Page 15 - Cybersecurity Career Guide for UT Austin

Attack Spreads
containing damage from
the ransomware attacks. At
this point, the attack requires
the involvement of numerous
other government and
law enforcement
entities, the
Department
of Energy,
multiple
private-sector
cybersecurity
firms with exper-
tise in ransomware
incidents, and the many dif-
ferent financial organizations
involved in the company’s
money operations.
MAY 12: Reassessment
Company engineers and secu-
rity staff examine hundreds of
miles of pipeline and oversee
alternate shipping arrange-
ments to ensure safety.
Media and communications
staff provide regular updates
regarding what has become
a story of interest to people
around the world. IT works
with departments through-
out the company either
to resurrect or rebuild the
data networks required for
full resumption of business
activities
MAY 17: Operations Resume
Scores of people are still
monitoring the status of
pipelines and other equip-
ment as systems crank back
into full action. The commu-
nications department works
to repair public relations and
the company stand-
ing in the public
arena.
JUNE 7:
Ransom
Partially
Recovered!
Sophisticated
digital sleuthing
allows the federal
government to recover about
half of the ransom payment.
Conclusion
Any organization that relies
on the internet to conduct
business operates under the
threat of the same kind of at-
tack that befell Colonial Pipe-
line. Which means every orga-
nization is at risk and in need
of employees with cybersecu-
rity skills and an awareness of
online safety practices. This
cybersecurity crisis originated
with a phishing email that
an employee treated care-
lessly, thereby opening the
door to calamity for the
company and severe
nuisance for the
general public. It
also illustrates
the imperative for
everyone to bring
crack cybersecurity
skills with them to
work every day. Keep
reading to learn more about
careers in the field and which
one might work well for you.
trucks struggle to restock
gas stations, and long
lines develop at pumps,
especially in the Southeast.
Airline operations also
are disrupted.
May 9: State
of Emergency
President Joe
Biden declares
a state of emer-
gency. The decla-
ration removes limits
regarding the transport of
fuels by road, in an attempt
to alleviate any potential
shortages.
MAY 10: A Team Effort
Operations start to come
back online. Updates and
continued coordination
with Colonial Pipeline
clients, partners, and wider
contacts focus on three
things: the safety and
security of restored opera-
tions, minimizing disrup-
tions to customers, and
CYBERSECURITY CAREER GUIDE
TOP TO BOTTOM: WOODY MARSHALL/NEWS & RECORD; AP PHOTO/ MIKE STEWART; AP PHOTO/ DAMIAN DOVARGANES 15