certifications Archives - The Silicon Underground

Security+ vs CISSP

Dave Farquhar — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 11:00:27 +0000

Someone asked me to compare Security+ vs CISSP, particularly the difficulty. I’m glad to oblige. I have both certifications. Let’s start by looking at a couple of hypothetical questions. Don’t expect to see either of these on the test; I’m

The post Security+ vs CISSP appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

SSCP vs CISSP

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 11:00:00 +0000

SSCP and CISSP are both (ISC)² certifications. I get a lot of questions about the two of them, especially about SSCP, as CISSP overshadows it. So let’s look at SSCP vs CISSP. CISSP definitely pays better, but that’s not to

The post SSCP vs CISSP appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

How to become an Info Assurance Analyst

Dave Farquhar — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 11:00:14 +0000

So, CNN/Money ran a story on the best 100 jobs in the United States, based on pay, projected job growth over the next 10 years, and quality of life ratings. And there was my job title, at #9. I think

The post How to become an Info Assurance Analyst appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Phil Kerpen, net neutrality, and socialism: A post-mortem

Dave Farquhar — Mon, 15 Sep 2014 11:00:45 +0000

I learned the hard way a few weeks ago how net neutrality can be equated with socialism, an argument that puzzles people who work on computer networks for a living and see networking as a big flow of electrons. I

The post Phil Kerpen, net neutrality, and socialism: A post-mortem appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

The phantom tech worker shortage

Dave Farquhar — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 11:00:18 +0000

I saw a story yet again about the tech worker shortage, and the backlash against H1-B visas. Reading the comments on Slashdot, I increasingly got the feeling the shortage is a mirage. The people are out there, but the matchups

The post The phantom tech worker shortage appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Don’t be too impressed with Snowden’s “ethical hacking training”

Dave Farquhar — Sun, 07 Jul 2013 03:22:55 +0000

I saw this new headline regarding Edward Snowden, discussing his NSA hacking training. Don’t be impressed. For several years, I lived in that same world Snowden lived in. I’ve gone out of my way to avoid mentioning this, but from

The post Don’t be too impressed with Snowden’s “ethical hacking training” appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Deconstructing my conversation with “Computer Maintenance Department”

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 23 May 2013 11:00:46 +0000

My tell-all about my encounter with “Computer Maintenance Department” was a little heavy on the jargon yesterday. It occurs to me that explaining what some of the terminology means, and the problem with their reasoning, may be helpful. I’ve also

The post Deconstructing my conversation with “Computer Maintenance Department” appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Step 1 to landing a security job: Become conversant in security

Dave Farquhar — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

So last week, I wrote about the difficulty of landing a security job and promised to explore it further. And I think the first key, and what should be the most crucial key, is being conversant in security. Having a

The post Step 1 to landing a security job: Become conversant in security appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

Somebody just tried to hack me

Dave Farquhar — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 18:15:43 +0000

Caller: “I calling from technical support. We found issue with your PC.” Me: “What company are you with?” Caller: “CSA is the name of my company.” Me: “What’s our business relationship?” Caller: “We found issue with your PC. Our technicians

The post Somebody just tried to hack me appeared first on The Silicon Underground.

“They were bored and wished they had a job.”

Dave Farquhar — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:04:28 +0000

I was catching up on security podcasts this week, and a brief statement in one of them really grabbed me. The panel was talking about people who steal online gaming accounts, I think. The exact content isn’t terribly important–what’s very

The post “They were bored and wished they had a job.” appeared first on The Silicon Underground.