Women In Security Magazine Issue 9 by source2create

JULY • AUGUST

W W W. W O M E N I N S E C U R IT Y M A G A Z I N E . C O M

FROM THE PUBLISHER You have been presented with two choices: EVOLVE or REPEAT

I’

d like to make a difference while I am here

Women in Security Awards, complement Women in

on earth. If that means making someone

Security Magazine – a resource that remains free to

smile, making your life easier, helping you

all, with over 140 pages per issue featuring articles,

find a job, introducing you to the right

how-tos, career and industry perspectives and real-

people, and giving up my time, I will do so. I

life journeys for readers to learn from and be inspired

want to be generous as far as my resources

– we are giving back to the industry every day.

will allow. And if that means that one day, someone somewhere will say “You made a difference to me” –

Over the years I have had constant conversations

it will all be worth it.

with people in the industry – generally, minorities and women who feel hindered by career growth and don’t

I didn’t start my business to make money, I started

believe there are jobs out there for them, and who

my business to make a difference. After a few

feel they lack the skill sets job descriptions require.

bumps, bruises and triumphs the company is finally

So every week I gather jobs from my Linkedin feed

in the place where I truly believe that what we do

and push out notifications on social media to my

makes a difference (and if we make a little money

networks about what jobs are available now. I am not

then that’s OK too).

a recruiter, but I nonetheless want to help those that have felt hindered in their career growth and just don’t

After watching for 18 years as women were

see these jobs in their feeds.

overlooked for industry roles, event organisers neglected to provide a diverse speaker lineup,

With estimates suggesting there are 3.5 million

organisations failed to change their D&I policies, and

vacant cybersecurity jobs this year, the global

market stats kept highlighting the lack of women

cybersecurity workforce needs to grow at a

in security – along with the lack of educational

staggering rate of 145% each year just to meet the

capabilities and programs to nurture young women

shortage. So I truly believe that to solve the skills

into the security industry – I decided that what I

shortage we need to take action.

wanted to do was to help make a difference here. It’s not an easy space though and clearly, my work is cut

I believe the solution to resolving the security

out for me.

industry’s skills shortage lies in hiring a diverse workforce, nurturing and training women and other

As the CEO of Source2Create, my passion for making

minorities, rather than expecting to bring them in fully

a difference for women in the security industry is

qualified.

evident. Programs such as the Australian Women in Security Awards, and now the New Zealand

In many ways, we have created a skills shortage, with women only making up 20 to 28% of the cybersecurity workforce (and even less in protective security). Blame our own narrow-mindedness and the requirement to have ‘hit the ground running’

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

28.06.2022

Abigail Swabey

candidates. Think about the effect when we fail to encourage young women to pursue these careers at an early age.

Support one another.

10. Speak up, whether you’re talking to your friends and family, or engaging with an advocacy organisation, the most important way to be an

Consider that even when a woman is actually hired within a business, retaining them is a whole different ball game: without an inclusive environment, an equal wages playing field, and mentors to look up to – they

advocate is speaking up. By raising your voice for women’s rights and gender equality, you can spread awareness and break down barriers. 11. Sponsor teachers to attend cybersecurity courses

are more likely to go find an environment that can tick

or earn certificates so that they are equipped with

those boxes rather than stick around.

the latest information to teach students. Make resources about coding clubs and cybersecurity

We owe it to ourselves to our nation to decrease the gender gap, make security more inclusive for women, and build a truly diverse workforce capable of addressing the security skills shortage. We also owe it to the industry to remove the stigma that security is a gender-based field. These perceptions are only hurting us and stopping all of us from making the difference that we want to.

camps available to students, too. 12. Turn a real-world community problem into a cybersecurity competition. This encourages students to explore the link between technology, its impact on people’s lives, and the ability to be creative. Give prizes to students who win intramural programs, or work with existing programs (for example, eCybermission) to compete with teams from other schools.

Here are a few ways you can help make a difference: 1.

Mentor a woman you know.

If you are a parent, encourage your kids to be involved in STEM to make sure they have an interest from an early age.

Address how you could foster a more inclusive environment in your team.

13. Consider making changes to systems, processes, and environments to foster a greater sense of belonging and to reduce the negative impact of internalized stereotypes among girls and women. 14. Shift your hiring focus. Instead of evaluating job applications for specific qualifications like degrees, look for applications that show evidence of quick learners, competency, and motivation.

Recognise and celebrate women in the industry so we have more representation (Hell, even nominate them for the Women in Security Awards!)

