User blogs

Hi,

My name is Patricia. I have fought full life with my second soul. When I was teen, I did know that I am girl inside my body. I didnt play with boys, with cars, so nor boys playgrounds. I knew it that I am girl. But my parents always said that "you are not girl, you are boy". I was many years upset from my parents. But I decided one year ago that I will start HRT transition and now ? Now is result so that I have beautiful woman body and I am very happy , my voice is so soft and one problem is so that I have little Money for new life. It is not simple so for ts girl as me. But I still fight and I dont give up. I thank for Goddess from heaven, she helps me and she stands near me every day and every moment of my life. It so sad that many ts people in my country are very non friendly. It is so hard to meet someone similiar MTF as me. I would like meet new people with similiar problems and friends for friendships

Have a nice day

Patricia

The scale of cyber threats may differ owing to the sources of the threats originated from, yet VPN may provide an escape route. These threats can come from, 

   ●  Country Federations

   ●  Criminal Clusters

   ●  Hackers

   ●  Terrorist Clusters

   ●  Hacktivists

   ●  Mischievous Insiders

   ●  Business Detectives

Cyber threats endure progress, producing tons of fatalities to the virtual domain. Referring to the scale of the Cyber threats and thinks to VPN review that explains the types of Cyber threats that determine the gauge of it. 

   ●  Malware Attacks: Malware is the most frequent type and may include mischievous software, viruses, spyware, ransomware, or worm. It can be downloaded just by clicking on a link. It can block critical parts of the network and can take away all the confidential credentials.

   ●  Phishing: Cybercriminals may send illegitimate and malicious emails that look like the official and legitimate sources and then takes control over all the information in the device or what they want.

   ●  Spear Phishing: This one is a selective scope approach towards the users to hack the selective data.

   ●  MITM: Man in the Middle Attack denotes the cyber-criminal as a subordinate amid two parties. Almost 95% of Https are exposed to MITM and it can steal sensitive data once exposed. 

   ●  DSA: Denial of Service Attacks target the massive and flooded network. Their vulnerability is quite high that hijacks and stops the system fully.

   ●  SQL injection: The Structured Query Language injection outbreaks and get into the database. It accounts for 65.1% of cyber threats. 

   ●  Zero-day Activity: When the vulnerability of software or hardware is expressed, then cyber criminals damage it before any VPN patch or VPN solution solves it. It is observed to be one per day in the year 2021.

   ●  APT: The Advanced persistent threats happen due to the malicious agent unwantedly getting access. Almost 45% of corporations think to be a target of APT.

   ●  Ransomware: This is also a malware attack, yet the attacker locks and encodes the data until the ransom is paid.

   ●  DNS Attack: This attack has occurred when Cyber-criminals get access and deploy the DNS. 

Now discussing these kinds of Cyber threats, the scale of cyber threats is demonstrated and how much it is common with how vulnerable they are. Coming towards the scope of Cyber threats, as it is obvious that VPN can assist in staying awake and aware of the cyber-criminals and these attacks. 

The COVID-19 pandemic began as the prevalent task for commerce and IT administrations in 2020. In the middle of the plague, the cyber threats plus information ruptures have developed in complexity and dimensions, with the number of fissures amassed 273% in the initial quarter, paralleled to the preceding year. On the word of Microsoft, the plague-linked phishing and communal engineering threats have hit the roof to 30,000 for each day in the US single-handedly.

Cyber threats have become a great issue. Cyber-attacks may source electrical shutdowns, the fiasco of army apparatus, and breaks of nationwide safety secrets. Which may cause the robbery of valued, delicate information like medicinal archives. They may disturb mobile and CPU systems or paralyze structures, making information inaccessible. It is not an overstatement to guess that virtual threats can disturb the working of natural life. Moreover, VPN reviews may also get affected due to cyber threats.

Cybersecurity threats are under no circumstances stationary. Masses are being produced every single year. Maximum threats tail the typical arrangements. Nonetheless, they are flattering furthermore dreadful.

