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03-17-2016, 07:20 AM | #1 |
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More CTN Reserve Questions
I had to enlist in the Reserves due to my age. I hope to go active eventually, but I hear that's difficult. Anyway, my question involves my annual training. I've been told by my recruiter that I can, in many cases, choose where I want to go. What are some options for a Reserve CTN for annual training? Also, as a reservist, will I have the opportunity to volunteer to fill billets in other parts of the world? And, one more question, is it possible for a CTN reservist to go FTS? I know IT can, but I wasn't sure if the CTN skillset can be utilized for full time support. If it makes any difference I'll be in Millington (hope that's not an opsec infringement).
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03-17-2016, 08:13 PM | #2 | |
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Of our reserve sailors in Texas, one was billeted to support Hawaii. So for his AT, he would fly out to Hawaii to support their mission for his AT. The rest of the folks were billeted to NIOC Texas, and would do their AT there. A few things come up during the year too to support other things like different exercises or events and what not, which can sometimes count towards AT time. But as a junior sailor, bet on your AT being at your nearest NIOC facility. You'll probably do your two weeks at NIOC Georgia or NIOC Maryland. You'll know more once you report to your reserve unit though. On the FTS front, there are no CTN FTS billets. So that's not an option. /r CTT1
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03-17-2016, 08:15 PM | #3 |
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If you're in Millington, you're going to be part of Region Southeast. So I would bank on AT going down at NIOC Georgia over in Augusta, GA.
/r CTT1
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03-18-2016, 06:48 AM | #4 |
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Will there be many opportunities for me to travel? I know it's probable that I will be mobilized at least once in my enlistment, but from what I understand, I will most likely stay stateside.
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03-18-2016, 03:15 PM | #5 | |
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CTNs unfortunately travel the least maybe out of any group in the Navy. Due to the fact that the things you need to do your job are only located here at home. There are also a few other complicated reasons I can't get into as to why CTNs don't travel, but suffice to say that you guys work out of NIOCs for a good reason and sending you abroad just wouldn't make sense. Active duty CTNs have some limited options to escape stateside, but it's usually senior people and for limited durations. (Outside of something like TIO). ***A little background on me: I was the LPO of a CTN division doing cyber work for the last couple years. It's a little rare for a CTT to be doing that work but I had a unique skill set and was in the right place at the right time. I worked closely with both active duty and reserve CTNs.***
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03-18-2016, 03:16 PM | #6 |
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There will also occasionally be mob opportunities that you can volunteer for as well. Keep your ear to the ground, check your email, and work with your Chain of Command to track those down.
You're still gonna have some cool shit to work on during drill weekends though, don't sweat. CT's are one of the few rates in the reserves that still actually have a job and contribute something meaningful during drill weekends. /r CTT1
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03-18-2016, 09:29 PM | #7 |
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I'd like to see some different parts of the world, but I'm just honored and thankful that I get to be a part of the worlds greatest Navy! Even if it ends up being 20 years in the reserves. Thanks for your help!
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03-18-2016, 09:37 PM | #8 | |
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CTN is a badass job dude. You'll love it. /r CTT1
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03-31-2016, 09:40 AM | #9 |
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This is more of a reserve related question than a CTN specific question, but I'm curious. Can a reservist fill mobilization orders outside of their rate? I mean, do they even offer those types of things? I'd be willing to scrub toilets in London if the job became available.
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03-31-2016, 02:21 PM | #10 | |
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So yes, there are opportunities to do stuff out of rate. /r CTT1
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03-31-2016, 07:54 PM | #11 |
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Awesome! I've been married 9 years and I have two kids. I've done so much gross stuff... I'll wipe asses if I get to go to Australia. Haha! Already done it in Arkansas.
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04-23-2016, 08:15 AM | #12 |
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I'm in a similar situation as Barbazu. 33y/o joining the Reserve as a CTN. Just completed my Master's in Cyber this week and obviously already have a B.A. Decided to get a M.A. in Cyber to do a career change. I don't have a TS or any IT experience or any Certs yet so I figured now would be a perfect time to serve and have those taken care of in a career I see myself doing well in (and trying to get into).
So I'm doing a delayed entry...I am also going to put together an officer application to see if I even get selected. My question now is, if by some select chance I do get picked up for OCS, do I still get that technical training (A & C school) that I would as a CTN? I was also told (by my recruiter of course) that it's also possible that if you do well in A/C school you can begin putting together and officer package. Is that true? Keep in mind my age, which I know is running out for officer, I guess I'm wondering how many chances I have? Also, would I get that same technical training to make myself more marketable in the civilian side as an officer as I would enlisted? |
04-23-2016, 09:01 AM | #13 |
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No, if you go to OCS, your enlisted contract is basically voided.
