Rob Capell

Cybersecurity isn’t just a job function. It’s how you lead. We talk a lot about tools, alerts, and frameworks. But when things go sideways, none of that matters if your people don’t feel safe. That’s where leadership kicks in. It’s not about having all the answers. It’s about being calm when others panic. Clear when others spiral. It���s how you carry the room when the alert hits and the clock is ticking. The best security leaders don’t just protect data. They protect trust. They steady the team. They bring confidence to uncertain moments. Because real confidence doesn’t come from the stack. It comes from how you show up when it matters most. #Cybersecurity #Leadership #CISO #MSP #SecurityCulture #Trust #Infosec #PeaceOfMind #ClientExperience #SecurityLeadership

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If you’re still sleeping on projects, free simulations, or virtual internships because “they don’t count” you’re doing yourself a big disservice. One of the things that helped me get noticed early in my cybersecurity journey wasn’t the perfect resume or all the right certifications it was the fact that I had something to show. I had done something. I had built, participated, explored, and documented. It’s not about waiting to “qualify” first. It’s about showing up and doing. Let me be real with you: People don’t connect to your potential they connect to what you do. What you try. What you’re willing to put your name on and say, “This is me. This is what I’m learning. This is where I’m headed.” That’s why I’m always encouraging people to take job simulations, projects, and even the smallest practical experience seriously. Not just for the skills but because it builds visibility. It shows recruiters, collaborators, and even yourself that you’re not just “interested in cybersecurity,” you’re actively pursuing it. And guess what? You don’t need to figure it all out alone. There are free cybersecurity job simulations by real companies that you can complete right now and include as part of your journey: 1. Datacom Cyberattack Investigation & Risk Assessment Investigate a simulated cyberattack and perform a risk assessment. Link: https://lnkd.in/dsfz9aTd 2. Mastercard Cybersecurity Awareness Team Join Mastercard’s awareness team to identify and reduce cyber risks. Link: https://lnkd.in/dD-cWPY7 3. Tata Group IAM Developer Simulation Support a consulting team and improve identity & access management. Link: https://lnkd.in/dZjndnAA 4. AIG Ransomware Attack Response Respond to a ransomware attack using security alerts and basic Python. Link: https://lnkd.in/dVDnKKYd These aren’t just learning tools. They’re portfolio pieces. Talking points. Confidence builders. And for some of you, they might be the first step toward visibility in a space that often feels overwhelming. ✨ If you need a mindset shift a reminder that you don’t need permission to become visible I wrote a book just for you: 📖 You Are the Niche: Building a cybersecurity career that attracts opportunities https://lnkd.in/eQ29Wx8D 💬 If you’re ready to grow, take action, and surround yourself with others on the same journey, join my cybersecurity community a space for learning, support, and staying visible. 👉 https://lnkd.in/eBPrCTRb You don’t need to wait to be chosen. You just need to start showing your work. Do. Document. Grow. Repeat. #CybersecurityCareer #YouAreTheNiche #ShowYourWork #JobSimulations #Cybertalkswithjojo

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How to build a real Cybersecurity home lab for free. Not sure how to build you own home lab to practice and get hired? Follow me, let me show you some FREE resources to do just that. STEP 1: Install Virtual Box https://lnkd.in/gw4E3MAJ STEP 2: Download Kali, Windows, or Ubuntu Kali: https://lnkd.in/gvpVncXi Windows: https://lnkd.in/gdCiAbSB Ubuntu: https://lnkd.in/gNvi2mrE STEP 3: Make all the necessary changes you need such as NAT, IP addresses Etc. There you go, you now have a home lab just like every other Cyber professional. These are just quick steps and you can do all these on your own instead of paying someone to help you. Do you currently have a home lab? What does it comprise of? Join our free community for more resources to help you in your career: https://lnkd.in/g7u_aAEm