Hire a graduate into your team and upskill them.

Engage more men to support you on gender

Abigail Swabey PUBLISHER, and CEO of Source2Create www.linkedin.com/in/abigail-swabey-95145312/

equality and D&I. 7.

Engage with more women to create an equal

aby@source2create.com.au

voice in all discussions and meetings. 8.

Volunteer for events that include STEM education for kids and young women wanting to get into security.

28.06.2022

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

CONTENTS

2 PUBLISHER’S LETTER

CAREER PERSPECTIVES Navigating a career transition into cyber security

Why Mentors are essential to

WHY YOU SHOULD LOOK PAST CERTIFICATIONS WHEN HIRING SECURITY STAFF

your career’s success

COLUMN

Deepfake technology: the good, the bad, the criminal 14 What is the office of the eSafety Commissioner and what does it do?

Progress not perfection might just be the key

103

Failure to induce change

126

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES Security dance party: four lessons from a diverse and inclusive team

We’re wrestling with the wrong problem 82 Ten elements that make a difference in security

TALENT 46 BOARD

WHAT’S HER JOURNEY?

REACH OUT NOW

Amplifying the diverse voices of cyber security

Educating and Empowering Children

The Tangible Uplift Program cross-cultural intelligence as part

Zoe Edmeades

Sarah Iannantuono

Georgeina Whelan AM, CSC and Bar

Sonomi Miyazaki

Domiziana Foti

CyberShikshaa: getting Indian

Michelle Ribeiro

women into Cyber and Privacy

Lesley Honeyman

Shamane Tan

Gina Mihajlovska

of an organisation’s DNA

APPLY NOW

172 THE LEARNING HUB VISIT HERE

100

The importance of diplomacy and

Tash Bettridge

JOB BOARD

104

In cyber, language is the weapon of choice

108

Cyber security: the issues and the challenges

110

A woman’s passion to lead

112 114

Overcoming obstacles with the brain in mind

118

Little Butterflies flying high

124

JULY • AUGUST 2022

AUSCERT2022 FEATURE The Illicit Economy – Exposed

The three ‘Rs’ of cybercrime fighting:

rethink, reskill, reboot

WOMEN-LED SUPPORT NETWORKS ARE EXTENDING A HAND TO THE NEXT GENERATION

Lukasz Gogolkiewicz wins the inaugural

ADVERTISING

Kyle Maher Award at AusCERT 2022 58

Abigail Swabey

When First Nations culture met cyber security

Cognitive bias: it’s corroding cyber security

Charlie-Mae Baker Vasudha Arora

TECHNOLOGY PERSPECTIVES

publisher named AusCERT

Why is the current threat of Cyber

to cyber security

JOURNALISTS David Braue

Diversity & Inclusion Champion

Stuart Corner

The head-in-the-sand approach 132

116

is Zero Trust Architecture? (ZTA)

136

Secure by Design

140

An effective approach to transform a 144

The Evolution of Investment Scams 146 Intelligence Making a Difference in Security

148

Think Right-Shift Left-DevSecOps

150

SUB-EDITOR

Uncovering the Invisible World of ICS Cybersecurity

Computers learning to trust? What

legacy SOC into a modern SOC

Abigail Swabey

Women in Security Magazine

Extortion so persistent?

FOUNDER & EDITOR

142

OUTREACH IS PUTTING DIVERSITY AT THE HEART OF CYBERSECURITY’S CULTURE

Stuart Corner

DESIGNER Jihee Park

128

TURN IT UP

174

Source2Create Pty Ltd is the publisher of this magazine and its website (www.womeninsecuritymagazine.com). AWSN is the official partner of Women in Security Magazine

STUDENT IN SECURITY SPOTLIGHT Olivia Conlon

154

Dilara Cetiner

156

Sharini Arulkumaran

158

Malwa Bajwa

160

Paola Bianco Palomo

162

OFF THE SHELF

SURFING THE NET

164

176

178

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WHY YOU SHOULD LOOK PAST CERTIFICATIONS WHEN HIRING SECURITY STAFF by David Braue

As universities struggle to fill employer needs, it’s important to value other traits

averia Malik wasn’t looking for a career

whatever your skills are – you can very much use that

in security – her career path wended its

in your security work.”

way through medicine, law, and journalism before she landed in the security sector

Malik is one of the growing breeds of security

– but the Pakistan-based global security

professionals that have built careers not on the

advisor for human rights federation ActionAid

back of focused university education but based on

International wouldn’t have it any other way.

the assemblage of life experience and a big-picture understanding of the real issues at play in the

“You don’t find the career,” she explained. “The career

security environment.

finds you – and security just found me a decade ago.” It’s an unconventional career path for businesses long

Having seen how security issues manifest

accustomed to hiring based on which credentials a

themselves in different ways in a range of business

candidate can demonstrate – but across protective

contexts, Malik “realised that there’s such a strong

security and cybersecurity industries, a growing

correlation between different things and security,” she

number of companies are recognising the value of

said.

career trajectories like Malik’s.

