor suggested she turn it into a PhD. At the time, the University of Queensland (UQ) was launching a new cyber security course and was also looking for research students. Kelsy is now halfway through her PhD, which looks at how people read and respond to phishing emails. “We’re identifying whether or not people can recognise a cyber threat. Using eye-tracking technology to see where they look and how long they look for,” Kelsy explains. “The technology also tracks heart rate and emotional response.” In the future, Kelsy hopes to build education tools that will help people spot scam emails. “It’s all about helping small businesses to be more cyber safe and aware,” she says. She’ll also be spending more time with the other kind of fishing – her partner runs a crayfish farm where Kelsy helps out. And she says she’ll always find time for dance. “It helps keep me sane!” – Chloe Walker
Communications Officer,Queensland Government
Director, Steppingin Sequins
Bachelor of Arts (Honours)(Criminology), UQ
IT Support Analyst,Griffith University
Bachelor of IT (Networks &Security Major), Griffith University
Certificate IV, Interactive &Digital Media, Wodonga TAFE
Sights on cyber Matt Schilg’s studies took a sideways step into the growing field of cyber security
Matt’s biggest career hurdle was figuring out what to do after high school. “I knew I wanted to study but it took me some time to work out exactly what I would be happy doing for work full-time,” he says. A tech enthusiast with a passion for home automation, Matt initially studied interactive and digital media at Wodonga TAFE. A few years later, he began a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology at Griffith University majoring in Networks and Security. He’s found that the opportunities in STEM are so wide that it’s OK not to know exactly what you want to do once high school is done. “If you aren’t happy with what you find yourself doing there are a thousand other options that are only a step to the side,” he says.
matt schilg cyber incident responder
Securing the future
Matt’s degree opened his eyes to the increasing need for cyber skills in Australia, and not long after finishing uni he started a grad program at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) in cyber security. “I love all things cyber and to know it’s a growing field just means more opportunities,” he says.
Grads at CBA contribute to real projects from day one, and Matt works with a team to respond to cyber incidents and attacks. “The goal is to ensure we keep the bank, our suppliers and most importantly our customers safe from cyber threats as they occur,” he says.
One of Matt’s most meaningful projects was participating in the National Missing Persons Hackathon, which assists police to find missing people in Australia. “Basically using your Insta/ Facebook stalking skills (among other things) to find any information you can to help locate real missing people!”
Matt’s advice? Keep learning. “Ask questions,” he says. “There is always a path to get to the career or work you want to do.” – Sarah Kellett
The future of virtual crime
Daniel Lekic is part of CBA’s cyber team, one of the largest cyber teams in the southern hemisphere
Staying safe online might be everyone’s responsibility, but what if you’ve been hacked and don’t even know it yet? This is where the work of Daniel and his crew at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) comes in. Together they work to identify those instances when a customer has been attacked but isn't aware anything has happened – along with other cyber security measures that automatically keep your money safe. His own role is to also think big-picture – like how the bank can better prepare for the cyber security threats they’ll be facing in say, five years. Daniel started at CommBank after completing a degree in science specialising in information technology (IT) at the University of Technology Sydney, and a year interning at global tech company WiseTech. He joined CommBank’s Graduate Program in the cyber security section, moving from focusing purely on software engineering to a hybrid role where he still gets to work in software development. And it doesn’t stop there. Daniel also works on future-proofing the bank’s approach to cyber security for the next decade.
Ready for anything It means thinking fast – analytically and creatively – as well as using tech skills, so every day is different. “Within my team we have engineers and researchers,” he says. “My role is to build these capabilities out and also see what’s beyond the horizon, in partnership with cyber intelligence, consider what the threats are now and what we can do to stop this, but also what’s coming up in the future.” “It’s hard to know even in the next three months how criminals will attack our customers,” says Daniel. “Criminals will target our customers directly, so in addition to building in protection, we also need to educate our customers.”
The challenges in my work are new every day”
daniel lekic cyber innovation engineer
Customer care
Hacks can be surreptitious, says Daniel. Say you download a Word document and, without you even realising, it has some malware included. The malware sits undetected on your computer, gathering info. The next time you open your browser, the malware kicks in, potentially redirecting a payment.
“Our job is to best understand and catch the attack as early as possible, and even before money is compromised if we can,” says Daniel. “We can stop the transaction and notify the customer.”
