Women in infosec: Real-life experiences and challenges

ronjor · Jul 13, 2019

Not infosec but interesting.

Father Doesn’t Know Best: The Unlikely Rise Of Turkey’s E-Commerce Queen

Nathan Vardi Forbes Staff Deniz Cam Forbes Staff Jul 11, 2019
Like the Seattle-based e-commerce giant, Hepsiburada is an online seller of everything from laptops and jewelry to pet food and toys. Her company finished 2018 with $786 million in annual revenues, and so far in 2019, sales are pacing 40% ahead of last year. Dogan-Boyner is also the founder of Nesine, a cash machine that is one of Turkey’s biggest online sports betting businesses. Her e-commerce companies are worth an estimated $2 billion today, far greater than the media conglomerate built by her father, Aydin Dogan, a former billionaire often described as the Rupert Murdoch of Turkey.
Click to expand...

Minimalist · Jul 16, 2019

The Future is Female: A Key to the Cybersecurity Workforce Challenge

By 2022, 2 million cybersecurity positions globally are projected to be open, even as the threat landscape accelerates and becomes more complex. To meet this growing workforce shortage, women are a crucial, largely untapped reservoir of talent that businesses should be courting.
Click to expand...

https://threatpost.com/the-future-is-female-a-key-to-the-cybersecurity-workforce-challenge/

Minimalist · Aug 6, 2019

Google has a problem with pregnant workers, employee memo alleges

Discriminating or retaliating against employees for becoming or being pregnant is against the law. Unfortunately, like so many other kinds of discrimination, it's still far too common to find in the workplace, and a Google employee says the problem is alive and well there, too.

The employee (perhaps soon to be a former employee) described her experiences in a memo obtained and published by Vice Motherboard.

"I'm Not Returning to Google After Maternity Leave, and Here is Why," the memo begins.
Click to expand...

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy...mpany-discriminates-against-pregnant-workers/

guest · Aug 10, 2019

Mind the (STEM) Gap
https://www.typing.com/articles/mind-the-stem-gap

Despite the steps toward equal employment, there is still an ever-present gender gap when it comes to wages, leadership positions, and treatment.
To get a better idea of how big the gender gap in STEM truly is and where in America the gaps are smallest, we analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey, looking at STEM gaps by degree and occupation. Curious as to which states are making the most progress on gender equality in STEM? Keep reading to find out.
Click to expand...

Minimalist · Aug 19, 2019

Black Hat 2019: Building Communities of Women in Security

As much as women are still few in number in infosec -- a recent Frost and Sullivan survey finds women comprise a mere 11 percent of the infosec workforce -- there are movement and gains to increase their ranks in security.
Click to expand...

https://www.itprotoday.com/security/black-hat-2019-building-communities-women-security

guest · Aug 22, 2019

Girls now account for more than 20% computing GCSE entries
August 22, 2019
https://www.computerweekly.com/news...count-for-more-than-20-computing-GCSE-entries

The number of female candidates has increased year on year, from 15,046 in 2018 to 17,158 in 2019, with girls now making up 21.4% of UK GCSE computing entries.

Vinous Ali, associate director of policy at techUK, said: “It is encouraging to see more young women taking computing at GCSE this year, recognising the importance and value of the qualification. With new and emerging technologies changing the world of work, a solid foundation in computing will undoubtedly be useful in the future.”
While there was a similar upward trend in the number of girls choosing to take GCSE computing last year, the technology industry remained hopeful yet sceptical, with many worried this trend will not continue into higher levels of education such as A-Level.
Click to expand...

guest · Aug 22, 2019

Women in tech face discrimination at the intern level too, says survey
A survey from Girls Who Code looks at what young women in tech are up against
August 22, 2019
https://www.cnet.com/news/women-in-tech-face-discrimination-at-the-intern-level-too/

Teaching girls to code is one step in the effort to diversify the tech industry. Another is getting them through the interview process for jobs and internships.

A survey out Thursday called Applying for Internships as a Woman in Tech shows that women as young as 19 are running into discrimination when applying for internships at businesses ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies.

