Cybersecurity + COVID = Worldwide Impact
In honor of Cybersecurity Awareness Month (October), TechPort Intern Alexandra Walker decided to interview an individual in the academic Cybersecurity field to get a better understanding of Cybersecurity and how it impacts our lives daily. Below is her interview with Lakisa Ferebee, Cybersecurity Instructor at the College of Southern Maryland.
By Alexandra Walker, TechPort Community Manager
“Cybersecurity provides me the opportunity to not only teach people for a future career but also to educate everyday people on how to protect themselves online,” says Lakisha Ferebee, Cybersecurity Instructor at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM), a community partner of TechPort UAS Business Incubator.
Ms. Ferebee has worked at CSM for approximately four years. She first obtained her bachelor’s in Interdisciplinary Studies from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. After discovering her newfound interest, she obtained her associates in Cybersecurity at CSM. She continued to pursue her education in Cyber Security at the University of Maryland University College (now UMGC) where she acquired her master’s degree in Cybersecurity Technology.
“I kind of fell into the (Cyber Security) field, to be honest. My father offhandedly mentioned something about Cybersecurity. I looked into it and it appealed to my inner nerd and geek.” Before working at CSM, Ms. Ferebee worked as a Graphic Designer and Computer Technician. “My background has always been based around art and computers, but once I knew about Cybersecurity, it stuck with me.”
Ms. Ferebee’s education and experience provide her the opportunity to teach a multitude of courses in the Cybersecurity Program at CSM; including Digital Forensics, Networking I-III, Computer Security, Computer Essentials, and Linux.
“Education allows you to reinvent yourself and be successful. If I did not have all my educational background, I would not be able to go into these careers and reinvent myself to be successful in it,” Ms. Ferebee continued, explaining the importance of education for students.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, education along with businesses have shifted to an online setting. With the overwhelming increase of people online daily, cyber risks have greatly increased. “Right now, [Cybersecurity] is more important than ever because everything is online now. We need to up our game and get new ideas and people. It is not going to go away. We are in a position where attackers are three steps ahead of us. The industry needs people who are on the defensive side to secure our information.”
Cybersecurity is a rapidly growing field, changing and developing every day. New threats and risks arise daily and require an ever-growing field of new employees that are up to date on the latest technology and cybersecurity efforts.
“Cybersecurity starts with you. Everything you do dictates how secure or insecure something is. Be wise when you are online. Be careful what you share. Remember the internet is forever,” she said.
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