Dmitry Kurskov in the Interview to SafetyDetectives

In his interview to SafetyDetectives, ScienceSoft’s Head of Information Security Department Dmitry Kurskov describes what ScienceSoft offers as a response to the ever-evolving cybersecurity threats, dwells on the challenges and rewards of his craft, and provides practical tips on securing IoT and websites.

We gladly cite the selected parts of the conversation here and invite you to read the full interview with Dmitry Kurskov on SafetyDetectives.

“How has the company evolved over the last few years, as hackers and cybercriminals have gotten more creative?

In the recent years, ScienceSoft, like many companies worldwide, has adopted remote and hybrid work. Employees working from different locations and devices are often beyond a company’s control, which offers many opportunities to cyber criminals. Having handled the same remote work security challenges here at ScienceSoft, we help other businesses reimagine the traditional cybersecurity architecture that was once designed for centralized internal IT infrastructures. We help create and implement the necessary security policies, procedures, and technology to secure remote access to our customers’ sensitive data and IT assets.

While hackers are often thought of as evil geniuses or well-educated tech geeks, most cyberattacks that companies face are attempted by cybercriminals with average to little technical knowledge. They exploit commonly known security flaws in software and IT infrastructures, crack weak passwords or apply social engineering techniques to get access to sensitive information or admin rights. So, our most urgent task is to protect our customers’ IT environments against these threats. We test their applications and networks to proactively identify security vulnerabilities. We help enforce secure authentication mechanisms, implement and configure the necessary security tools, including those for phishing protection, raise employees’ cybersecurity awareness, etc.

Plus, as a new technology – for example, cloud, IoT, blockchain – starts gaining popularity, it tends to get more undesired attention from cybercriminals. We help adopt and use new technology in a secure way, so our customers can enjoy its benefits without putting their data or assets at risk.

What do you love about working in cybersecurity?

Well, it’s the thrill of the challenge. IT security is a never-ceasing fight between the good guys and the bad guys. Malicious actors are at advantage: they only need to find a single security gap to break into a system. We, on the other hand, have to foresee every attack or technique they might employ. We have to decipher our opponents’ tactics and figure out their tricks in advance – it means constant learning, improvement, and creative thinking. No time to get bored, that’s for sure.”