“It’s not an isolated field – and whatever you’ve done

Particularly in industries with wide skills gaps like

in your past life, whatever your other passions are,

cybersecurity, rigid demands for specific skills

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

28.06.2022

F E AT U R E

ALL CERTIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

PARTIAL CERTIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

L OO P R BIGGE

NO CERTIFICATIONS BUT HAS EXPERIENCE

is getting employers nowhere fast: fully 55% of

Disrupting the narrative around cybersecurity being

respondents to ISACA’s recent State of Cybersecurity

a university-driven field of study, 73% of respondents

2022 study said fewer than half of applicants for their

named prior hands-on cybersecurity experience as

positions are well qualified, with 47% reporting that it

the primary factor in deciding whether a candidate is

takes 3 to 6 months to hire qualified candidates for

considered qualified.

open cybersecurity positions. Meanwhile, just 36% said that an applicant’s technical Some 60% of respondents reported trouble retaining

credentials are very important – and just 1 in 5 felt

staff, up from 53% last year – making the current

that university degrees are very important.

job market the toughest since 2019 as increasingly security-aware companies struggle to keep teams full

Indeed, ISACA found, that the largest cybersecurity

of the capabilities they need.

skills gap isn’t a cybersecurity skill at all: rather, 54% of respondents said the biggest deficiency amongst

With 62% of respondents saying their cybersecurity

today’s cybersecurity professionals was ‘soft skills’

team is understaffed – 15% of whom call the problem

like communication, leadership, and flexibility.

“significant” – many employers are reconsidering the way they vet and hire their employees, often

SIX DEGREES OF PREPARATION

abandoning conventional metrics like university

The results are a rebuff for a cybersecurity sector

degrees and technical qualifications.

that has spent years fighting to meet the surging and rapidly-changing demand for cybersecurity skills.

28.06.2022

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

Despite the explosion of cybersecurity certificates

The program “is helping to shape and develop the

and Master’s degrees, however, employers regularly

Academy’s curriculum with industry and government,”

report that university graduates simply aren’t learning

Deloitte financial advisory partner Theo Psychogios

the skills that the workforce needs.

said, “which includes supporting students so they can show their practical cyber security skills in a proactive

Only 5% of companies surveyed in a recent Australian

and gamified (but safe environment).”

Information Industry Association (AIIA) survey said graduates can commence ICT roles without any

“This lets us better match each student’s human

additional training, the AIIA found, while 49% found

characteristics and innate skills, with the technical

graduates unprepared to work without “significant

knowledge they can gain. We’re also developing an

further training”.

innovative recruitment model to make sure we have the best possible talent pipeline.”

“Innovative businesses and products are being held back, or worse still, sold overseas, because Australia

COMPANIES GO THEIR OWN WAY

doesn’t have the talent available to meet the demand,”

As new programs inevitably take some time to gain

AIIA CEO Ron Gauci said when the results were

traction, companies should consider pursuing their

released.

own initiatives to complement the work being done in the formal education sector, as well as improving

“No one measure will fix this, but a concerted push

diversity by targeting underrepresented groups that

to upskill Australians will provide our nation with the

often lack credentials but nonetheless have much to

capabilities to be a leading digital nation.”

offer cybersecurity.

Universities are experimenting with repositioning

The Amazon Web Services (AWS) She Builds

themselves not as fonts of cybersecurity knowledge,

chapter, for example, recently debuted a women-

but as facilitators of a collaborative process that also

focused program called AWS CloudUp – an 8-week,

includes on-the-job industry experience.

community-based program designed to help women gain formal certification, and leverage in securing

Deloitte’s new Cyber Academy program – launched

their next job, as an AWS Cloud Practitioner.

with the support of the NSW Government, University of Wollongong, Swinburne University of Technology,

As part of a global effort to upskill 29m people

and TAFE NSW – exemplifies the blended learning

globally to meet the demand for cloud skills that is

that could well become more commonplace over

expected to triple by 2025, CloudUp is set to reach

time.

over 150,000 women globally this year, said Donna Edwards, principal business development manager

Cyber Academy will next year see nearly 400

within the AWS Training and Certification team

students in Victoria and NSW each paid $40,000 as

and an ambassador for Women in Technology WA

they undertake a combined Bachelor of Computer

(WiTWA).

