Northeast Alabama Community College held the first Science,
Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Speakers Forum on campus
July 31.
The purpose of the Speakers Forum is to raise awareness of the STEM programs offered at the college and the significance of these areas as vital to the future of the country and essential for area economic development.
Dr. Joe Burke, Vice President/Dean of Instruction introduced guest speaker, Jim Simon. Simon is CEO of a privately held management-consulting firm specializing in advising companies and governments around the world on a variety of matters including business development, contract capture, M&A, as well as strategic program initiatives, was the guest speaker. He also serves on the adjunct faculty in the Department of Criminal Justice at The University of Alabama. He retired in 2012 as Microsoft’s Chief Strategist for its worldwide public sector and its executive sponsor for the State of Alabama. Simon served in the US Army and was a principle negotiator for the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, and a career CIA analyst.
He began his lecture emphasizing change. “Change is part of our cyber issues--nobody likes change,” he offered. “This is the primary problem with change. Only a few people are on the frontline of change. In the cyber world, change is everything.”
According to Simon, if you are employed in the world of cyber-security, be prepared to work around the clock. “It’s a young person’s (ages 18-22) game,” he said.
He also explained that employers really care about education and literacy. “Microsoft has 120,000 employees. When Microsoft hires someone, they will ask, ‘what do you read?’ Your answer matters. Do you read mysteries? In the cyber-world, this indicates a bent toward problem-solving.”
“A ‘free’ USB drive is one of the easiest ways for someone to access your computer’s data,” offered Simon. “Twitter is the #1 favorite tool for gangs and serial rapists. They track your activity for the past two weeks and use that to follow you. Turning off your location-finder helps a little. Rich people tend to Tweet when they buy something. Facebook, Twitter, and social media are the #1 reasons potential employees fail their polygraph test. Companies can pick and choose their employees. Some employees make upwards of $500,000 per year before bonuses. Governments cannot, in most cases, compete with this type of pay. Some companies are subsidiaries of criminal gangs. Employees don’t know they are participating in a crime. The company’s bureaucracy knows it.”
Simon also explained that he knows someone who had her identity stolen who had several warrants out for her arrest due to income tax evasion. He advised no banking over the phone.
He added, “Any time there is an announcement of a big change in existing software, an increase in cyber-attacks occurs before the technology becomes obsolete; i.e., just before the new iPhone comes out. Most cyber conflict is being engaged in by only a few countries. Big governments don’t do as much of this anymore because they can’t figure out the consequences. If I have a cyber-weapon and use it on you, then you have a copy of it. Then you might modify it, and maybe improve it, then you are able to send it back. Many attacks occur with the insertion of random numbers which makes your device not always operate properly. It will do strange things. Whenever a newer version of your device comes out, buy the new version. This is expensive, but there has been more time to study the old device. Not true of the newer version of the device. Beware of customization. Open-source code is less expensive but more susceptible. If your phone is doing something weird, get it checked out. It could be very bad. Do not keep your passwords on your Android phone.”
For more information about Jim Simon, email him at jsimon@intelligence-enterprises.com.
The purpose of the Speakers Forum is to raise awareness of the STEM programs offered at the college and the significance of these areas as vital to the future of the country and essential for area economic development.
Dr. Joe Burke, Vice President/Dean of Instruction introduced guest speaker, Jim Simon. Simon is CEO of a privately held management-consulting firm specializing in advising companies and governments around the world on a variety of matters including business development, contract capture, M&A, as well as strategic program initiatives, was the guest speaker. He also serves on the adjunct faculty in the Department of Criminal Justice at The University of Alabama. He retired in 2012 as Microsoft’s Chief Strategist for its worldwide public sector and its executive sponsor for the State of Alabama. Simon served in the US Army and was a principle negotiator for the Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty, and a career CIA analyst.
He began his lecture emphasizing change. “Change is part of our cyber issues--nobody likes change,” he offered. “This is the primary problem with change. Only a few people are on the frontline of change. In the cyber world, change is everything.”
According to Simon, if you are employed in the world of cyber-security, be prepared to work around the clock. “It’s a young person’s (ages 18-22) game,” he said.
He also explained that employers really care about education and literacy. “Microsoft has 120,000 employees. When Microsoft hires someone, they will ask, ‘what do you read?’ Your answer matters. Do you read mysteries? In the cyber-world, this indicates a bent toward problem-solving.”
“A ‘free’ USB drive is one of the easiest ways for someone to access your computer’s data,” offered Simon. “Twitter is the #1 favorite tool for gangs and serial rapists. They track your activity for the past two weeks and use that to follow you. Turning off your location-finder helps a little. Rich people tend to Tweet when they buy something. Facebook, Twitter, and social media are the #1 reasons potential employees fail their polygraph test. Companies can pick and choose their employees. Some employees make upwards of $500,000 per year before bonuses. Governments cannot, in most cases, compete with this type of pay. Some companies are subsidiaries of criminal gangs. Employees don’t know they are participating in a crime. The company’s bureaucracy knows it.”
Simon also explained that he knows someone who had her identity stolen who had several warrants out for her arrest due to income tax evasion. He advised no banking over the phone.
He added, “Any time there is an announcement of a big change in existing software, an increase in cyber-attacks occurs before the technology becomes obsolete; i.e., just before the new iPhone comes out. Most cyber conflict is being engaged in by only a few countries. Big governments don’t do as much of this anymore because they can’t figure out the consequences. If I have a cyber-weapon and use it on you, then you have a copy of it. Then you might modify it, and maybe improve it, then you are able to send it back. Many attacks occur with the insertion of random numbers which makes your device not always operate properly. It will do strange things. Whenever a newer version of your device comes out, buy the new version. This is expensive, but there has been more time to study the old device. Not true of the newer version of the device. Beware of customization. Open-source code is less expensive but more susceptible. If your phone is doing something weird, get it checked out. It could be very bad. Do not keep your passwords on your Android phone.”
For more information about Jim Simon, email him at jsimon@intelligence-enterprises.com.
If you are interested in a career in
cyber-security, NACC offers a short-term certificate program
through the Computer Science Department. The program can be
completed in as few as two semesters, and those with experience
in certain Information Technology (IT) certifications will be
able to complete the program more quickly. Fall registration is
Wednesday-Thursday, August 20-21, 8:30 am until 5:30 pm.