You can apply for a commission at any point in your career. Selection boards are held throughout the year. Some people apply many times before being selected.
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04-23-2016, 09:35 AM | #14 | |
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Thank you Guppy. Also, if my Officer app gets selected, I completely miss all the technical training as I would get as an enlisted CTN, correct? |
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04-23-2016, 09:46 AM | #15 | |
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Correct, if you become an officer you no longer are a CTN, the only way you would get the training is if the selection process takes long enough that you are already in school, and even then, they may pull you from school dependi on your OCS date.
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04-23-2016, 09:52 AM | #16 | |
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04-23-2016, 01:27 PM | #17 |
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Does anyone know what kind of certifications you can end up with by the time you finish A & C school for CTN? Or do those come later?
I was ready about that Navy COOL certification program which seems like a nice thing to have access to when in the Navy. I figured I would continue discussion in this thread rather than making a new one or bumping an old one? |
04-24-2016, 12:44 AM | #18 | |
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CTN's are some of the most highly trained people in the Navy and a lot of your skills transfer over to the civilian world. Personally I got trained for or obtained a CCNA, CEH, CPT, and a few other specific certs I can't talk about here during my time working cyber stuff (was working out of rate, but was the LPO of a CTN shop). Don't stress about certs. You'll be more than trained to get whatever you want to get and will be some of the most sought after recruits in the industry should you choose to get out. /r CTT1
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04-24-2016, 07:35 AM | #19 |
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Is that all true for Reservists, too? Will I end up with a bunch of certs?
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04-24-2016, 10:09 AM | #20 | |
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For AD folks their shops will send them to these schools when they can. For Reservists though, those schools would need to be done during your AT. Once you get to your command start working with your Chief and LPO about seeing which schools you can get put in for. You'll have what's called a CDB (Career Development Board) around the time you show up, which is just a sit down to talk about what kinda things you wanna do in your career and what goals you have. So getting some schools on that CDB helps put into writing the things you want to do/places you want to go. /r CTT1
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04-24-2016, 09:33 PM | #21 | |
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Really excited about CTN, but like the other guy, I'm also going in Reseves so I'm a little nervous about getting the cert and ongoing tech training that AD might have the luxury of having. I do have the benefit of living in northern Virginia just a stones throw from Andrews, NSA and all the other lovely places to ply the trade. Do you think with the area I live in that will give me an added benefit? Plus I just finished my cyber masters last week. I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row to make sure I'm as marketable as possible on both sides, military and civilian. And sorta off topic: is there a thread to discuss life at A/C school for CTs? Day to day life, class, study time and just sightseeing (aka beach ) |
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04-25-2016, 11:45 PM | #22 |
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I've been at a school for 2 months and still haven't seen Pensacola Beach.... Haha it's a lot of studying
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04-26-2016, 06:32 AM | #23 | |
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So, I ship to basic Sept.14,16 then head to Corry Station for my 30 weeks of training for CTN. They offered me what I wanted right away (I signed and swore in yesterday), they didn't even ask if I had a plan B if it wasn't available. I was honest with them on the first day at MEPS but I had to come back the next day because I was waiting on a dependency waiver so they knew what I wanted and remembered me. I think I was the only one that processed that day that had that easy of a time. I scored really well on the ASVAB (92) so I don't think they were going to waste time asking me for anything else other than what I wanted. I also got a nice sign on bonus which was unexpected (looking at you, recruiter). They tried to get me to leave in June but that was to soon, we are moving to a new house in 4 weeks and would have killed the fam if I shipped out in the middle of it. :D Can't say how excited I am, aside from being proud to be a new Sailor but to get what I wanted with no tug of war was a great feeling. My wife with a CTI so we are a family of Cryptos :P |
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04-26-2016, 07:01 AM | #24 |
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Man, we have the same story. Haha! I had to get a dependency waiver, I'm going reserve, I'm going in as a CTN, I scored a 92 on the asvab, they tried to get me to leave in March but I couldn't (because I'm finishing up a semester of college) so theyre shipping me in May... Crazy.