Science (Cyber Security) and Diploma of Information Technology (Cyber Security) – all while working 3

“It’s really a way for women to learn together as a

days at Deloitte, a NSW Government department, or

community in a safe space, building their confidence,

industry partner.

skills, and networks,” she explained. “I was driven by always being underestimated as a woman in the tech

By tempering university learning with on-the-job

industry, which made me even more determined to

experience, the program aims to produce job-

succeed – and now my drive is to make that path

ready students while supporting efforts to increase

easier for others.”

the representation of women, neurodiverse, and Indigenous employees.

By translating that internal drive into action, diversity leaders and champions are truly making a difference

F E AT U R E

– whether helping cybersecurity workers build

Edward Farrell, director of Canberra-based Mercury

up their base of certifications and experience, or

Information Security Services, cautions about the

engaging workers in other business lines about the

implications of the “big drive towards industry

myriad benefits of a cybersecurity career.

certifications and industry certifications, leveraging repeatable actions [believing] that we can quickly

Having particularly struggled to attract and retain skilled staff, governments around the world are trialling ways to rework recruiting strategies “not for social pressure, but honestly because we have a lack of talent,” said Paris, France-based Gabriela Vogel, senior director for leadership, culture, people, and DE&I with research firm Gartner.

It’s not an isolated field – and whatever you’ve done in your past life, whatever your other passions are, whatever your skills are – you can very much use that in your security work. - Javeria Malik, Global Security Advisor at ActionAid

“This is pushing organisations to really broaden” their approach to recruitment, she said in recently outlining eight talent-retention

indoctrinate someone within a matter of weeks and

strategies for government bodies that should,

suddenly create a cybersecurity professional.”

like private companies, ask themselves “are they really tapping into all of the talents in their country,

Such programs “can make individuals that are capable

organisation, and region?”

of knowledge,” he told a recent AusCERT conference, “but in terms of practice, and undertaking certain

Countries like Japan and South Korea, she added,

activities that we need them to, there’s a bit of a

have tried encouraging some public-service staff to

disconnect.”

pursue their ambitions in the private sector, and then bring back their learnings to the public service.

A more sustainable approach, Vogel said, is for employers to consider employee relationships in

To reduce its dependence on contractors, Gambia’s

the context of a broader employee value proposition

government has looked internally to build a ‘talent

(EVP) – “what your employees want versus what your

ecosystem’ including the University of Gambia “to

organisation expects from your employees”.

be able to identify and tap into talent, to upskill and reskill” their staff.

Australia’s public service has been particularly proactive in proceduralism of the EVP approach, she

Such programs normalise the idea that employees’

said, backing away from strict credential-based hiring

worth to an organisation is far more than just

criteria and reviewing its EVP with a more flexible

the certifications they bring – and that on-the-job

skills stream, improved marketing and promotion

experience can be as valuable as pushing workers

activities, and so on.

through training programs in an effort to tick the right boxes on their list of necessary skills.

“They’re implementing a value proposition for Australian technology that adapts specifically to the

A TWO-EDGED SWORD

needs of graduates,” Vogel noted. “This definition

Yet even as companies recruit staff with the

changes what benefits you give, what salaries you

goal of training them up for cybersecurity roles,

give, the training you give, and the culture you create.”

28.06.2022

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

AMANDA-JANE TURNER Cybercrime is big business, thanks to technical advancement and interconnectivity creating more opportunities for cybercriminals. This regular column will explore various aspects of cybercrime in an easy to understand manner, to help everyone become more cyber safe.

C O L U M N

Deepfake technology: the good, the bad, the criminal Deepfake technology uses machine learning and

realistically superimposed on bodies in pornographic

artificial intelligence to manipulate audio and video

videos.

files to create convincing synthetic representations of real or fictional humans. Deepfake technology can be

Deepfake technology is impressive and has legitimate

used for both good and bad. Sometimes filmmakers

uses but like any technology, it can be used for

use the technology to recreate a character played by

crime. Here are some ways to avoid being caught by

an actor who has died or to show a character younger

deepfake-based cybercrime.

than the actor playing the role. The technology can •

Be cautious if you receive a phone

call from someone asking you for sensitive information or requesting you to make payments. Even if they sound legitimate, verify them in another way before acting on the request. •