Perhaps, there is a novel group of zero-day intimidations that are capable to wonder suspicions for the reason that they convey no noticeable ordinal marks.

Additional troublesome development is the ongoing development of whatever specialists consider APT’s. As Commercial Insider defines APTs, “It is the finest method to describe the hijackers who hole into systems and uphold stability — an association that cannot be at a standstill merely by software up-to-dates or starting up again a workstation.”

A proper way for initiating the understanding regarding by what means the organizations, businesses, and corporations, and even individuals can stay protected from Cyber threats, is the NIST virtual security background and also by the cyber intimidation intelligence implementation. 

Cyber security threat intelligence is whatever virtual risk info develops once it is together, assessed, and examined. Cyber risk intelligence delivers an improved indulgence of cybersecurity threats as well as permits you to recognize correspondences and variances amongst diverse categories of cyber coercions in an exact and opportune way. Virtual threat intelligence is established in a recurrent procedure denoted as the intellect phase. In the intellect phase, information assemblage is deliberated, executed, and estimated to yield a description that is at that point dispersed and re-evaluated in the framework of somewhat innovative material. 

Conclusively, A VPN review can also be helpful in ways of explaining how to avert cyber threats. Not every time it protects, nevertheless, in many perspectives it may. A VPN could halt the MITM assaults, might avert the secluded hacking, might make you safe from DOS Attacks, as well as it may guard against pseudo-Wi-Fi systems. Yet it does not provide assistance regarding malware and Phishing attacks.

From this article. Hopefully, it must have become evident about the scale and scope of cyber threats, especially in the modern world.

Two-spirit is a gender that is found in only North American who fulfills one of many mixed gender roles found traditionally among many Native Americans and Canadian First Nations indigenous groups. The mixed gender roles encompassed by the term historically included wearing the clothing and performing the work associated with both men and women. This English term emerged in 1990 out of the third annual inter-tribal Native American/First Nations gay/lesbian American conference in Winnipeg. 

A direct translation of the Ojibwe term, Niizh manidoowag, "two-spirited" or "two-spirit" is usually used to indicate a person whose body has a masculine spirit and a feminine spirit. The term can also be used more abstractly, to designate the presence of two contrasting human spirits or two contrasting animal spirits (which, depending on the culture, might be Eagle and Coyote). Will Roscoe writes that male and female berdaches have been "documented in over 130 tribes, in every region of North America, among every type of native culture."The term berdache was coined by western anthropologists and used until the late 20th century, mainly to describe feminine Native Americans assigned male at birth. 

The term is however inaccurate and can nowadays be considered offensive. Non-natives who use this identity are often accused of "appropriating Native culture." The history of two-spirits among Indigenous American culture dates back thousands, of years and has been documented in more than 130 North American tribes. Throughout history, a person who was recognized as two-spirit was someone who identified with both male and female gender roles, and so two-spirit is essentially a third gender recognized in Indigenous cultures. 

The perspective among Indigenous Americans was that having this third gender was a strength their society benefited from. In the Zuni culture, a person's gender was not assigned at birth but was grown into 3 or 4 years of age. Two-spirits were not thought of as just a man or just a woman but as embodying characteristics of both genders in a single person, making them a more whole human being.

This Two-Spirits encourages the belief that, by avoiding the pressures surrounding an individual, they are capable of establishing their own identity. This identity for native Two-Spirit individuals arises from an acceptance of their native cultural values and a rejection of Western values. This rejection specifically applies to Western conventions regarding race and sexual identity as the Two-Spirit person’s identity is maintained by their sexual orientation as both male and female and their commitment to their culture or ethnicity.

One of the benefits of meeting a TS woman on a  transgender dating site is that you’ll get an excellent opportunity to get to know her personality without physical appearance being too much of a focus. Aren’t we all a lot more relaxed when conversing with people on Trans Dating Apps, rather than in person? The privacy of your own home lends itself to many great chats.