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04-26-2016, 07:41 AM | #25 | |
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So you ship in May as in next month? Good luck man, I think I will see you there too. I will be there in October if I'm not mistaken. |
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05-11-2016, 12:49 PM | #26 |
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Another question came to mind:
During A and C school commitments are their other courses I can add to my curriculum in addition to my mandatory classes if I wish? Or is everything standard for everyone during that time with no changes? Perhaps after C school if I am eligible I can stay for additional training? |
05-11-2016, 07:42 PM | #27 |
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Are there C schools for CTNs? I thought they combined them all into JCAC. I know there's no C school in my orders.
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05-14-2016, 09:37 AM | #29 | |
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Not all CTNs do the same things; in some cases they can be dramatically different. So before they send you to any extra schools they need to see where you're gonna land at you duty station first. Once you get there you'll understand why that's the case. Couldn't remember if you were a reservist or not. That would change things a bit, since you would have to push your command to go do some schools, probably during your AT. But that doesn't mean you can't do them; you still totally can. We qualified reservists on different things all the time. /r CTT1
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05-25-2016, 08:37 PM | #30 | |
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I really hope I can opt into further training as often as I can but I'm not entirely sure how that works: If I wish to get specific training, what may or may not prevent me from getting that additional training that is relevant to CTN as a reservist? |
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05-26-2016, 10:26 AM | #31 | |
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Really as a reservist it just comes down to what your unit's budget for AT is. Be persistent with you CoC about getting training and eventually you'll get to go. Just depends on money and timing mostly. /r CTT1
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05-28-2016, 05:42 PM | #32 | |
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05-28-2016, 10:11 PM | #33 | |
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/r CTT1
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06-30-2016, 01:00 PM | #34 | |
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So a lot of the issue as a reservist is that when you first come into your NOSC you're IAP (what that actually stands for evades me right now) But it essentially means you aren't attached to any billets. Meaning the NOSC you drill at is also your command. So if you're like me who initially got sent to a NOSC without any CTNs in it previously they have nothing for you to do. So you apply for billets in the CTN field and you hope you get picked up. Most CTN billets are for E4 and up and you can go on up and one down. Once you get picked up in a CTN billet (if you get picked up) then you have a chance to do CTN things. When you get to Corry all the CT reservists will get pulled out of indoc to have a meeting with a CTTCS he may be master chief by now that will tell you that if you aren't doing your job in the reserves to contact him.. He will give you his card. KEEP IT!!! I had to call him multiple times before my billet started sending me somewhere to actually be able to do my job ! CTN3 Harris |
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07-04-2016, 08:58 AM | #35 | |
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I know a guy that works at a 3 letter agency that knows the Detailer for all Navy CTN's. He is going to try and arrange a meeting/connection between himself and me so hopefully that works out and I can start doing some networking ahead of time. I don't like the sound of not having something lined up by the time I'm finished with A school. |
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07-05-2016, 08:51 PM | #36 | |
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However, it's considered very unorthodox and borderline unprofessional for a first tour sailor to be circumventing the process and trying to have something "lined up". There is only a handful of spots you're even eligible for as a 1st tour sailor anyway, so the hook-up value there is pretty low to begin with. If they need your input then they will ask for it in most cases. Just some words of wisdom. I would tread lightly there as a screw up in front of the wrong people in the wrong places can follow you for years to come. /r CTT1 PS: CTN3 pretty much summed up the process. Your CoC should be helping you out with the billet application process though. It's easier than it seems and there's ways to work the system if need be.
