Think Positive Cyber

Today at R88A17600-T2Phal-002-171, I continued studying for the CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 exam, specifically focusing on Section 3.3 – Protecting Data, using Professor Messer’s excellent video series (Video 70).

I explored how geolocation, geofencing, and geographic restrictions can limit access to sensitive data. For example, GPS and wireless signals can help enforce location-based policies, although wireless tracking can be imprecise. IP subnet restrictions offer another layer of control.

We also reviewed encryption, where plain text is transformed into ciphertext. For instance, “Hello, World” encrypted with PGP becomes a string like wcB6.... Hashing was another key topic. Hash functions like SHA256 generate a unique fingerprint of data, and it’s essential for verifying file integrity or securely storing passwords. For example, “My name is Professor Messer.” generates a SHA256 hash:
19da9ad94be91d20dd3cf10a918ebf5bc54a1c79c6fdd5f529e7e3c98d4b2a3d.

Other concepts I reviewed:

• Obfuscation, turning readable code into unreadable form. Example in PHP: echo "Hello World"; could be rewritten with base64 and eval.
• Tokenization, replacing real data (like an SSN) with fake values, often stored securely on a token server.
• Data masking, where something like ********2512 hides part of a credit card number.
• Segmentation, which splits data across multiple systems to reduce breach risk.
• Permission restrictions, applying rights and roles to control access.

I also applied for four jobs today in cybersecurity and IT, including at Scripps Research, GALT Aerospace, Gamma Scientific, and San Diego County Credit Union. Each role focuses on tech support, cybersecurity, or infrastructure operations.

This blend of cybersecurity study and real-world job progress is helping me prepare technically and professionally.