“The challenges in my work are new every day though, so I learn a lot on the job,” he says. “It keeps it interesting. I always wanted a job where I would be challenged every day, be able to impact people at scale but also still work to build things myself.” – Heather Catchpole
Bachelor Science in IT, University of Technology Sydney Security engineer, CommBank intern, WiseTech global
Enterprise services graduate, CommBank Senior Cyber Innovation
Engineer, CommBank
The behaviour changers Cyber security awareness could be the key to stopping cybercrime – and you don’t need to be a technical mastermind to get amongst it
Cyber Culture and EngagementLead, Victorian Government
What do you think is the biggest risk factor in cyber security? Leaky firewalls? Dodgy antivirus software? Nope. The biggest cyber security risk is the people using it; that’s why cyber security awareness training is one of the fastest growing areas in the sector. Cyber security firms are now offering awareness training, and the people teaching it aren ’t necessarily information technology (IT) experts either. They come from a marketing, communications or media background. Daisy Wong is the cyber culture and engagement lead for the Victorian Government. She got into cyber awareness after studying marketing and behavioural studies.
daisy wong cyber culture + engagement lead
IT Security ProjectScheduler, NAB
SHUTTERSTOCK
Master of International Business,Monash University
Daisy’s role is to educate public servants on how to best protect themselves and their organisation. “A lot of staff still believe that cyber security is an IT problem,” she says. “We need staff to be accountable, so we provide them with tools that make it easier to become more cyber safe.” According to the Australian Cyber Security Centre, only one in four Australians feel they have a good understanding of cyber security risks. When security awareness training can reduce the risk of an attack by 70%, it's time to educate. Plus, Daisy says, changing people’s behaviour for the better is a great feeling. “Nothing gives me more joy than when people tell me they’ve changed their passwords to make them more secure.” – Chloe Walker
START YOUR CAREER HERE cyber+communications study
Bachelor of Media and Communications / Bachelor of Cyber Security, Macquarie University Bachelor of Communication (Strategic Communication), Murdoch University Bachelor of Communication (Professional Communication), Queensland University of Technology cyber+communications Jobs
Training manager: $59K–$116K Communications specialist: $54K–$97K Learning and development specialist: $60K–$115K* *Source: salaries according to payscale.com
Cyber Protector
Ahnaf Rahman is a football and car enthusiast who prefers YouTube to textbooks, and he helps keep Australia’s biggest bank cyber safe
Ahnaf Rahman studied a Bachelor of Information Technology at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) through a co-operative scholarship program. It was through this program that Ahnaf was able to land his current graduate gig at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), where he is employed as a cyber security test engineer. “Often, I’m the only person standing between a crippling software bug and a flawless project deployment,” he says.Ahnaf says one of the highlights of his CBA grad role has been all the opportunities available outside his day-to-day work. “One of my favourites is contributing to the monthly newsletter created by graduates called GradNote,” he says. Ahnaf believes tech – especially cyber security – is an exciting and welcoming space for young people to build their careers, bringing a range of skill sets. “If you are someone that thinks outside the box, has a growth mindset and has a clear vision of the future, this is your calling.” – Gemma Chilton
if you think outside the box, this is your calling”
Bachelor of IT Co-operative Scholarship, UTS Software engineering intern, WiseTech Global Graduate Cyber Security Test Engineer, CBA
Ahnaf Rahman cyber security test engineer
Christine Vinaviles software engineer
Cisco Mentee, Cisco Mentor Program
Bachelor of ICT Engineering (Software Major) / Diploma in Engineering Practice, UTS Technical Support Officer, Studiosity Cyber security graduate, CBA
Software engineer Christine Vinaviles hasgone from tinkering and typing at her mum’s work, to keeping banking staff and customers safe from cyber attacks
Christine credits her mum, a senior SAP (systems applications and products) consultant, as the biggest influence on her journey into STEM. The fact she got to visit her mum’s workplace as a little girl and pretend to tap away on the keyboard also helped!
Now, Christine says her cyber end-user experience (EUX) role at CBA is “helping reduce malware and cyber attacks” – so all that typing has come in handy.
Plus, she gets to practice some sweet skills every day, like “problem-solving to find the balance between mitigating attacks and not disrupting an employee’s ability to complete their work”. Christine also looks at education and communication skills – because “one of the most common cyber attack methods is social engineering, which exploits people psychologically,” she explains. – Jonathan Nalder