Cyber based fraud is getting more

difficult to detect. Remember, not everything online is real. Verify news and other information using trusted sources. •

Beware of romance fraud, even

also be misused for the crime. Why should we as

if a reverse image search appears to verify

individuals care about deep fake technology used for

the profile of the person with whom you are

cybercrime?

communicating. Even if you see them in a video chat, that chat may be fraudulent. Be wary if your

Deepfake technology can be used to make social

online partner asks you to send money, requests

engineering-based fraud more believable, such as

help to pay for urgent medical treatment, or

a phone-based phishing scam (vishing) that uses

requests assistance accessing or moving their

the voice of a company’s CEO, or a romance scam

money.

where a reverse image search will not show anything untoward because the voice and video imagery of a

•

If you are Australian and subject to image-based

person have been synthesised. Videos that appear

abuse, such as revenge porn, you can report this

to be from political leaders may be deepfakes

to the eSafety Commissioner.

spreading disinformation to destabilise a nation and create distrust. Disenfranchised employees or

Cybercrime is big business. We need to work together

spurned lovers may create their version of revenge

to be safe from it.

porn with the faces of their colleagues or ex-partners www.demystifycyber.com.au/

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

28.06.2022

2022 WOMEN IN SECURITY AWARDS GIVEAWAY

Nominate 3 individuals/organisations/initiatives you know that are reshaping the future of the security industry and making a positive difference and enter to win: - 2 tickets to Australian Women in Security Awards or - 2 tickets to New Zealand Women in Security Awards or - 1 of 70 copies of Craig Ford’s book Foresight!

ENTER TO WIN NOW Giveaway ends 11 July 2022 9 am AEST

THE ILLICIT ECONOMY – EXPOSED by Stuart Corner

So she started digging and to her surprise was able

Bex Nitert Director, Digital Forensics & Incident Response @ ParaFlare | Supporting Women in Security @ AWSN

to uncover a great deal of information, including the criminal’s real name and physical address. She discovered he ran an outsourced phishing service offering templates for phishing attacks tailored to a particular victim interest area.

INTERNET CAFÉ WORKER GOES ROGUE It is rare indeed to become privy to the inner workings

She found evidence of his activity dating back to

of a cybercriminal’s operation: how much money

2015 when he was employed by an Internet café

they earn, who they earn it from and even where

operator. “He admitted to committing his first

they spend some of it. However, that is exactly what

cyberattack against one of their customers. And

Bex Nitert, director of digital forensics and incident

he was socialising with a lot of cybercriminals,

response at ParaFlare—an Australian company

a massive group, all engaged in various types of

specialising in managed detection and response

cybercrime.”

to cybersecurity incidents— was able to do. She revealed the details in her AusCert 2022 presentation, The Illicit Economy and Outsourced Crime Providers. Nitert, who admits to “casually spooring” (tracking the trail of an animal or person by their footprints) was investigating a phishing attack and was asked by the client to look beyond the nuts and bolts of the attack and see what she could discover about the perpetrator.

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

28.06.2022

A U S C E R T 2 0 2 2

F E AT U R E

In 2018 the criminal set up a cybercrime website making no attempt to hide it: it was fully accessible through Google. Nitert said the criminal was charging about $US2000 per month and delivering a very professional service. “He’d have the template. He’d have the websites. He’d send the emails. He’d collect the cred logs and he’d send them through to you at the end of the week. He got an accountant, hired a freelancer, and hired developers. He got people to help with the tax portion. It was run like a legitimate business. “He’s introduced automation so if phishing links go down, you can just log into a portal, click a button, it refreshes, spins up new phishing sites automatically and then you just go and send out more phishing emails. He does it better than some businesses.”

PROCEEDS OF CYBERCRIME REVEALED Nitert was able to calculate the criminal’s revenue over a 60 day period: the tidy sum of $US98k ($A142k) and discover much more. She found his invoices in an online file-sharing company and was able to see his customers’ aliases and the amounts they had spent. If the transaction had been completed through Bitcoin she got Bitcoin transaction IDs and the address they went to. She got ICQ addresses, Skype aliases, and Telegram aliases. “I’ve got hundreds of customers with their email addresses” Nitert said. And through Bitcoin transaction information she also got an indication of how the criminal was spending his ill-gotten gains. “There are several Bitcoin addresses which you can cluster into what is probably going to be the same wallet.” All in all, Nitert garnered information on some 10,000 users of the criminal’s illicit services. She discovered he is expanding, offering SMS phishing services. And she discovered some of his customers are children. “He’s making it really easy for kids to get involved. One of his highest-paying customers is 15 years old,” she said.

