cyber security

[tdkid]

hello. i am not sure if this belongs here or in off topic as it is and is not about computers. 

 

in a discord group I am talking with a man who claims to be in his 40s and works in cyber security. what I want to know and why I am not sure if this belongs here is, don't you think that having a job in cyber security, you would pretty much know the ins and outs of computers to know that someone is not going to access something they are not supposed to? i am asking because this guy claims that cyber security and knowledge about computers parts and what they do is completely different. i kind of get what he is saying but what I mean is that if someone had a part fail due to a software or hardware issue, then the person in cybersecurity with their much more knowledge on how to prevent something, should at least know the basics of how to repair a computer?

 

for example. i lost my PC a few months ago to the FLTMRG.SYS error. i asked them about it and they had no idea or at least pretended not to know. it turns out that the FLTMGR.SYS is easy to fix as its a fail in the storage device where the OS is stored and you will need to get a new one and redownload the OS. 

 

edit: these comments below are why I was asking. i can build a PC all day long with no issues but I don't know much about software which is where I thought someone who worked in cyber security working with it all day would have been able to help me figure out that the code I saw was that my storage device failed and I would need to get a new one. 

[saintlouisbagels]

Different skill sets for different subjects.

 

From real life experience:

You can easily go through an entire Engineering Bachelor's and Master's Program and still not know how to operate any hand tools or know basic things about electronics (e.g. "Can I use this power supply for this motor?")

I'm an equipment technician who also went through schooling. I've worked with many Engineers who didn't know much about tools or practical stuff and I didn't mock them for it because I knew first-hand the stuff that you don't get taught. When other technicians scoff at these Engineers, I inform them the same thing; you don't learn anything practical in school.

 

One of my closest friends has a degree in Computer Science, and is a very high level Software Developer ($200k) at his company. He had to watch a million videos and read a ton of resources to build his desktop computer.

[tdkid]

1 minute ago, saintlouisbagels said:

Different skill sets for different subjects.

 

From real life experience:

You can easily go through an entire Engineering Bachelor's and Master's Program and still not know how to operate any hand tools or know basic things about electronics (e.g. "Can I use this power supply for this motor?")

I'm an equipment technician who also went through schooling. I've worked with many Engineers who didn't know much about tools or practical stuff and I didn't mock them for it because I knew first-hand the stuff that you don't get taught. When other technicians scoff at these Engineers, I inform them the same thing; you don't learn anything practical in school.

yeah i get that but you would kind of think that in your first day of computer science or whatever class you need to take to get the cyber security job, your professor would make fun of you asking something like "so why are you here if you know nothing about computers?". after they ask who in the class has never worked with a computer before.  especially when the person whos job it is, is to prevent things like people gaining access to areas they are not allowed by using coding. you would think that a simple error as in a failed or failing hard drive would be easy to explain to anyone that they simply need to replace it and download their OS. 

[dilpickle]

Cyber security has nothing to do with fixing hard drives. There is no reason why he would know about that. 

 

And its likely he rarely uses Windows in his job. 

[saintlouisbagels]

6 minutes ago, tdkid said:

yeah i get that but you would kind of think that in your first day of computer science or whatever class you need to take to get the cyber security job, your professor would make fun of you asking something like "so why are you here if you know nothing about computers?". after they ask who in the class has never worked with a computer before.  especially when the person whos job it is, is to prevent things like people gaining access to areas they are not allowed by using coding. you would think that a simple error as in a failed or failing hard drive would be easy to explain to anyone that they simply need to replace it and download their OS. 

I feel like you don't get that and you sound exactly like the other equipment technicians that talk crap about Engineers when they ask a simple question.

Here's what a curriculum for Cybersecurity looks like

https://online.maryville.edu/online-bachelors-degrees/cyber-security/curriculum/

[tdkid]

2 minutes ago, dilpickle said:

Cyber security has nothing to do with fixing hard drives. There is no reason why he would know about that. 

 

And its likely he rarely uses Windows in his job. 

well you would kind of expect someone who is supposed to know a lot of computer software to at least know the basics when your computer fails because of a software issue right? and what other program could he use? i know of apple and linux but I don't think many companies use either of these unless he works at apple, which I doubt. 

[MidnightStars]

9 minutes ago, tdkid said:

yeah i get that but you would kind of think that in your first day of computer science or whatever class you need to take to get the cyber security job, your professor would make fun of you asking something like "so why are you here if you know nothing about computers?". after they ask who in the class has never worked with a computer before.  especially when the person whos job it is, is to prevent things like people gaining access to areas they are not allowed by using coding. you would think that a simple error as in a failed or failing hard drive would be easy to explain to anyone that they simply need to replace it and download their OS. 

