Celebrity draws us to the experience with attention and awe. First, we have our athletes who, (it doesn’t matter the sport), when you listen to every postgame interview, invariably always indicate their success was derived from the team effort. Our ageless rockstars that showcase such talent always state it’s the whole band that provides the experience. Award winning authors and journalists who delight us intellectually are backed by diligent proof-readers and editors, otherwise they may miss the mark. We’re drawn to the glitz of those that are on the highlight reels and the front page but there is so much more work happening in the background.
The point I’m trying to make is, too often we compare ourselves and our efforts to those that are in the headlines and on the marquee signs. Where we should be focusing is on those individuals that are the contributors. These are the ones that have likely exceeded the amount of effort as a superstar but are just as happy to keep grinding.
In digital forensics, the highlights come from the cases where incident response teams have proven that the threat actors were caught red-handed. Without a shadow of a doubt, national attention was captured by the biggest firm finding the biggest threat. Those are lofty heights to delve into for new individuals searching for cyber threats and joining the world of digital forensics. It sets what feels like an insurmountable goal for individuals who want to be in the field, join the team or be in the band. We should be encouraging students of digital forensics to focus on developing new strengths and building on experience through relationships within the field. Build relationships with the grinders who are constantly learning, and from those that are always sharing their knowledge and experiences. These are the individuals and teams that keep the goals in sight, but often let the superstar take the shot, or don’t take up too much space on stage so the lead singer can engage the audience.
I am reminded of a forensics conference I attended many years ago, where a forensicator won the Digital Forensic Investigator of the Year award because of his work on the BTK Killer case. I don’t want to take away any of the great work he did, but in effect, he was able to do nothing more than any other DFIR investigator should be able to do. He recovered a deleted file from a floppy disk that was then used to subsequently identify the killer. For this, he was awarded Investigator of the Year. For performing a task that any skilled forensicator can do. But this was a high profile case. The investigator was no better than so many others in the field that you have never heard of, but he got the right case, and so his name went up in lights.
If you look for great mentors and keep engaging leaders in your field, you may find they aren’t on the highlight reels, but they will help make the right steps that keep you moving forward. Someday, you may be the one asked to take the winning shot or sing the hit song. It’s then I hope you remember to thank those that got you there. Welcome to the experience. Keep thinking DFIRently.