28.06.2022

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

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WHAT’S HER JOURNEY?

IT’S LONELY BEING A WOMAN IN CYBER “During my undergraduate study, I faced challenges of being one of a few women taking networking and cyber security classes,” she recalls. “I was curious to understand why there weren’t many women taking those subjects. This led to me completing my

Tash Bettridge Customer Success Account Manager (CSAM) at Microsoft

undergraduate study and moving towards a Master’s and focussing on increasing the representation of women in cybersecurity.” And Bettridge has not stopped studying. “I have about six Microsoft Cloud Certifications, Microsoft Certified Trainer Certification, CrowdStrike Administrator Certification, Splunk, Prosci Change Management

Certification and a few certifications in security from Google,” she says. he words of teachers can have a powerful impact on young people.

Looking back on her career journey Bettridge says,

Advice should be offered only with great

far from her creative arts degree being a diversion

caution.

from her career journey, it has stood her in good stead. “Because I came from a background that is

Tash Bettridge was one of the few girls

at her school opting for the computer hardware class,

not corporate the degree helped me learn skills that I could bring to a corporate tech role.”

but when Tash was 16 a teacher said to her, “You are too cute for this job and would suit a job in tourism,”

Throughout her career journey, Bettridge has had to

she took the advice and went into tourism, followed

cope with the challenges of being a single parent,

by early childhood education, and teaching primary

but she says her children have also been a great

school English.

motivator.

Today she has numerous computing certifications, is

“My children have been very influential for me and

a Customer Success Account Manager at Microsoft

definitely my rock throughout this journey. They gave

in New Zealand and cofounded the New Zealand

me the energy I needed to soldier on throughout the

Network for Women in Security.

process. They have been part of the process from when I did my career switch…When I was studying

She became interested in technology when teaching

my youngest was still in kindergarten and the other

overseas and teaching digital citizenship and cyber

had just started primary school. So they have been

safety. On her return to New Zealand, she wanted to

around computers, been part of tech events when I

learn about film and creative technologies so took

volunteered as a tech teacher and workshop lead and

a short stint with a production company working on

with OMGTech.”

the set of a local New Zealand TV show. This led her creative arts but she made a drastic shift and ended

IT’S CHALLENGING BEING A WOMAN IN CYBER

up enrolling for a Bachelor of Computing (networking

Bettridge has overcome many challenges to get

and cybersecurity).

where she is today, but she says one of the biggest

to contemplate studying for a bachelor’s degree in

was simply her gender.

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

28.06.2022

W H AT ’ S

H E R

J O U R N E Y ?

“I was putting a lot of effort into trying to land my first

place like Microsoft. Microsoft is such an amazing

internship when I was at university. I remember when

company with a range of products and services. I am

I was applying for roles and the guys in my classes

always learning and growing.”

were getting snapped up for internships and there I was struggling to get an interview. It can really affect

For anyone attracted to a similar role, or indeed

your confidence at times.

any role a Microsoft, Bettridge’s advice is to have a growth mindset and to always learn and grow as an

“I felt like giving up but I realised one thing about me. I

individual. “This can be from learning new skills, or

do not give up that easily! I am hungry and dedicated.

hobbies, whether you want to upskill technically or

I was determined to get myself out there, taking on

just work on yourself,” she says.

volunteer work, giving back to the community, and building my GitHub with projects and my network so

STAY CURIOUS

people would know I work hard and have a lot to offer.

“Another important thing is to stay curious because

My personal circumstances were not a burden but

technology is always changing and developing. This

motivated me to succeed in the industry.”

also crosses over with a growth mindset.

In her role as a Customer Success Account Manager

“My advice for any school leaver interested in a role

(CSAM) at Microsoft Bettridge says her focus is on

in security is to reach out to people working in the

Microsoft’s business relationships with New Zealand

industry and to learn more about the industry. The

small and medium business customers and partners.

further I got into the degree the more I turned to YouTube to learn more about different tech roles and

“The CSAM role used to be known as a technical

to see what areas of tech caught my eye.”

account manager but Microsoft switched over to customer success account manager due to our

There are, she says, many roles in cyber security, not

obsession with empowering our customers and

all labelled as such. “The security industry has many

partners,” she says.

components and there are many roles, technical and non-technical. Just because someone does not have

“My role is always busy and I wear many hats on the

a security title doesn’t mean they are not working in

job because there are many different parts in the

the security industry.”

role I need to play on a day-to-day basis. The role is always exciting and the days are always different.

