Student Spotlight: Ryan Feder
Ryan Feder has always gone against the grain. He has spent most of his adult life traveling the world and working in the entertainment industry. As one of the only Mac users in a course full of PC operators, his untamed spirit is alive and well in UM’s cybersecurity Professional Program.
Ryan has seen a lot in his travels, but the course still manages to catch him off guard. “So far the biggest surprise about the industry and program is the openness and willingness to help each other. Coming from the music and entertainment industry, people keep their trade secrets, beats, and lyrics under lock and key.
In cybersecurity everyone helps each other, on message boards people offer total strangers information and constantly work to improve the industry and make each other better.”
Reset Button
When asked how he decided to enroll in the University of Miami cybersecurity Professional Program, Ryan chuckles, “sometimes you need to hit the reset button, like a router.” While music will always be his passion, Ryan reset after years in the entertainment industry and enrolled in the program. As a lifelong Canes fan, Ryan always wanted to go to the University of Miami.
Ryan has friends who work as pen testers and bug hunters in the InfoSec industry. They vetted the program and ensured Ryan it was worth his time and money. “The program seemed amazing. I still had my doubts, but after talking to my friends they really sold me. They told me if you want a program that offers everything, this is it.”
Ryan fell in love with the program and he is not an easy person to impress. He has traveled the world, working as a DJ for a major cruise line. He has seen many continents, North America, Europe, and Africa. He has traveled the world and has more stories than there are allotted in this character count.
Beats and Bytes
Ryan hopes to combine his love of music with his cybersecurity education. Ryan can employ his offensive and defensive techniques to protect and secure artists rights, stealing, and leaking entertainment. Ryan has first hand experience in the entertainment industry and knows there is a real need to protect artists’ trade secrets. Off the top of his head, Ryan referenced several high-profile hacks targeting the entertainment industry.
“There was the Sony Pictures Hack, the HBO cyber attack, and the recent arrest of a man charged with stealing unfinished songs from the websites of prominent musicians and selling the work for Bitcoin. As more and more people store their movies, music, and pictures in the cloud and on other digital platforms, there will need to be cybersecurity professionals to secure that media.”
Hacks on the entertainment industry don’t just harm artists hubris or work, their financial implications are far reaching. HBO’s decided to pay a $250,000 ransom, to try and prevent the early release of any compromised episodes or content. The hack could have caused even more damage and disruption to branding and advertisers.
Securing the Future
Ryan notes that everything is digital, and while that eases business operations it comes at a price. “Things need to be secured, from SoundCloud to online banking. People’s private information needs to be protected.”
Ryan has completed the Introductory class and will graduate in the near future. For him there was no question as to whether he would continue in the program. As an individual with an existing career, Ryan needed a program that accounts for his existing professional and personal commitments. Ryan looks forward to using his skills to help people and artists protect their art, while building and securing infrastructure.
Ryan Feder is on his way to a fulfilling, in-demand, and exciting career. With 3.5 million cybersecurity job openings by 2021, the time to get into the industry is now. Education and certification are the key.
Find out more about the University of Miami Cybersecurity Professional Bootcamp to see if it’s a good fit for you. You can also read reviews from other bootcamp learners.
