Baltimore Cyber Security Director Brings Safe Resolutions To Clients
For Chadd D. Carr, director of cyber threat intelligence and response services at PricewaterhouseCoopers, his passion for cyber security started at a very young age. Throughout his career, he has held a number of positions, including serving as a federal agent and computer crime investigator with the USAF Office of Special Investigations.
Carr holds a Bachelor of Science in information systems management from National Louis University, a Master of Science in information technology from the University of Maryland University College and a doctorate in cyber security from Northcentral University.
What are the responsibilities of your current role?
"As director, I oversee both our breach response and cyber intelligence services, although the latter consumes most of my day-to-day. I focus on three areas: pre-attack posturing, generating intelligence on emerging cyber threats and performing breach indicator assessments for our clients to help defend against cyber threats; steady-state activities, ensuring our client information systems are safeguarded effectively and post-attack, conducting computer network forensics and remediation activities in the event of a data breach or theft of intellectual property."
What is your favorite part about your daily duties?
"Every day brings with it new challenges. Our industry really has no checklist. It's really about pulling together a group of highly skilled professionals to resolve problems real-time as they happen. PwC employs the best and the brightest, and with that comes a never-ending opportunity to grow, both professionally and personally. The best part of the day is definitely working alongside great people."
How has your education/training prepared you for your current role?
"Education is critical, both in terms of knowledge and all the peripheral things you learn along the way such as prioritizing tasks, time management, self-sacrifice, commitment and goal setting. Education is good, but it's the application of what you learned that makes you intelligent. I'm a lifelong student who believes that the moment you stop learning is the moment you become irrelevant."
What do you do to continue your education/training?
"I always try to be enrolled in at least one continuing education course at any given time, whether it is a college course or industry certification. If my employer has funding for tuition assistance, you can be pretty sure I'm going to maximize it!"
Do you have any advice for others looking to enter this field?
"Cyber security is a highly dynamic and constantly evolving field. If you approach it as a hobby, you will miss way too much to make a difference. It's a lifestyle. You have to live it day in and day out. It's also an industry that calls upon your reputation, or brand, daily. You have to go to school. You need certifications. You need to get a Bachelor of Science and eventually a Master of Science in a computer-centric field. I fell in love with both school and computers, so a doctorate was a natural evolution because I also have a strong passion to share knowledge with others."
Laura Catherine Hermoza has a lifelong love for writing. In addition to serving as a contributor to various media publications, she is also a published novelist of several books and works as a proofreader/editor. LC resides in Baltimore County.