Once you’ve clicked with your potential date, it is important you get to know each other. During this time, ask relevant questions when you chat with her or them on the transgender dating site of your choice. “Her or them”– asking about pronouns is a very respectful way to start, for example. While many trans women use female pronouns, not all do. It is wise that you get into a mindset of never assuming you know the answer when talking with your match and to have meaningful conversations. After all, both of you are after something long-term and real. Ensure you set a solid foundation for mutual respect and honesty. Your conversations online will help you build a rapport before going out on the first date. Knowing more about her likes, dislikes, aspirations, and dreams builds trust and will prove crucial for surviving your first date. 

However, it is the date itself where the fun begins. Meeting a person for the first time can be a nerve-wracking experience, even for the most confident of individuals, and regardless of gender. Fear not, though – in order to make sure that all goes smoothly between you and your match, this article will provide a survival guide for your first date with a transgender woman.

Get Rid of the Pre-Date Nerves

While being nervous prior to a first date is completely understandable, too much nervousness can have a negative impact on your date. You might start babbling too much due to your nerves, stop listening to her questions and replies, and make a fool out of yourself in some way or another.  

Of course, whoever you connected with on the ts dating site might face the same problem. You can safely assume, however, that they will do their best as well to rein in their nerves before meeting you.

One way to reduce your apprehension is by simply distracting yourself with something interesting before the date begins. If you like to hit the gym, do so a few hours before your date in order to keep pre-date jitters at bay. The following shower or bath provides a wonderful chance to prepare yourself in terms of attire.

Reading a book, watching a video or episode of your current favorite show can also help distract you from nervousness.

If neither of these ideas resonates with you, it might be a good idea to do some housework. Clean the room you’ve been procrastinating on, do laundry or reorganize shelves and cupboards – the manual tasks will certainly soothe your nerves.

The trick, basically, is to keep yourself preoccupied so that you avoid overthinking your situation, that is the upcoming first date with a trans woman. Eliminating pre-date nerves will help you feel relaxed and prepare you to have a good time when the date begins.

Prepare Accordingly

Speaking of preparation: A successful first date involves some level of preparation for what you are about to experience. This holds true both on the physical and emotional levels.

In terms of physical appearance, ensure that you are well dressed in a way that suits the context of your date. While clean, comfortable clothes are perfect for casual walks in the park, a dinner date or first meeting for coffee might require more refined attire. Hitting the sweet spot with clothing can be tough, and the fear of being over-or underdressed might cause you ample anxiety before your date. In that case, why not reach out to friends and ask them for help? They will certainly be more than happy to assist you in choosing the right outfit for your first date with a transgender woman.  

Emotional preparation includes planning the topics you want to discuss with your date. Brainstorm a little: What did you talk about when you were still chatting on the ts dating app or transgender dating site? Can you follow up on any topics, or expand your interest in others she mentioned? Also, think about yourself:  What would you like to share about your day, your week, your life? What strikes you as important for a potential partner to know? When you are well prepared, conversations will run smoothly and you will feel a lot more charming and confident. This will certainly carry over to how your date perceives you.

Arrive On Time

Being late is a total turn off for many people, whether or not they are transgender or cis. So yes, plan diligently when it comes to your journey prior to the date. Do not forget to take into account weekday fluctuations in traffic and check reports earlier to ensure you do not miss any news about road closures or cancellations of public transport.

If you must be late for any reason, whether or not it is your fault, make sure to call or text your date to tell them that you won’t be able to make it on time. Additionally, you should have the decency to apologize to your date once you arrive in person and try to make up for your lateness. If your date has spent their time waiting for you, then you had better be worth the wait.

Enjoy the Date 

Of course, we all want to have fun during our first date! Sometimes, however, we are too nervous or preoccupied with how we come across or how the other person perceives us to remember that we are on a date and should be enjoying the time.

If that is the case, don’t shy away from admitting to it. Showing the self-awareness to say “I’m sorry, I’m really nervous right now” will prove your sincerity and open up the date to a more intimate connection. Anyone who joins a  dating site for transgender women, men, and others will have their share of negative experiences that undoubtedly influence how they feel about going on a first date with someone. Being open about this will create a safer space for both you and your match.