"We've brought our girls so far -- through obstacles in elementary, middle, high school and college -- only to face this kind of behavior in the workforce. What's worse, though, is that it's happening in an industry that claims to be working toward gender parity," CEO and founder Reshma Saujani said in the report.
One quarter of survey participants said they'd had an interviewer focus on personal attributes rather than skills.
One respondent said she was told: "How did you come to want to code? We don't see many African Americans with these kind of interests and qualifications."
Another was told that women are better at nontechnical roles.
Click to expand...

guest · Aug 26, 2019

6 women in tech reflect on the importance of Women's Equality Day
August 26, 2019
https://www.information-management....lect-on-the-importance-of-womens-equality-day

Many women across the country are celebrating today, August 26, as Women’s Equality Day, including a number of women professionals in the data management and software fields.
However, inequalities in the technology industry still exist, including the number of women who hold tech-related jobs and pay gaps between men and women.

Following, six women professionals in technology share their experiences working in IT, and what this day means to them.
Click to expand...

ronjor · Aug 31, 2019

Women in Security Conference & Awards to debut in Melbourne on 3 September

CSO staff (CSO Online) on 30 August, 2019
Inaugural awards program will cap off a day celebrating the contributions of women in cybersecurity and exploring ways to engage newcomers in this fascinating industry
Click to expand...

guest · Sep 8, 2019

Why Mastercard is betting on middle school girls to detect cyberthreats and protect our personal data
September 7, 2019
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/07/mas...ddle-school-girls-to-detect-cyberthreats.html

Mastercard’s mission is not only to close the gender gap — Cybersecurity Ventures found that women fill less than 20% of these roles — but to prove that women can play a pivotal role in encryption, fraud detection, biometrics and data analysis.
The U.S. Department of Commerce finds that only 1 in 20 girls aspire to be in STEM-based careers compared to 1 in 5 boys.

That’s unfortunate, said Dana Lorberg, executive vice president of operations and technology at Mastercard. “Finding a woman in cybersecurity is like finding a unicorn. How can we possibly create products that are good for consumers if we don’t have representation of that gender in the decision-making and engineering processes?”
So five years ago Mastercard launched Girls4Tech, an effort that aims to put more women in the high-tech workplace by inspiring young girls to build their skills in science, technology, engineering and math.

Working out of all 80 of Mastercard’s business centers around the world, Girls4Tech sends executives out to schools to show girls that women can handle technology just as well as men do.
Click to expand...

hawki · Sep 9, 2019

"Google’s ‘Security Princess’: The Work Diary of Parisa Tabriz...

When you oversee a web browser used by a billion people, you eat a lot of cereal for dinner.

Parisa Tabriz used to be a hacker. Now she is a princess.

Ms. Tabriz, 36, is a director of engineering at Google, where she oversees its Chrome web browser and a team of security investigators called Project Zero. Several years ago, when Google required her to get business cards, she picked the title “security princess” because it seemed less boring than “information security engineer,” her actual title at the time.

As Ms. Tabriz climbed the ranks, the designation stuck — and reminded men in the cybersecurity field that women belonged there, too. 'I want them to know that princesses can do engineering and STEM,' Ms. Tabriz said..."

Can not be viewed in Private Mode:

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/business/parisa-tabriz-google-work-diary.html

guest · Sep 24, 2019

35+ initiatives to get more women in cybersecurity
September 23, 2019
https://www.comparitech.com/blog/information-security/women-cybersecurity-initiatives/

The cybersecurity industry is a male-dominated one. But the problem isn’t that there are too many men in the industry, but rather that there are not enough women.

Various initiatives are in place across the globe with the common goal of supporting women in cybersecurity. They often include education, training, networking, mentorship, and socializing, among other offerings.
In this article, we take a closer look at the gender gap and the challenges faced by women in IT security, before highlighting some of the initiatives dedicated to helping them.
Click to expand...

ronjor · Oct 3, 2019

Melinda Gates pledges $1 billion to boost the ‘power and influence’ of women in the U.S.