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07-10-2016, 12:13 PM | #37 | |
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I didn't elaborate clearly. Since I'm a Reserve, I do want something lined up be it military side or civilian side, I won't be picky but not being active duty I don't want to risk not having something full time when I'm done with training. I'm still learning how this works and I have a decent network pool to tap into in the DC/NOVA area to connect me with people for advice, not necessarily jobs. A couple Reserve people (not CTNs ) I've spoken too, (also my recruiter) all claim I can begin applying to civilian jobs when I'm in A school since the process takes time and I can say I finally have a clearance, etc. That's why I want to have a chat with a detailer to see what options someone like me could potentially have. I don't like the idea of waiting until the end of A school to get my ducks in a row. That's just not me. |
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07-13-2016, 09:51 AM | #38 | |
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Also as a reservist you're not going to be dealing with a detailer in the same way active duty folks will. So keep that in mind. /r CTT1
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07-16-2016, 10:15 AM | #39 | |
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I wanted to talk to one simply to get an understanding of what a Reserve CTN's early career path might look like or how to make myself more competitive for when I'm able to start applying for different roles (and how long that path might take). Of course I'm not naive enough to think "getting in" with a detailer is what I'm trying to do. I literally have not IT/military background so its entirely new for me so a couple nice contacts to chat with over coffee is all I'm looking for I know I'll be at Andrews AFB but haven't met anyone in my Unit yet. My recruiter is supposed to try and connecting me with fellow CTN's so hopefully he keeps true to his word on that. Interesting on the last sentence, can you elaborate why that might be different? Thanks! |
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07-16-2016, 11:11 AM | #40 | |
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Who you need to be talking to is your Chief (or LPO). They will have been there already, will know all the right people (especially in the Reserves, trust me. All the IDCRC Chiefs know each other for the most part), and will know how to set you on the right track. Also considering these are the folks writing your evals, it makes even more sense to chat with them. As far as getting in touch with them, don't rely on your recruiter to do that. What you need to do is contact your NOSC and ask them to put you in contact with one of the CTN Chiefs or 1st classes (any of the CT's at NIOC will do really). I don't have my Homeport access anymore, but my best guess is that your NR NIOC unit probably reports to NOSC Washington DC (All the reserve NIOC units are subordinate to their local NOSC). So I would give them a call (try the admin dept maybe) and see if they can get you a contact with one of the CT's over at your eventual unit. Their FB lists their number as (240) 857-8947/8948 ======================= Also, I was the LPO of a reserve cyber/CTN shop for 2 years. I have a wealth of knowledge about what you'll need, where you can go, how to get there, etc, etc. I've done everything from your evals, AT, going on orders, getting schools, etc. If you want to chat offline just send me a message and I'll get you my contact information. /r CTT1
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07-31-2016, 06:09 PM | #41 |
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I'm at Corry Station right now waiting to badge/class up. Corry is awesome! But the common story from absolutely everyone I've ran into is that JCAC is nearly impossible and to be prepared to fail. I've talked to three folks this week that have been rerated because they failed out of CTN school. It's gonna suck. Start studying now.
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07-31-2016, 07:32 PM | #42 |
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JCAC isn't impossible by any means. A lot of times when someone is dropped, it's more due to poor study habits than an inability to understand the material. You just have to stay focused and make sure you're getting your work done and you'll be just fine. Also, when they say don't do stupid shit, they mean it. Underage drinking, etc. are great ways to lose your spot in JCAC.
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08-02-2016, 12:57 AM | #43 | |
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This. I am a bright kid. I scored well on my ACTs, did well in school. I was dropped from CTN school. I just didn't study 'right'. I put the hours in.
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08-09-2016, 01:01 PM | #44 | |
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08-17-2016, 05:10 PM | #45 |
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So, for all future JCAC students... I made it to Mod 2 and I'm probably getting dropped. CTN is difficult. They throw so much info at you that if you're not a super fast learner then you're screwed. My advice is to study up on logic and programming. Particularly C++. The programming part isn't that difficult (for me, anyway), but the logic stuff is ridiculous. There is a 40% drop out rate on the second mod. It's serious business.
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08-17-2016, 07:42 PM | #46 | |
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/r CTT1
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08-18-2016, 05:06 AM | #47 | |
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I am a Software Developer, web development in particular. I didn't even know C++ was still being used in the real world. I learned it in college but soon realized that Garbage Collection Languages like C#/Java are far easier and have just as much access to the hardware, I think. I really don't know much about Networking though. I do know that I depend on Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud to defend the software I write and deploy to their servers. I just assume if someone tried to hack anything i made these companies have people far smarter than me to defend the code. I really don't know much about networking though. I do wonder why C++ is still being used by the Navy. Hmm. idk |
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08-18-2016, 09:09 AM | #48 |
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C# and Java are great to know as well. But most serious exploit kits and malware today, at least at the high cyber crime and nation state level, are typically done in C/C++ and assembly.
Although I did see this Spanish dude at DEFCON made a really badass java botnet haha So it's not impossible. /r CTT1
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08-25-2016, 03:14 PM | #49 | |
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Looking forward to the fight, though. Ive been looking at Quizlet to see what kinds of terms they are getting into during the different mods. OBVIOUSLY I'm not assuming that quizlet is the end-all source for what JCAC is all about but it gives me a pretty good sense of what each module is going to cover. lol i have a feeling some peeps have been busted posting some classified stuff on there |
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08-30-2016, 04:35 PM | #50 | |
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