Page 6 - Cybersecurity Career Guide for North Dakota

what is cybersecurity?
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Shielding Our Schools
Think about the wealth of information your school accumulates about you: your grades, test scores, social security number, health history...and of course, also your parents' names and social secu- rity numbers, work locations, and if you attend a private school, possibly banking information, too. This treasure trove of data is the reason cybercriminals are increasingly targeting schools. The 2022 school year was just beginning when a massive cyberattack struck the Los Angeles school system. With the private data of over 400,000 students suddenly at risk, officials quickly shut down the entire computer system. It is still unknown how much data was stolen — the FBI and the Dept of Homeland Security are on the case — but schools need to be ever-vigilant.
Foiling Pirates
We’re not talking Blackbeard with his cutlass or even modern-day marauders with assault rifles. Today’s tech-savvy pirates hack into the GPS systems of cargo ships as they sail the ocean blue, taking over command from the captains. Malware can affect command-and-control systems to disrupt shipping of major commodities (such as grain and other foodstuffs) or hold ships for ransom, and
even use captured ships to engage in cyber spying. Fully 90% of the world’s trade is transported by sea, and ships that carry that cargo— worth billions—are vulnerable
to cyberattack. In 2016, A.P.
Moeller Maersk, the world’s
biggest container shipping line
and operator of 76 seaports worldwide,
was hit with a computer virus that shut
down operations across the globe, blocking
normal operations at multiple ports for weeks.
Los Angeles, the busiest port in the U.S., was stalled
for days, with ships unable to off-load goods. As a result,
not only oil transport but also oil production was affected—
without ships to load in port, oil fields had to shut down. Luckily,
this was temporary. But as a result, the shipping industry must adopt ever more advanced
technology to protect itself against the increasing variety of attacks by cyber pirates. Having all hands on deck in cyberspace to fend off a serious attack is vital for the shipping industry’s continued success.