She urges anyone with an interest to investigate the

One day I could be working with C-level executives

option of a role in cyber security, especially women.

on their business and digital transformation strategy,

“We need diversity in the industry if we are to think

supporting our customer engineers in workshops,

from a threat actor perspective. Threat actors are

giving presentations and working to support

diverse and our teams need to be diverse in order to

escalations when there is a major incident.

tackle those challenges in security. The industry is growing and this is a global problem. In 2025 there

“The CSAM role suits me as I am someone who loves

will be about 3.5 million cyber security jobs open

challenges, loves the interaction with people and

globally. This is a 350 per cent increase over an eight-

stakeholder management as well as being involved

year period, according to a report by Cybersecurity

with the success of customers and partners through

Ventures.”

their transformation. “I am glad to be in this role. I am more of a generalist

www.linkedin.com/in/tashbettridge/

and get to learn a range of products, especially at a newzealandnetworkforwomeninsecurity.wordpress.com/

28.06.2022

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

FACING A COVID-INDUCED CRISIS

Zoe Edmeades Co-Owner and Managing Director, The Security Company (International) Limited

It was more than that, it was a baptism of fire because COVID was about to hit. “When the pandemic struck I had no choice but to reduce the team. This was necessary for our survival, but it was heartbreaking,” Edmeades says. “Between May and August 2020, I don’t think I slept more than three hours per night. “I learnt so much over the first 12 months about myself, my family, and the people I work with. How resilient, creative and agile we can be, how I can

trust my team to work well from home, and how we communicate better now than we did when we oe Edmeades has worked for the

were in the office. It was an incredibly stressful time

UK based The Security Company

for every business and it’s not a time I would like to

(International) Limited (TSC) since

repeat, but we evolved fast and become stronger for

2007. She started as a project manager,

it.”

became head of projects in 2009 after

completing the Accelerated Talent Development

With the trials of COVID behind her, Edmeades says

Programme at Cranfield University and became

she loves being a business owner. “No two days are

managing director in 2012.

the same: from working with global organisations supporting their security culture journey to creating

TSC delivers behavioural change and security

business plans to ensuring we continue to grow, be

awareness programmes for some of the world’s

competitive and profitable.”

biggest companies and when the founders and owners wanted out, Zoe and her husband Tony

EARLY-STAGE CAREER ON STAGE

decided to buy the company.

Running a cyber security company is a very long way from Edmeades’ youthful aspirations and early career:

“I loved everything about what we did at The Security

on the stage. “From the age of eight, my whole life

Company and believed it was one of the best-kept

was dedicated to my dream to become an actress. I

secrets in the industry,” she says. “We needed

was accepted into drama school in 1993 and worked

investment to focus on expanding our profile and

professionally for several years,” she says.

brand awareness and I was determined to ensure

it achieved its full potential. So, when The Security

“My priorities changed when I had my first child.

Company’s founders stepped aside and offered

Suddenly the security of a job with regular hours

me the chance to buy the company, I leapt at the

and income became my key focus. Life has a way of

chance and began a whole new adventure with an

spinning you off in a completely different direction

extraordinary learning curve.”

and I am so glad it did.

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“I wanted a career in an industry I could feel passionate about, where I could influence change and hopefully make a difference. Cyber security was growing into a behemoth, and I wanted to be at the forefront of it.” And some of Edmeades’ early interests are very germane

Find your passion and go for it but understand that your passions can change... as your enthusiasm remains, commit and follow through! Never sell yourself short, but be honest with yourself and assess the gaps in your abilities; we all have them. Where you can, seek training or mentorship, don’t be afraid to seek them out!

to what TSC aims to achieve for its clients: create a culture where employees are alert to security threats and empower them to be secure. “I

Edmeades sees the advent of Web 3.0 services

have always been fascinated by what drives human

and devices as providing yet another surface for

behaviours. The relationship between knowledge and

attacks and creating new potential for human error.

action and what motivates people to change,” she

“Those of us in security will once again be assessing,

says.

formulating and actioning new campaigns and programs in response to fresh attack vectors. Security

Cyber security awareness training is now recognised

is always evolving, and it won’t just be the next few

as essential for any business, but this was not the

years,” she says.

case when Edmeades joined TSC in 2007 and she credits its founder. Martin Smith with being one of the

“With the advent and exponential improvement

greatest influences on her career journey.

of Web 3.0 services and hardware – such as the Metaverse and AI machine learning – organisations

A PIONEER AND A MAJOR INFLUENCE

need to be on the lookout for sophisticated fraud

“He had a huge impact on my professional career, a

schemes. In the near future, deepfake audio, video,

passion for the sector and unwavering commitment

and even fake online avatars will be used to launch

to raising awareness about the importance of

cyberattacks. And once we have tackled the Web 3.0

addressing the human factor in security,” she says.

issue, do not be surprised when another platform

“The Security Company was ahead of its time and

rears its head in need of security intelligence.”

was established long before most of the businesses that are now crowding the market.”