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It's time for that post again. Entry level security is not entry level technical work. You probably don't have the necessary skills for a security job. The foundational skills for security are not security. They are domain knowledge in the domain you want to apply security to. If you want to secure computers, that means a solid foundation in systems, networking, and programming. Security is as simple as CIA and non-repudiation applied judiciously to something you know well. If you want to be a pentester you don't go out and memorize all of the tools and options for those tools that a pentester might use. In fact, you shouldn't even touch those for your first year or two of study. You need to study, in d-depth, all of the systems you want to break. It's amazing that the overlap is systems, networking/coms, and programming for pentesting too. Then you mentally apply CIA (and non-repudiation) to the environment and simply look for mistakes. You don't just run every tool in your arsenal without any idea of what's there. When you brute force run every cracker and attacker tool, you waste time and miss providing the value a pentester provides over a vulnerability scanner. If all you do is run tools you couldn't build against systems you couldn't build or configure and you are just going based on what previous tool outputs have shown you, you are a human vulnerability scanner that can (and SHOULD) be replaced by a conventional script or even an semi-controlled AI workflow. If you want to be a security professional, you must first learn what you want to secure. If you start with frameworks, governance, and policy - you are not qualified for security. You know some definitions of security terms and you lack any understanding on how that security information can or should be applied and when it is OK to not apply it. You literally can't work in an environment unless someone else has defined that environment and explicitly told you what security is for anything new or novel. Thought experiment: Please tell me how to secure the XD9AF-2022-48 system primer. If your first thought was "tell me what it is so I can find which of these NIST controls apply to it!" - the entire previous post applies to you. You aren't qualified for your job. If your first thought was "what is it and how does it work?", you might be recognizing that it is unfamiliar to you and you COULD have what it takes or the whole post may still apply to you. If your first thought was "where do you keep the design docs, source code, and user docs?", you are ready for the job. If your first thought was "that doesn't exist and you are a jackass, Garrett" - you are probably already working with me. Yes, this is harsh. No, I'm not gatekeeping. I've literally defined the appropriate path into the industry and having a successful career in security. Learn the core....of whatever it is you want to secure, then secure it!

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🏛️ FedRAMP Designated: Why should commercial companies care? ThreatLocker just achieved FedRAMP Designated status - but here's why this matters even if you're not selling to the government. Had their team break it down for me at BlackHat, and the translation is simple: ✅ Enterprise-grade security standards that exceed typical commercial requirements ✅ Rigorous third-party validation of their security controls ✅ Government-level compliance frameworks applied to commercial offerings This isn't just a government checkbox - it's a signal that ThreatLocker has undergone some of the most stringent security assessments available. When vendors achieve FedRAMP Designated, they're essentially saying "we've built our platform to withstand the highest security scrutiny." That level of validation should matter to ANY organization serious about security. What compliance frameworks do you use as security quality indicators? Drop your thoughts below in comments. 👇 Want more insights on what security certifications actually mean? Follow for real-world translations of industry jargon! 📋 #FedRAMP #ComplianceMatters #ThreatLocker #GovernmentSecurity #BlackHat2025 #CyberSecurity #SecurityStandards #SimplyCyber

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🚀 Ready to Kickstart Your Pentesting Journey? 🚀 If you're stepping into the world of ethical hacking and penetration testing, understanding the basics is your first critical step. The "Beginner Guide for Pentester Students" covers all essential knowledge, including: 🛡️ Ethical Hacking Fundamentals: Hacker Mindsets and Types Active vs. Passive Cyber Attacks Cyber Kill Chain and Attack Strategies 🌐 Technical Essentials: OSI Model & Network Configurations Unix/Linux Command Reference Firewall Architectures & Implementations IDS, IPS, and Web Application Security 🔍 Pentesting Methodologies: PTES Framework (Penetration Testing Execution Standard) Vulnerability Assessment Tools (OpenVAS, Nessus, Nmap) Web Server and Application Exploitation Techniques Privilege Escalation & Credential Harvesting 📌 Real-World Techniques & Tools: ARP Spoofing & Man-in-the-Middle Attacks SQL Injection & XSS Vulnerabilities Wireless Security (Aircrack-ng & Wi-Fi Attacks) Password Cracking with John the Ripper & Hydra Using Metasploit for Exploitation 🔐 Post-Exploitation & Reporting: Maintaining Access (Backdoors & Rootkits) Covering Tracks and Log Management Professional Report Writing & Regulatory Compliance Pentesting is not just about running tools—it's about understanding systems, vulnerabilities, and how attackers think. Start smart and build a solid foundation. 💬 Want the full guide or have questions? Drop a comment or connect with me! Let's grow together and enhance our cybersecurity skills! #CyberSecurity #Pentesting #EthicalHacking #InfoSec #RedTeam #PenetrationTesting #SecurityTools #CyberDefense #SecurityAwareness #BeginnerGuide #Networking #Linux #CyberCommunity