Enjoying the date also includes flirting and trying to make your date laugh. You can be as silly as feels natural to you – after all, your potential partner wants to get to know you, not the facade you think you need to project.

Be careful with complaints. If you find the date’s venue to be awful, don’t spend all the time dwelling on this. This will make you come off as a negative person. You could instead suggest a change in location if you think so strongly about it. This will make you seem pro-active.

At all times you should be civil, polite, and open-minded. Listen when she answers your questions and be honest when replying to inquiries into your own life. Telling the truth is always the best policy, although doing so with tact and kindness will leave an even better impression.

Ending the First Date

Knowing when to end the first date can be quite difficult. Saying goodbye to someone you have not known for long can be awkward.

You can alleviate this by thinking of how to end the date on a positive note in advance: Do you want to accompany her to her car, or her train or bus? When bidding goodbye, consider how you can show that you truly enjoyed her company and want to see her again.

One thing to avoid is a rushed departure. If you have an appointment or commitment to attend to after your date, even if it’s just your bedtime because the next day is a workday, don’t let the time catch you by surprise. Remain aware of how late it is so you can guide the date to a natural end that leaves both of you feeling content and appreciated.  

Follow up

Last but not least, it is highly recommended to follow up after a first date. You might test her when you arrive back home or wish her a good night after thanking her for a great time.

If she beats you to it, reply in kind and signal that you want to make plans for a second date. No need to rush a decision that day, but showing her that you are more interested than before will help cement the foundation you both are building for a long-term romantic relationship.

Portrayal of Trans People in Films and Television

It is perhaps not that difficult to recall films or television series where transgender characters are used as caricatures for providing certain comic relief and for aiding the development of other characters. This rather objectionable use of trans characters in a derogatory and inhumane way unfortunately still persists in mainstream media and the entertainment industry. There is definitely a greater degree of check on it now though because of increased awareness on trans issues.

Hollywood has a history of a rather problematic portrayal of transgender characters. The first film which comes to mind is Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Psycho’ that creates the stereotype of the mentally disturbed cross-dressed murderer. Subsequently, the portrayal of a transgender person as a psychopath murderer persists in many mainstream media representations.

But things have begun to change for good now. And one can find quite a few positive, nuanced and non-stereotypical portrayals of transgender people in cinema and tv series. What instantly comes to mind is the amazing TV series ‘Pose’ that tries to portray the ‘drag ball’ culture of New York of the 1980s. The specialty of this TV series is that it’s been produced by a transgender activist and also stars transgender actors. The music for the series has also been composed by a trans musician.

Then, there is the hugely famous ‘Transparent’ TV series that delved into the life of a Los Angeles family who discovered that their parent is a transgender woman named Maura. The first season was premiered in 2014. Owing to its great success, subsequent seasons were launched as well. The series was great in some ways but the controversial aspect was the casting of Jeffrey Tambor as the main character Maura. Allegations of sexual harassment were made against him by the transgender cast and crew members of the series.

In cinema, there is the brilliant movie ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ that is based on the real-life story of Brandon Teena, a transgender man from the US who undertakes a quest to find love in Nebraska but things take an ugly, unexpected turn and he becomes victim to a hate crime being plotted and perpetrated by two men known to him. The film is remarkable in its effort to explore the subject of violence against transgender people. Transphobia is generally dismissed as something limited to cracking jokes at the expense of trans people and not accepting them into one’s social circle. In reality, transphobia borders on hatred and leads to violent and sordid crimes against trans people. ‘Boys Don’t Cry ‘is daring in that it chooses to portray such a sensitive and important issue.

