And I think the most important advice that’s steered
Noushin Shabab
my career was to keep learning. I believe it’s never too
Senior Security Researcher (GReAT)
learn. I believe it’s the only way to be successful in
Kaspersky
cybersecurity.
late to learn something new, so I constantly strive to
At university I took courses that helped me build a deep understanding of computer system fundamentals. I believe those have also helped me
I
greatly in my career. ’m a Senior Security Researcher at Kaspersky ANZ, which means I have to keep across the latest advances in malware and attack techniques, solve the puzzle of a new cyber threat and share the knowledge gained from my investigation with
In general, I don’t believe having certificates has a direct impact on career progress. However, if a qualification or certificate is chosen wisely, what you learn from it can be quite useful in your journey, rather than the certificate itself.
others. It’s challenging, but it’s what I love the most
I prefer to read books, learn from the extensive
about my job.
resources available on various platforms and gain
Being able to communicate technical topics in a language appropriate to the audience is, I believe, just as important as technical skills. That audience could be other security experts, media representatives, or even a general audience with
hands-on experience in the topics that interest me rather than gaining new qualifications and certificates. I constantly improve my skills through these avenues, and through communication with others.
no cybersecurity knowledge. In each case a different approach and a different language is needed. As I have gained more experience in cybersecurity I have had opportunities to move into management roles, but decided to stay in a technical role and improve and expand my technical skills. I think that was my most important career decision.
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WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE
“There is plenty of scope for getting more women into cybersecurity, and everyone has a role: academia, government and the industry. One my most memorable career experiences was discovering I had played a part.”