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𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗦𝗢𝗖 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱: 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽-𝗯𝘆-𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗥𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽 Breaking into cybersecurity feels overwhelming. Too many paths. Too many certifications. Too many voices saying “start here.” But SOC Analyst roles? They’re the best entry point into the field. And here’s how you get there… step by step. First, build your foundation ✅ Get a degree in Computer Technology or Cybersecurity ✅ Get comfortable with Linux and Windows basics Then, master the fundamentals ✅ Learn networking and the OSI model ✅ Understand IDS/IPS, VPNs, and packet analysis Next, earn key certifications • CompTIA CySA+ • GSEC •Blue Team Level 1 (These prove your skills fast.) Build your technical toolkit • SIEM tools (Splunk, ELK) • Scripting • Log and packet analysis Get hands-on experience • Labs and simulations • Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions • Internships or volunteer SOC work Sharpen your mindset • Stay calm under pressure • Think analytically • Solve problems fast 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗢𝗖 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝘁 𝟭 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲? LinkedIn. CyberSecJobs. TryHackMe JobHub. Breaking into cybersecurity isn’t easy. But it’s worth it. Every alert you respond to, every threat you stop… You’re protecting millions. What’s stopping you from starting your SOC journey? Skills? Certifications? Experience?  Share this with your network  someone needs to see this. 📌 Follow Marcel Velica for more cybersecurity career roadmaps and insights.

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The hacker sitting next to you at Starbucks isn't typing code. They're scrolling through Telegram. At BSides Conference today, Gabriel Schram dropped a reality bomb that made my cybersecurity degree feel incomplete. We're all worried about the wrong attack vectors. While we're hardening firewalls and patching systems, threat actors have weaponized the app your teenager uses to share memes. → Telegram wasn't built for crime, but criminals built their empire on it. Gabriel shared a case that haunts me: A ransomware group used Telegram channels to coordinate a supply chain attack on 200+ companies. They leaked stolen data in real-time, negotiated payments, and even provided "customer support" to victims. All through an app that markets itself for "secure messaging." The scariest part? The attack looked like normal business communication until it was too late. Here's what Gabriel taught me every cybersecurity professional needs to know: • Monitor unusual Telegram activity in your network logs • Train employees to recognize social engineering through messaging apps • Implement Zero Trust policies that don't exempt "harmless" communication tools As a Desktop Engineer studying cybersecurity, I thought I understood the threat landscape. I was wrong. The most dangerous attacks don't come through your firewall anymore. They come through the apps you trust. What messaging platform in your organization would surprise you if it became an attack vector?

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If you hang around an industry long enough, you begin to see things...actions, decisions, etc...being repeated. In 2007, the team I was on began performing PCI forensic investigations, and sometimes we'd see where a technician had come into a merchant, and set the the POS devices in debug mode, leaving a clear text file of credit card numbers (CCNs) on the device. When they were done, there was no accountability regarding resetting the devices, so when the threat actor gained access to the infrastructure, they didn't need to do anything to collect CCNs, other than "yoink" the files. These days, *if* someone has a "security stack", actions will be taken during troubleshooting, some functionality will be enabled or disabled. AV may be disabled, host isolation may be disabled...and when the end is reached, those functionalities are not re-enabled/disabled. Something else we see a lot of is orgs doing a "test" rollout of EDR or some other tech, only to not move to a complete rollout, so that significant portions of the infrastructure are left unmonitored.

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"Oh, you do automated pentesting? We've tried that, it didn't work." I hear that too much, so let me be clear - 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. Here's the misunderstanding that could cost you your security posture: 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 ≠ 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀 - Automated: follows predefined logic and scripts - Autonomous: thinks and makes decisions on its own 𝗣𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝘆 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. What we've built are autonomous AI agents for pentesting that can offload most of the manual human tasks. Crucial: This isn't automation. Our agents are autonomous - they think and reason. We still keep humans in the process. Human testers become 10X more efficient, not obsolete. The revolution Terra Security created: ❌ Manual → automated ✅ Manual → autonomous with humans in the loop. This is why security teams' jaws always drop when they see Terra with their own eyes - it's something they've never seen before, and 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. And meanwhile, if someone ever offers you automatic pentesting - run the other way.

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Want to boost your cybersecurity resume with hands-on projects? Alex has a few recommendations in today’s video to help you gain practical experience and have something to showcase during interviews. He covers: - 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 (𝐞.𝐠., 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐛) - 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 (𝐞.𝐠., 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬) - 𝐆𝐑𝐂 (𝐞.𝐠., 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐛 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐒𝐎 27001) - 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 (𝐞.𝐠., 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐚𝐩) Approach your next security interview with confidence. Watch the video to see Alex’s full list of recommendations and how they can set you apart! https://lnkd.in/gazQywBx

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