By Harrison Weber 10.02.19
Melinda Gates says gender inequality in the U.S. “keeps me up at night.”
The billionaire and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation cochair said in a Times op-ed that “a window of opportunity” for women has been “painstakingly pried open,” but she warned “there is no reason to believe this moment will last forever.” Gates used the op-ed to announce she’s spending $1 billion through her investment arm, Pivotal Ventures, to fight gender inequality.
Click to expand...

guest · Oct 8, 2019

Female applicants for NCSC courses up 50%
October 8, 2019
https://www.scmagazineuk.com/female-applicants-ncsc-courses-50/article/1661850

There has been a surge in female applicants for the NCSC’s 2019 CyberFirst cyber-security summer courses (held in Cardiff, Belfast, Paisley, Newcastle, Birmingham and London), up 47 percent on 2018, while overall applications for the courses went up by 29 percent over the same period.
There were 930 female applicants for CyberFirst summer courses in 2019, compared to 630 in 2018

Chris Ensor, NCSC deputy director for growth, said in an official statement:"We’re delighted to see so many young people interested in finding out more about cyber-security. The significant rise in female applications is especially pleasing, and something we want to see continue into the future.
Click to expand...

guest · Oct 18, 2019

US Girl Scouts Launch First National Cybersecurity Challenge
October 18, 2019
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/us-girl-scouts-launch/

Girls across the United States of America will take part in the country's first ever National Girl Scouts Cyber Challenge tomorrow.
Over 3,000 girls have signed up to practice their cybersecurity skills by solving a hypothetical ransomware attack on a moon base. Participants will form an incident response team that must find out who hacked the system and how they did it.

A spokesperson for GSUSA said: "Raytheon is collaborating with Girl Scouts to help close the gender gap in STEM fields by helping prepare girls to pursue careers in fields like cybersecurity, computer science, artificial intelligence, and robotics.
Click to expand...

guest · Nov 2, 2019

Wanted: More women hackers
Capture the Flag challenge encourages women to pursue cybersecurity careers and connects experts with newcomers
November 1, 2019
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/wanted-more-women-hackers/

Several security companies are hosting a capture the flag challenge this weekend to build the pipeline of women in information security careers.More than 1,000 people have signed up for the all-women event from noon - four on Nov. 2: "Women Unite Over Capture the Flag."

The Capture the Flag (CTF) competition tests information security skills including: Cryptography, stego, binary analysis, reverse engineering, mobile security, and other talents. Event organizers said beginners will have the opportunity to practice their skills in a reverse engineering challenge, while experienced security experts will take on more advanced challenges.

"Fifty percent of STEM majors are women, but the numbers go down to 10 or 11% at best when you get into roll-up-your-sleeves security roles," she said. "We need more women in these roles to get better at stopping these attacks."
Click to expand...

ronjor · Nov 23, 2019

The Architect of Modern Algorithms

Susan D'Agostino November 20, 2019
Barbara Liskov pioneered the modern approach to writing code. She warns that the challenges facing computer science today can’t be overcome with good design alone.
Click to expand...

guest · Dec 4, 2019

Cyber-security: Push for girls to look at careers in the industry
The cyber-security sector in Wales will lose out unless more girls are inspired to join it
December 3, 2019
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-50631856

Clare Johnson, of the University of South Wales, said girls approached problems in different ways to boys and both were important for the industry.
There are also new attempts to encourage more girls to think of it as a career.

Ms Johnson, the head of cyber-security at the University of South Wales, said she believed talent has been lost because it has been seen as a very male-dominated industry, but she wants it to be more diverse.

"Often when I'm in meetings, I'm the only female in the room and I think that can put girls off," she said.
Click to expand...

JRViejo · Jan 28, 2020

Starting with Chicago, Pivotal Ventures will work with three cities outside of Silicon Valley that it hopes will become inclusive tech hubs.
Click to expand...

Melinda Gates' VC firm invests $50 million to boost diversity in tech across the US by Erin Carson.

guest · Feb 8, 2020

New recognition for Canada’s top women in cybersecurity
February 7, 2020
https://www.itbusiness.ca/press-release/new-recognition-for-canadas-top-women-in-cyber-security

A new recognition initiative for women in Canada who have made a significant contribution to the cybersecurity industry is being launched with a call for nominations on International Women’s Day on March 8, 2020.

“Less than 10 per cent of cybersecurity jobs in Canada are held by women,” said Fawn Annan, President and CEO of ITWC. “We could go a long way toward addressing the skills shortage in IT security by encouraging more women to enter the profession.”
A detailed call for nominations will be issued on March 8, 2020. Once nominations close in May, judges will review them and select 25 women for the honoree list.
Click to expand...