Then there is the famous movie ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ that is extremely problematic in its portrayal of a trans woman. The stereotype of the crazy, drug addict prostitute persists when it comes to portraying the character of a transgender woman. What’s even worse is that the director chooses a cis male to portray the lead trans woman character of the film. Jared Leto plays the character of the trans woman in the film. This is the problem one frequently encounters in the representation of transgender people in cinema and tv. One rarely gets to see trans actors playing themselves. The problem is not with casting cis actors either. But the director generally has a tendency to cast to a male cis actor for the role of a trans woman and vice versa. And that is offensive to trans sensibilities. Why can’t a cis woman play the role of a trans woman? And then one wonders that if the filmmakers’ understanding of trans issues is so limited and parochial, then how does one expect them to portray their lives with any degree of depth and sincerity.

There is still a considerable lack of actors from within the transgender community. Often when big-budget films are made, the producer is obviously looking for an actor with that kind of a presence which makes them sell the film at the box office. And there are hardly any trans actors with that kind of stature. Then, there is also a paucity of transgender scriptwriters and filmmakers. This is something we need to look at. Positive portrayals of trans people in media will increase only when the storyline is being developed by transgender people themselves. This is not to say that a cis person cannot make a brilliant movie about the trans community. Surely, they can. But if trans people get to portray their issues from their own perspective and vantage point, the level of conviction would be in a different league altogether.

But still, things have improved a lot over years. While the frequency of trans representation in media might not have increased that much, the quality of representation has certainly improved. There are more positive portrayals of trans characters in media now than, let’s say 10 years or 20 years back.

Trans Representation in Video Games

Trans representation in video games has certainly increased over the years. Whether the quality of representation has improved or not is another issue though. Video games have been notorious for their stereotypical portrayal of trans characters. Often characters falling under the LGBT umbrella are just vaguely added for the sensational value without any proper characterization. The trans characters in these video games are mostly side characters. It’s rare to find a video game which has a trans character for a hero or a heroine.

The video game which is widely regarded as featuring the first trans character in gaming is Super Mario Bros. 2. The trans woman character by the name of ‘Birdo’ is badly stereotyped in the initial Japanese version of the game. She is constantly referred to as the man who thinks he is a woman. Birdo’s character is eventually developed to make it reflect a trans woman but even that is full of a lot of problematic stereotyping.

Another gaming series well known for having a trans character is Mass Effect: Andromeda. It features a trans woman by the name of Hainly Abrams and the game features her post-transition. The game shows her freely acknowledging her ‘dead name’ to someone. Now, a dead name is the name a transgender person had before the transition. It is usually a sensitive issue within the trans community. Transgender people rarely share their dead names with anyone. It’s only after they have established a great deal of trust and confidence that they would consider confiding it in someone. But the trans character in ‘Mass Effect: Andromeda’ is shown to be sharing her pre-transition name so casually.  Although the makers of the game acknowledged this error, made apologies, and worked on fixing it as well. So that’s a positive development. Because of increased awareness on trans issues, media cannot get away with inaccurate portrayals of trans characters. There is a certain pressure to present fair and balanced characters which are good.

Many Indie games also feature trans characters. A game like ‘Do I Pass’’ is about passing as a cis man or woman when people look at you as a trans person. The Indie game ‘Losing Charge’ is based on the life of a trans teenage boy who lives with his sister and their dad. Then there are others such as Undertale, Crypt of the Necro Dancer, and 2064: Read Only Memories.

The Way Forward

They say that even bad publicity is good publicity. This holds true to a certain extent in the case of transgender people. Even if the representation of trans people in films, television, and video games is full of flaws, the good thing is that at least they are getting visible. Once an issue gains visibility, it opens up the possibility of a dialogue. Even if a particular tv show or a film has a somewhat derogatory portrayal of trans characters, it has gotten these characters to the forefront of mainstream representation. When you are critiquing those characters, it gets easier for people to understand trans issues because they have that movie or TV show as a reference point.

A lot of media representation of trans characters is skewed simply because the people who create these programs might not enough about a trans person. They might have never met a transgender person in real life. Or even if they have, they might not have known them close enough to understand their life and struggles. That is why it is important for transgender people to themselves get involved in the creative industries. Once trans professionals and artists start creating audiovisual and written content about their lives and struggles, others will be able to understand their issues better. And it would certainly pave the way for more and more positive portrayal of trans characters in media.

