Marcus J Carey

Another one for school...

Marcus Carey is the founder and former CEO of the cybersecurity company Threatcare and the co-creator of the Tribe of Hackers book series and 2019 summit. He has over 25 years of cybersecurity experience that includes penetration testing, incident response, and digital forensics. He started his career in the U.S. Navy and has a Master's degree in Network Security. Jennifer Jin is the co-creator of the Tribe of Hacker book series and 2019 summit and is Head of Communications at Threatcare.

Carey’s inspiration for the title and structure of the book is from the self-help book Tribe of Mentors, by Tim Ferriss. Instead of tapping over 130 people with success stories as Ferriss did, Carey narrowed his list to 70 “notable hackers,” friends and colleagues in the cybersecurity industry—authors, speakers, business leaders, software creators, and experts in the field. The interview subjects are a diverse group of men and women, with experience ranging from a few years to several decades. There’s a chapter for each person, and they are asked the same 14 questions, based on common questions Carey has been asked about cybersecurity. In his introduction to the book, Carey said they match the informal conversations he has at conferences which he and his colleagues refer to as “hallway-con.” This structure may sound trying, and it’s certainly not conducive to reading the book cover to cover. A print copy is recommended over an electronic one, since this is a book best consumed by flipping through to areas of interest. Pull quotes don’t work well in the electronic format either, as they are not very distinct from the rest of the text and look like duplicate sentences or paragraphs.

Business leaders who want insider advice will find the most relevant information by scanning the first three questions and answers in each chapter. These cover cybersecurity myths and recommendations for secure business practices. The answers aren’t identical, but many of the interview subjects agree on where money is better spent (i.e. on people rather than security products that promise more than they can deliver) and what are common misconceptions about security (i.e. being in compliance with security rules means you’re safe). Several of those interviewed emphasize the principle of least privilege.

Readers looking for career advice will find a lot of it in the answers to questions 4-8 and 14, which include opinions on whether or not degrees and certifications are necessary, descriptions of how the subjects got their start in the field, and what qualities all highly successful cybersecurity professionals share. Many answer that last question with the same words: curiosity, perseverance, and passion. The majority answer that degrees and certifications have limited usefulness besides “getting past HR.” There does appear to be a trend that the more recognized cybersecurity is as a job in itself and not a role wrapped into an IT position, the more HR departments will look for degrees and credentials. The career-oriented answers contain more jargon than any of the others. Advice like Emily Crose’s “Don’t be the candidate who can’t expand on the seven layers of OSI,” won’t be terribly meaningful to the general reader. Much of the career advice emphasizes sharing knowledge, participating in the community, and giving back. Keirsten Brager’s statement sums up this common sentiment, “Be nice, share knowledge, and send the ladder back down when you succeed.”

People with a more general interest will get the most out of the first myth-debunking question, along with questions 9-13, which cover favorite books/movies about hackers and cybersecurity, life hacks, and advice about social media and the Internet of Things. The most common advice: use multifactor authentication, use password managers, and be careful what you post and connect to your network. By far, the most recommended book was The Cuckoo’s Egg, by Clifford Stoll. WarGames, Sneakers, Catch Me if You Can, and of course, Hackers were favorite movies. Mr. Robot was a big favorite too with this group, and David Kennedy, one of the show’s consultants, is interviewed in the book.… (mere)