The updated (and frankly, better written and edited) version will be on my Medium blog December 7th, 2020 with the title "The Myth of the Tech Talent Shortage and The Cost To Your Business."
My Medium profile is here.
This post is getting attention again: Hi. I like to think I've gotten less angry than when this was posted (Though I still think it's true, the times have changed with COVID-19, and I could have worded this more constructively). I'm pivoting to different areas of IT; Check the services and projects tag.
It's still BS that there aren't more part time positions in IT and tech. It's not like the talent isn't plentiful.
Atlanta, Georgia
Baltimore, Maryland
Newark, New Jersey
Savannah, Georgia
What do they have in common?
They have been the
victim of serious cyberattacks on their infrastructure. Said attacks cost the
affected city governments and companies more than 30$million dollars.
That's an amount
Atlanta, at least, had been loath to use on helping people who want to live in
their city, often ignoring those who have applied from out of state.
Maybe if they had
dished up 2$million to cyber and IT people looking to relocate there, this
could have been mitigated. Or if people
had basic knowledge about avoiding attacks, like opening emails from unknown
senders.
Why are cities a growing target?
Because hackers know
that cities often have stretched funds, and that the governments are populated
with people who think IT and Cybersecurity are not necessary.
They know cities and
the people who run them aren't growing quick enough to stand a chance against
them, and that even the poorest cities can have a ransom fund big enough to
fund a single person's life.
(I wonder if the people who attack cities tried to get legal Cyber jobs, but were turned away at every aspect?)
Baltimore, in particular, is doing pretty poorly; Using outdated practices by its own IT people. This is a tough job, yes, and it's easy to get lax when you're dealing with users who want things 'easy' and not secure. Mistakes will happen, and nothing is infallible.
But this is about protecting a city's government and infrastructure. Standards should be taken, and there is only so much one person who is trying can do if they do not have the support they need.
While the methods of
how they used backups aren't clearly stated, I can guess -
- Backups once a year instead of once a month.
- Said backups being kept on-site instead of somewhere else.
- Probably stored on several physical mediums on the premises.
There were also
'important' people keeping files on their computers that were also compromised
during an attack.
Cities and mayors -
including Baltimore Mayor Bernard Young - aren't willing to pay the criminals. Which I think is perfectly fair. No need to set a precedent.
And yet, you will
read time and time and time again on how there is a Cybersecurity talent shortage, or an IT talent shortage.
Which we know is a lie. So the question is;
When will cities be willing to pay Cybersecurity and IT professionals?
The salary of 3
competent cyber professionals is a lot less than the 30$m ransomware attackers
are asking for.
"But no one has
the experience!"
Systems can never be 100% secure, even if you remove them entirely from reaching the internet. However, I assure you, we
have more experience than the people who want to pay a ransomware attack, or have weak passwords.
There is no shortage
of IT and Cybersecurity talent; Just a shortage of people who realize they need
it, and are willing to pay for it. You don't value your data, or the trust of the people whose data you have. That's a part of why you don't pay.
That ransomware
attack on Baltimore? It'll cost at least 18.2$million dollars.
Maybe that's worth
hiring a Cybersecurity professional or 3? Even with relocation involved?
And if you're going
to be cheap, well, audit your machines
yourself, look for machines that may have open ports an attacker can sneak
into, backup your data, and good luck when the next attack rolls around.
Because it will.
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