A little about myself. I grew up in a family with three older sisters, and 1 baby brother.. Well. I say baby but we are really just two years, two months apart to the day. The question we got all the time was: "Are you twins?" specifically when we were standing right next to one another.

We had a small trailer home for about 16 years. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Being all piled up on each other with very little privacy, you'd understand why a family would constantly be jumping down each others throats. I grew reclusive, I didn't like conflict, and no one ever took the time to listen to what I had to say.

Then... My mom hurt herself.. Bad. I forget the details but let me explain it like this. Basically a muscle in her spine that separates the bone disc became ripped and weak, losing strength to keep those disc separated, causing extreme amounts of pain, and becoming bed ridden. My mom had to take some super strong drugs to even move.. Which didn't exactly put her in her right mind.. 

Long story short, My mom became a mentally, emotionally, and psychically abusive drug addict. this went on for many years. My dad divorced her and got remarried 2 years ago. My step mom showed me what a real mom was supposed to be like, and when I came out as trans, has been my biggest supporter.

But through the years of enduring my mothers.. Abuse.. I have several mental conditions. Depression, Anxiety.. And I have probably lost a few IQ points from being hit over the head a few times. I am slow and sometimes not very responsive.

I moved out of my parents home in Texas and moved in with my Sister and Brother in law in Louisiana. It was a huge change, especially considering I have never done a huge move in my life.

To cope with everything I have endured, I turned to the world of online gaming and role playing. Where my self expression was allowed to flourish. I could be anything and anyone I wanted to be, and the weakness, the hopelessness I felt did not exist! Because in these online worlds, My choices were my own, and if I was strong or weak was only due to how much I dove in. And let's just say.. People feared the name Raining Fire.

I picked up writing as a hobby. Which turned into a passion. Which turned into a purpose. Same with gaming. Able to write characters and stories of my own making as well as being able to live in someone else's. It was the ultimate escape.

I learned I was trans on March 7th of 2017. and since then, I have come a long way but at the same time not far enough. I still have doubts if I am really trans or not. If I am faking it just so I fit somewhere in this world.. But the answer keeps coming up.. Yes. It explains so much. It explains my hatred for male clothing, especially formal! It explains my jealously for my sisters and their beauty. It explains why, ever since I knew what sex was, that in every single one of my fantasies, I have been the woman in a male and female partnership. But.. The doubt remains. 

Thanks for reading the first part of my blog. In future writings I will be writing about my journey discovering I am trans and the steps I have taken to chase this new identity. To become Rain Nicole.

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There are many intricacies in the cybersecurity profession; the elements embedded in this discourse will prepare enthusiasts seeking a guaranteed career to change life as we know it. In a world filled with tumultuous issues with most of the problems resulting from a security breach on the internet, with an increased number of people fortified with cybersecurity knowledge and skills, the world can be better in every sector that makes up each nation.

Discover the profession and its perks in this article!

Quick Facts

   ●  More than $114 billion was spent on information technology security operations, including products and services, in 2018. Interestingly, this improved the previous year, which saw an increase of 12.4% from 2017.

   ● In 2018, $5.3 billion was invested in cybersecurity by Venture companies worldwide, while North America alone saw more than $4 billion investments.

   ●  Cybercrime is one of the biggest problems posing threats to national security. Therefore, the White House increased the budget on cybersecurity by 5%. Consequently, the overall budget for the Department of Defense rose to $17.4 billion.

   ● Cyber Security crimes in 2015 caused $325 million in damages; hence organizations have bumped their investment in cybersecurity by 62.5% from 2013 to 2017.

   ● Cybersecurity professionals are well-sought after, with 38% of cybersecurity professionals being contacted multiple times by recruiters. Also, 48% of cybersecurity professionals are contacted weekly, exposing that cybersecurity is crucial in today's advanced world.

   ● By 2029, occupations in cybersecurity will have increased by 15%, with professionals earning above $100,000 annually.

