TrainACE - IT and Cybersecurity Training Blog

Microsoft has retooled its MCSE certification for IT professionals to include a major focus on the cloud. The company made the changes in response to the growing movement of IT resources to cloud-based solutions. According to Microsoft-sponsored research, cloud computing may create 14 million jobs and generate 1.1 trillion in revenue by 2015. The new MCSE certificate holder is expected to have more comprehensive knowledge of both on-premises and cloud resource technologies.

The term “honeypot” or, as it sometimes appears, “honey pot,” came to computer security from the world of espionage, where it referred to an agent who would be sexually available to a target. If all went as planned, the target would be compromised, either by sexual blackmail or because the relationship led the target to share secret information.

There is no doubt that the CCNA certification exam is considered one of the most daunting exams in the networking certification field. This exam has more first time failures than almost any other. In this post we explore some things that can help you prepare yourself better before sitting in front of that Pearson VUE testing station for the CCNA exam.

A huge portion of modern society uses some form of digital technology on a daily basis. Many conveniences on a national and personal level have been made possible due to this technology, but also opens up a Pandora's box of a whole new set of problems as well. The cyber battlefield grows more dangerous as organized hackers and other cyber threatening criminals set out to exploit the conveniences produced by the digital age for their own gain. There is an ongoing challenge, therefore, creating cyber security or defenses to protect the country from attacks; but have, on many occasions, been successfully breached to raise considerable concern even among the most savvy cyber security agencies in the world.

A necessary step in becoming a successful Network professional is tackling the Cisco Certified Network Associate exam. After administering CCNA training courses for many years to hundreds of students, TrainACE’s lead instructor, James Younger, has found that a big trip up for many is understanding the topic of subnetting. James has created a tutorial introducing viewers to the basics of subnetting. Having a strong foundation in this skill will not only set you up to pass the CCNA certification exam, but also for a long, successful networking career. Once you have completed this “Introduction to Subnetting” video, you can further your knowledge by downloading another free, more Advanced Subnetting Video. These easy to follow videos will help explain subnetting in terms that will make sense to viewers.

The term advanced persistent threat (APT) was originally used to describe complex, ongoing espionage perpetrated by foreign governments. However, today, APT typically refers to a category of cybercrime directed toward businesses or government entities. APTs are usually online attacks used to achieve goals beyond those that can be met by a single security breach, but some may involve malicious activity conducted onsite. Compromised computer systems are continuously monitored by the attackers or added to a stable of slave computers to be used to achieve some future goal. APTs are most often perpetrated by employing some form of malware, and IT technicians defend against APTs by installing antimalware software and hardware firewalls.

Nearly every security breach in a company’s online network is caused by some form of malicious computer program. These programs are generally referred to as malware, but they exist in several distinct categories, including viruses, worms and Trojan horses. Being able to identify when and how malware is affecting a computer system takes specialized training, but this knowledge increases the value of any IT security technician or manager who possesses it. These individuals are capable of assessing the scope and severity of a malware infection, which leads to efficient and detailed planning of the steps required to eliminate the malware and recover any lost data or system resources.

From the earliest days of the computer, long before the World Wide Web became a pervasive part of our lives, the role of this new machine was not restricted to government or business applications. The idea of the computer as educational tool was already up for serious discussion in the 1960s, some two decades before the “personal computer” began its conquest of the desktop.

The CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) certification is intended for professionals with at least ten years of experience in security administration. Five of those years must be hands-on technical experience. The CASP does not require that any previous exams have been passed, but is a higher-level exam than the CompTIA Security+.

TrainACE is excited to announce that we recently joined the AFCEA community!! AFCEA (Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association) is an international organization that facilitates the ethical exchange of information in the IT/Technology/Global Security community. AFCEA’s members, sponsors and associates are among the world’s leading designers, planners, manufacturers, testers and users of systems, services and components for communications, intelligence, imaging and information systems. Currently there are over 35,000 individual members and 2,000 corporate members. TrainACE is proud to consider ourselves one of these members! A short time ago, we also attended the TechNet Land Forces East conference that AFCEA hosted, this seminar was hugely successful and extremely informative, and we here at TrainACE can’t wait for the next one! To take a look at TrainACE’s membership, click this link.