Computer Security in depth, Information System Security

A course that is more in depth then I had imagined. Information Systems Security or SEC285, part of the Associates program to lead the student into cybersecurity. This was an amazing class. There is much more to cyber attacks then simple terms like Malware, Virus, Worms. These each will break down into their own subcategories such as Ransomware, Trojans, XXS (cross site scripting), spyware, SQL injections.

Another great addition to the course is learning about all the network, application, device security solutions. We touch on cryptography and learn about AES, SHA1, SHA256, DES, MD4, MD5. Authentication and authorization processes and get into business continuity, risk mitigation. With all that said, be prepared to read and learn about each module daily. There is a ton of info and we have to be sure make time to spend two to four hours a day learning each topic. This is because of how in depth the course gets and how easy it is to fall behind.

I was lucky and blessed in having Professor Rexford Okrah as my professor. He is very hands on and equally happy to help fellow students with questions, concerns, advice. Professor Okrah is full time at DeVry which puts more responsibility on his shoulders but he seamlessly takes that responsibility on with honor. One of my favorite parts are always discussion posts and he is not shy about engaging with students. This is important and in an online environment the discussion posts are our way of being a part of a class.

Also I have to say all of the Professors did an amazing job, demonstrations every week and lots of experience from real world scenarios from each professors careers. Being a part of this course was eye opening, I hope everyone who attends finds the same joy that I did navigating through.

Best of all I now have a map and trajectory planned out because of this course. If you are new in IT, it is daunting to figure out exactly what to do. With that said I am now looking forward to adventures that lie ahead.