MURFREESBORO, Tenn — Middle Tennessee State University’s Association of Information Systems Student Chapter recently hosted retired FBI supervisory special agent Scott Augenbaum on campus where he gave insights about his career in cybersecurity.
His visit comes as the Jones College of Business’ Department of Information Systems and Analytics continues to grow its cybersecurity management degree, offering a bachelor’s or master’s degree for this growing field.
Augenbaum, who has more than 30 years of experience investigating cybercrime, spoke to students about his career progression from file clerk to agent, noting an increased focus on cybersecurity by the agency at the turn of the century as cybercrime increased alongside the advancement of technology.
Members of the Association of Information Systems student chapters tuned in from around the world to listen to the Feb. 25 event, which was live-streamed to over 70 chapters. Chapter members were joined by other MTSU students attending the meeting for class.
From the start of his career to retirement, Augenbaum said he has witnessed the evolution of the cybersecurity field and the growing need for protection against cybercrimes as social engineering scams, identify theft, ransomware attacks and oversharing online proliferated. Throughout his time with the FBI, he went from receiving three to five cybercrime complaints a week to over a hundred complaints a week.
“It’s like being a part of a fire, you know, there’s so many other houses on fire,” said Augenbaum. During his tenure with the FBI, he met with every victim he could. Eventually, the number of cases became too much for such visits.
After he retired, Augenbaum still wanted to help others avoid becoming victims of cybercrime, saying he knew he “could make more of an impact outside of the FBI by sharing my knowledge.”
Throughout his talk titled “Inside the Mind of a Cybercriminal: Lessons from a Retired FBI Agent,” Augenbaum urged students to network with industry professionals as well as branch out and try different areas within the cybersecurity management field. At the end, Augenbaum answered questions around the room, with remote viewers also able to contribute questions during the livestream.
“It’s all about networking, and providing students with exposure to professionals working in the industry is always a critical first step,” said information systems and analytics professor Michael Erskine, who serves on the faculty advisor board for the chapter.
The Association of Information Systems student chapter aims to have speakers once a month. To join the chapter, students must pay an annual fee of $30.
— Jordan Reining (Jordan.Reining@mtsu.edu)
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