Entirely depends on the course. I have two friends--one is a programming nerd, other is a cyber security analyst. Neither know much about PC hardware. The methods worked are completely different. Both of those fields are primarily software based, not hardware.

[dilpickle]

1 minute ago, tdkid said:

well you would kind of expect someone who is supposed to know a lot of computer software to at least know the basics when your computer fails because of a software issue right? and what other program could he use? i know of apple and linux but I don't think many companies use either of these unless he works at apple, which I doubt. 

You really don't know anything about IT. The world doesn't revolve around gamers and pc building. 

[tdkid]

3 minutes ago, saintlouisbagels said:

I feel like you don't get that and you sound exactly like the other equipment technicians that scoff at Mechanical Engineers.

Here's what a curriculum for Cybersecurity looks like

https://online.maryville.edu/online-bachelors-degrees/cyber-security/curriculum/

well to be honest, i have to agree as the engineers don't really ever have to fix and issue after it leaves their hands let alone 5+ years later but you kind of expect them to at least know the basics of a computer so they don't have to call in their own IT department right. 

[saintlouisbagels]

Just now, tdkid said:

well to be honest, i have to agree as the engineers don't really ever have to fix and issue after it leaves their hands let alone 5+ years later but you kind of expect them to at least know the basics of a computer so they don't have to call in their own IT department right. 

It may shock you to learn that Cybersecurity and IT are different departments with different skill sets.

[tdkid]

2 minutes ago, MidnightStars said:

Entirely depends on the course. I have two friends--one is a programming nerd, other is a cyber security analyst. Neither know much about PC hardware. The methods worked are completely different. Both of those fields are primarily software based, not hardware.

tell me then what would you call seeing the blue screen of death and getting the "what failed" as the FLTMGR.SYS code then?

[saintlouisbagels]

11 hours ago, tdkid said:

well to be honest, i have to agree as the engineers don't really ever have to fix and issue after it leaves their hands let alone 5+ years later but you kind of expect them to at least know the basics of a computer so they don't have to call in their own IT department right. 

11 hours ago, tdkid said:

tell me then what would you call seeing the blue screen of death and getting the "what failed" as the FLTMGR.SYS code then?

What are you trying to extract from this thread?

Do you have a superiority complex or are you a toxic person that thinks "wow that person does not deserve to be in their position" ?

 

@MidnightStars, @dilpickle, and I have given you the perfectly valid, REAL WORLD examples and reasons of why this Cybersecurity fellow did not know the answer to your PC Hardware question.

 

[MidnightStars]

4 minutes ago, tdkid said:

tell me then what would you call seeing the blue screen of death and getting the "what failed" as the FLTMGR.SYS code then?

Software issue. It does not involve Cyber Security. You would have better luck with a software developer that specializes with Windows.

 

You're essentially asking for something like an aerospace engineer to help fix your car. Sure, they're an engineer, but they're better with planes.

Or a mechanical engineer, that specializes with spacecraft, to help fix your car. That's what I am, but I sure as hell don't know enough about cars to help someone in that manner.

[tdkid]

2 minutes ago, saintlouisbagels said:

What are you trying to extract from this thread?

Do you have a superiority complex or are you a toxic person that thinks "wow that person does not deserve to be in their position" ?

 

@MidnightStars, @dilpickle, and I have given you the perfectly valid, REAL WORLD examples and reasons of why this Cybersecurity fellow did not know the answer to your PC Hardware question.

LOL. what i wanted from this is what you have given me.

[tdkid]

Just now, MidnightStars said:

Software issue. It does not involve Cyber Security. You would have better luck with a software developer that specializes with Windows.

 

You're essentially asking for something like an aerospace engineer to help fix your car. Sure, they're an engineer, but they're better with planes.

Or a mechanical engineer, that specializes with spacecraft, to help fix your car. That's what I am, but I sure as hell don't know enough about cars to help someone in that manner.

the issue was i was not able to find out what that issue was. i even asked here and no one knew or gave me an answer. i just had to say "screw it" and got a new storage device, threw it in and apparently that was it.

[MidnightStars]

4 minutes ago, tdkid said:

the issue was i was not able to find out what that issue was. i even asked here and no one knew or gave me an answer. i just had to say "screw it" and got a new storage device, threw it in and apparently that was it.

Ah, well, my response to you would have been to reinstall Windows. It's a fairly generic error, and pretty much means that some fundamental level of Windows got corrupted. I only know this, because I have used Windows long enough to have a run in with it a handful of times.

 

I wasn't here when you initially asked about the error, so I never saw it. I would have given you that answer if I did.