Minimalist · Mar 6, 2020

International Women’s Day: Women in Tech

On International Women’s Day, Silicon UK celebrates women across the tech sector. With key insights, unique skillsets and a drive to succeed, women are transforming the technology sector.
Click to expand...

https://www.silicon.co.uk/e-management/jobs/international-womens-day-women-in-tech-334909

guest · Mar 9, 2020

Is it time to get rid of women in tech?
...perhaps it’s time to reexamine the way we think about gender in the industry
March 8, 2020
https://www.itpro.co.uk/business/business-strategy/354919/is-it-time-to-get-rid-of-women-in-tech

While your mind might possibly flick to the ‘nerd’ stereotype, other than that it’s likely just a man, perhaps bearded and fairly casually dressed.
This is the fickle problem of ‘women in tech’ pitches and initiatives. By designating tech workers who identify as female as ‘women in tech’, we’re in danger of reinforcing the idea that this is not the norm – a woman in tech is a rare species, a delicate flower that must be protected, something unusual and irregular.
Striking a balance
Moving from a campaign for access and recognition to one of integration and inclusivity doesn’t mean we must never talk about issues affecting women in the tech industry ever again, though.

But treating “women in tech” as some kind of special class does nothing more than reinforce the idea that a woman with a computer is an oddity, and further increase the ‘otherness’ felt by many women in a field that is often still hostile.
Click to expand...

ronjor · Mar 27, 2020

This CEO brought her company from the brink of bankruptcy to the top of its game

Story by Clare Duffy, CNN Business March 27, 2020
Even though the company was bleeding money, laden with debt and staring down a potential bankruptcy, becoming chief executive of chip maker Advanced Micro Devices was a dream job for Lisa Su.
Click to expand...

Minimalist · Mar 30, 2020

Mentorship key to bringing women into cybersecurity - Microsoft

Microsoft is rallying to get more women into cybersecurity – and one of the best ways to do it may well be through mentorships, according to Microsoft’s Cybersecurity Solutions Group corporate vice president Ann Johnson.

She believes that talent pools, including Microsoft’s own, can only be diversified through nurturing talent, particularly females.
Click to expand...

https://securitybrief.co.nz/story/mentorship-key-to-bringing-women-into-cybersecurity-microsoft

guest · Jun 9, 2020

Cyber security needs more women role models, says report
June 9, 2020
https://www.computerweekly.com/news...rity-needs-more-women-role-models-says-report

Information and cyber security assurance body Crest has highlighted a number of actions needed to improve gender diversity in cyber security, including more outreach into schools, dedicated career mentoring for women entering the sector and changes to recruitment practices.

Borne out of research undertaken at a recent gender diversity workshop organised by the non-profit group, alongside polling of its accredited members, Crest’s report, Exploring the gender gap in cyber security, found that while awareness of gender diversity was improving in security, there was still more work that could be reasonably undertaken to make an even greater difference.
Click to expand...

The study also revealed that 59% of women in security said their experience in the industry was “mixed”, in that they had received some support but, equally, obstacles and challenges arose specifically because they are women.

“It is encouraging that as an industry we are making progress, but there is a lot more to do and improving the visibility of female role models will allow us to challenge the perception of the cyber security industry,” said Crest president Ian Glover.
Click to expand...

Log in or Sign up

Women in infosec: Real-life experiences and challenges

ronjor Global Moderator

Minimalist Registered Member

Minimalist Registered Member

guest Guest

Minimalist Registered Member

guest Guest

guest Guest

guest Guest

ronjor Global Moderator

guest Guest

hawki Registered Member

guest Guest

ronjor Global Moderator

guest Guest

guest Guest

guest Guest

ronjor Global Moderator

guest Guest

JRViejo Super Moderator

guest Guest

Minimalist Registered Member

guest Guest

ronjor Global Moderator

Minimalist Registered Member

guest Guest

Log in or Sign up

Women in infosec: Real-life experiences and challenges

ronjor Global Moderator

Minimalist Registered Member

Minimalist Registered Member

guest Guest

Minimalist Registered Member

guest Guest

guest Guest

guest Guest

ronjor Global Moderator

guest Guest

hawki Registered Member

guest Guest

ronjor Global Moderator

guest Guest

guest Guest

guest Guest

ronjor Global Moderator

guest Guest

JRViejo Super Moderator

guest Guest

Minimalist Registered Member

guest Guest

ronjor Global Moderator

Minimalist Registered Member

guest Guest

Useful Searches