Why Does Cybersecurity Matter?

In a world where data drives everything, cybersecurity becomes an intricate element in the survival of government agencies and organizations. Cybersecurity has become a recurring and impending problem for many organizations in the world today. Different issues such as IoT and the cybersecurity talent gap affect an organization's ability to deal with external threats.

A massive amount of data is being processed and transmitted every minute on government and organization's networks. These data contain financial, healthcare, personal, and other forms of information that could lead as a backdoor to devastating damage. Unfortunately, the hackers have continued to evolve in their operations as they target colleges, universities, government agencies, and other institutions that may not be up-to-date on cybersecurity matters.

Although there is no telling which industry hackers will focus their initiatives on the next several inclinations, the crimes will be more prevalent in industries without investment in security platforms and personnel. Several attacks have been carried out in the last decade, with some more effective than others. Here are common types of cyber threats:

   ●  Phishing

   ●  Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)

   ●  Man-in-the-Middle

   ●  Botnet

Due to the recent cyber hacks on major companies in different sectors, companies have begun to invest heavily in cybersecurity since their survival depends on the data being processed and transferred from one end to another. Can you imagine what will happen if the framework of the bank you are using gets compromised? The thoughts are mind-boggling; hence, companies' survival and people rely on cybersecurity.

Individuals, businesses, and organizations are dependent on digital technology now more than ever, and advanced cybersecurity has become essential to protecting users and businesses from fraud, data breaches. According to Irwin (2021), there were 149 million records in December 2020 alone, which totalled 20 billion cyber-attacks, breaches, and hacks in the year. Some of the examples of these threats to cybersecurity witnessed in 2020 are as follows:

Cyber-attacks

   ●  Cyber-attacks infiltrated Canada's DuBreton Meats.

   ●  U.S. Treasury breached by hackers backed by foreign organizations

   ●  The attack on Mongolia by Chinese hackers.

   ●  Hurtigruten, a Norwegian cruise company, experiences a cyber attack

   ●  Anti-Semitic propaganda was posted on the Weslaco ISD network

Data Breaches

   ●  Canada's Sangoma Technologies confirms a data breach resulting from a ransomware attack.

   ●  Fax Express database online leak.

   ●  Konikoff Dental Associates loses control of patient information.

   ●  TennCare being susceptible to a privacy breach

   ●  21 Buttons carelessness in exposing social media influencers' valuable information.

Unfortunately, as technology advances, hackers have been getting better at finding new ways to breach even the toughest systems, and the consequences can be drastic.

The primary health information of 15 million Canadians was stolen from Life Labs in 2019 due to a ransomware attack.

Information such as date of birth, Names, addresses, emails, logins, and passwords was compromised during this time. Ontario and British Columbia were the most affected during this crisis from 2016.  85,000 people were known to have been affected by the breach.

Also, from 2018 to 2019, OPC reported that the number of Canadians affected by the breach was close to 28 million. This was more than half of the population at that time. The causes of the breach were said to result from "employee snooping" and "social engineering hacks," the accidental exposure of 22% of all documents within that time frame. 8% of reports during that year were reported stolen from the database.

In 2014 Home Depot suffered an ugly attack that had the information of its customers compromised. The criminals could access the customs' credit card information with the malware installed on the company's self-checkout terminals. Unfortunately, Home Depot was not able to detect the issue until after five months.

Anthem Inc. experienced one of the terrifying attacks in the Healthcare industry, with 80 million social security records uncovered in 2015.

When so much is on the line, cybersecurity professionals are essential to protecting businesses and their data from threats in the grand scheme of an organization's operations. Their job is to block the holes through which these criminals can find a way into the system.

Career Pathways in Cybersecurity

According to research done by researchers in the University Professional and Continuing Education Association, "Cybersecurity is the collection of processes and practices designed to protect the integrity of networks, programs, devices, and data from an attack, damage, or unauthorized access."

Cybersecurity professionals are hired to look for weaknesses in an organization's database and promptly fix the impending issues that can be used as a pathway for attackers to center.