[tdkid]

1 minute ago, MidnightStars said:

Ah, well, my response to you would have been to reinstall Windows. It's a fairly generic error, and pretty much means that some fundamental level of Windows got corrupted. I only know this, because I have used Windows long enough to have a run in with it a handful of times.

 

I wasn't here when you initially asked about the error, so I never saw it. I would have given you that answer if I did.

i couldnt which is why i was asking that guy and here. i am running win 10 and you should know how it boots with the white dots that go in a circle. it would get to the 3rd one and fail because of the code I gave. i tried looking it up and no info on it explaining what it was just that it was the file transfer system but no info on how to fix it.

[MidnightStars]

1 minute ago, tdkid said:

i couldnt which is why i was asking that guy and here. i am running win 10 and you should know how it boots with the white dots that go in a circle. it would get to the 3rd one and fail because of the code I gave. i tried looking it up and no info on it explaining what it was just that it was the file transfer system but no info on how to fix it.

Sadly, there is no outright way to fix it, outside of reinstalling Windows. I would have plugged the drive into another device to offload the important files (if backups didn't exist), then cleaned the drive, and reinstalled Windows.

[tdkid]

1 minute ago, MidnightStars said:

Sadly, there is no outright way to fix it, outside of reinstalling Windows. I would have plugged the drive into another device to offload the important files (if backups didn't exist), then cleaned the drive, and reinstalled Windows.

in this case that wouldnt have worked as I tried repairing and reinstalling and it failed time and time again at the same point I mentioned. so the drive is dead and all data lost. i had to get a new storage device and went with a 500GB 970 evo plus for the OS and looking for a much bigger SSD or 2 for the rest of the computer.

 

[MidnightStars]

4 minutes ago, tdkid said:

in this case that wouldnt have worked as I tried repairing and reinstalling and it failed time and time again at the same point I mentioned. so the drive is dead and all data lost. i had to get a new storage device and went with a 500GB 970 evo plus for the OS and looking for a much bigger SSD or 2 for the rest of the computer.

 

In that case, yup, the drive has died.

If it is an SSD, it would actually get kicked into read-only mode, in an effort to perserve the data it does have (assuming it's actually a decent brand). If it's an HDD, yup, burn it.

[tdkid]

5 minutes ago, MidnightStars said:

In that case, yup, the drive has died.

If it is an SSD, it would actually get kicked into read-only mode, in an effort to perserve the data it does have (assuming it's actually a decent brand). If it's an HDD, yup, burn it.

yeah it was an HDD and i think I should have saw it coming as i kind of remember having to deal with this before but that would have been like 5-10 years ago when i had my prebuild system. 

 

kind of getting off topic in my own topic but got any suggestions on an SSD? i looked at the tier list but it was updated this past Nov. so old data and i am limited to SATA right now because of the z370 MB with 1 m.2 slot being used for the OS. 

[MidnightStars]

3 minutes ago, tdkid said:

yeah it was an HDD and i think I should have saw it coming as i kind of remember having to deal with this before but that would have been like 5-10 years ago when i had my prebuild system. 

 

kind of getting off topic in my own topic but got any suggestions on an SSD? i looked at the tier list but it was updated this past Nov. so old data and i am limited to SATA right now because of the z370 MB with 1 m.2 slot being used for the OS. 

Entirely depends on your needs. Do you plan on doing any high speed file transfers? No? Then a cheap, but high rated SSD off Amazon will be perfectly adequate. Personally, my goto is Crucial's line. Great for both personal & commercial use. For the best of the best, TeamGroup, Samsung, or Seagate.

 

With some of the scandals with WD, I would stay away from their SSDs.

[tdkid]

3 minutes ago, MidnightStars said:

Entirely depends on your needs. Do you plan on doing any high speed file transfers? No? Then a cheap, but high rated SSD off Amazon will be perfectly adequate. Personally, my goto is Crucial's line. Great for both personal & commercial use. For the best of the best, TeamGroup, Samsung, or Seagate.

 

With some of the scandals with WD, I would stay away from their SSDs.

thanks. yeah it would be personal as it would mainly be for gaming which requires more and more space that a HDD can have at half the price but you are also risking performance and that shipping alone can damage the drive. i think GTA is up to like 400GB for everything it has now but just guessing based on that on steam it shows over 100GB to download. 

[da na]

7 hours ago, tdkid said:

i think GTA is up to like 400GB

it is 109, but that is still the least wrong thing you have said here

[jugster42]

Been doing IT Support and Consultancy for 30 years and I would have to google that error. Its not a sign of no knowledge, just its a very large topic!  Its often knowing where to look for an answer rather than knowing of the top of your head!