15 minutes of fame? Try 3 seconds- that’s all I got when I appeared in a NBC segment on cyber security. But heck, I’m gonna milk it for all it’s worth.
The clip, which I’ve embedded below, highlights our country’s need for cyber security experts, and it makes a great point. It’s all the rage now to make different appliances “smart”, smart meaning connected to the Internet in such a way that makes things remotely accessible. For example, Audi recently demoed a car that can be told to come pick you up via the Internet. Imagine if your super-expensive luxury car got hacked? There are even toasters that print the weather based on a forecast.
So, not only will the malicious hackers of the future be able to steal your car, but they’ll also be able to prevent you from toasting your Pop Tarts. More serious issues include the vulnerability of our entire power grid, which some officials say could be taken down remotely by hackers.
This is where the NBC story comes in. There is a shortage of security experts working to secure systems, and a shortage of awareness of how serious the issue is. I’m currently taking a Systems Security class to let me see how hacking works, and how it can be combatted. It’s been one of the coolest classes I’ve taken at USC, and security is definitely in the mix for what interests me in a career. The class deserves a blog post of its own, so keep a look out for this in the future!
Finally, I got into this spot because my security class was of interest for this video, which focuses on the shortage of cyber security experts. Random people have been saying “Hey, you were on the news!”, so the experience has been pretty cool. Check it out! I’m at 1:52.