Cybersecurity professionals' operations are dynamic as they function as detectives and analysts in a bid to find loopholes in the system.

Some organizations refer to cybersecurity professionals as Information security engineers, Cyber Security technicians, and occasionally, analysts.

What Types of Organizations Hire Cybersecurity Professionals?

One of the benefits of training in cybersecurity is that it can enable you to work in virtually any organization, whether large or small, in the public or private sector and the industry of your choice. Industries that tend to hire the most cybersecurity professionals are those such as:

    ●  Telecommunications

    ●  VPN Service

   ●  Law Enforcement

   ●  Technology

   ●  Banking and Finance

   ●  Government

   ●  Healthcare

   ●  Sports

Roles Cybersecurity Professionals Can Play in An Organization

There are streamlined job functions of cybersecurity analysts that companies offer them. These are:

   ●  Forensics

   ●  Network security

   ●  Vulnerability management

   ●  Threat Intelligence

   ●  Incident response

   ●  Application security

   ●  Data loss prevention

Trends in Cybersecurity

Cybercrimes have continued to evolve almost at the same pace as technology is improving activities on the dark web. It is more or less like the hackers hop on the new technology to find loopholes to hit companies. Hence, new techniques and strategies have been employed by companies to find a way to stop attacks before they collapse the business. Some of these trends include:

IoT Problems

As the world has shifted gears in harnessing the possibilities of data-driven technology, there are many more devices that have been incorporated into an internet connection. Therefore, hackers will try to bypass networks with weak security. Unfortunately, people do not consider changing their new devices' passwords and login details once they get them. Consequently, the hackers find it easy to access the information which can be gotten online.

More IoT problems come from the manufacturer as they may not have the expertise to upgrade their products' security. Interestingly, research shows that 48% of companies with IoT devices and their network have been successfully breached at least once. Therefore, hackers have begun to go through networks with IoT verifying the weakest security and bypassing that network to hit the company where it hurts.

Cybersecurity Talent Gap

Demand for cybersecurity professionals is now at an all-time high, and even with increased training opportunities and higher budget allocations, there remains a shortage of cybersecurity professionals and VPN reviews. Industries most affected by this shortage are those such as:

   ●  Government

   ●  Finance

   ●  Manufacturing

   ●  Healthcare

   ●  Transportation and logistics

   ●  Online retail

Many organizations have had no choice but to outsource their network, firewall, and other security needs to remedy this. However, this trend is expected to reverse as companies seek greater control over their security at a lower cost through permanent staff with the right skills and qualifications.

What Does It Take to Become a Cybersecurity Professional?

In order to be eligible for this certification, it is required to have sufficient knowledge in Computer science. Therefore, you must gather relevant skills to equip yourself for a deep dive into your career properly. Here are some skills that are pertinent to this career:

   ●  Adult and compliance

   ●  Cloud Security.

   ●  Risk analysis and mitigation

   ●  Digital forensics

   ●  Threat modelling

   ●  Vulnerability assessment

   ●  Intrusion detection

Several certifications have become standard in the industry and signify to potential employers that a professional has the right knowledge and skills to protect their data and systems. Some of the most popular include;

Here are the specific job certifications that employers require:

   ●  Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

   ●  Certified Information System Auditor (CISA)

   ●  Certifications in GIAC

   ●  Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer

   ●  Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

   ●  McGill's New Certificate in Applied Cybersecurity

McGill's certificate in Applied in Cybersecurity intends to shine a bright light for people looking to start a cybersecurity career.

Also, students will be introduced to real-life scenarios of cybercrimes. This method will prepare them for what is to come after their program at McGill. The essence is to equip the students with the right tools to promote their creativity in tackling cyber-crimes properly. This diploma will further expose students to new possibilities through cybersecurity, plus an in-depth understanding of specific industries and their peculiarities.

Finally, with a team of experienced minds, it is easy for students to gain knowledge and expertise as there is a wide array of trained professionals ready to assist them.