GEOPOLITICAL THREATS Of more immediate concern, she says, is the

And she expects the need for cyber security

increased threat level resulting from geopolitical

awareness training to increase as deception-based

developments.

cyber threats become ever more sophisticated. “We are already seeing an increase in ransomware “The influence of human error will continue to be one

attacks as a result of the economic instability rooted

of the most significant issues facing security over

in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In fact, cybercriminals

the next few years. Humans will always be present

have been ramping up ransomware attacks and new

in technology at some point, whether intentionally

destructive malware (malware-as-a-service) in 2022

or unintentionally, and attackers will continue to

and it doesn’t look like they will be slowing down any

use social engineering techniques like phishing and

time soon. International advice has been provided to

business email compromise.”

organisations working with Ukraine and in nations

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WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

prone to Russian attacks to help safeguard against these invasion-backing cyber-attacks. “We should also prepare for, and teach about, the damage supply chain attacks can cause, particularly due to the efficiency of one successful supply chain attack opening up access to hundreds of other organisations. This is a particular issue in 2022 and moving forward; remote working may present new vulnerabilities for IT security officers to manage and troubleshoot.”

A SMORGASBORD OF CAREER OPTIONS For school leavers contemplating a career in cyber Edmeades says: “There are many routes into a career in security. For instance, universities offer specialised security courses, but if academics is not your thing — it’s not for everyone — then there are excellent apprenticeship schemes available that can give you hands-on experience in a thriving industry. “One of the most appealing aspects of working in cyber security right now is that there is high demand and great salary potential. Furthermore, a career in security guarantees constant development. Threat vectors are constantly changing. No two days are the same. Therefore roles are varied and challenging. Also, one cannot ignore the fact that, because cybercrime affects so many aspects of our life, being a part of the solution is extremely fulfilling.” And given her own career trajectory, it’s perhaps no surprise she adds: “Find your passion and go for it but understand that your passions can change…as long as your enthusiasm remains, commit and follow through! Never sell yourself short, but be honest with yourself and assess the gaps in your abilities; we all have them. Where you can, seek training or mentorship, don’t be afraid to seek them out!”

www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-edmeades-information-securityawareness-behavioural-change-training-programmes/ www.linkedin.com/company/thesecurityco twitter.com/TheSecurityCo

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

28.06.2022

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There have been similar stories from many women who have shared their career journeys in these pages, and it was one of many for Iannantuono. “This was not my last such experience in the industry, but it taught me early on the value of speaking up and

Sarah Iannantuono APAC Cyber Security Strategy and Program Lead at SEEK

advocating for yourself, alongside how powerful a male champion can be,” she says. “It is with fondness I remember my manager saying, ‘Don’t look at me, talk to her’.” Iannantuono says she “caught the cyber bug” while studying for a master’s and spending six months as an intern at KPMG in its forensics

team conducting interviews with CISOs to gather qualitative and quantitative data on what they saw as arah Iannantuono has an impressive

the key security issues in the next 12 months. After

career record in cyber security. Today

graduating she joined KPMG Forensics to work on

she is APAC cyber security strategy

the Banking Royal Commission investigations and

and program lead at SEEK. She has

later transferred to cyber security governance, risk

a bachelor’s degree, dual Master’s in

and compliance in risk advisory to work on cyber

International Security and in Policing, Intelligence

maturity assessments, ISO27001 and PCI-DSS uplift

and Counter-Terrorism, multiple cyber security

and certification.

certifications and a CV spanning global banks, Big Four consulting firms and a Royal Commission.

LURED BY A BIG FOUR ROLE After providing advice to public and private clients

Her biggest challenge when breaking into the

without having worked ‘in-house’ she joined the

industry? Gender bias, conscious or unconscious,

Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi to provide specialised

from male clients. “In my first role in the industry, I

information security risk advice in the operation risk

was empowered to lead a cyber security maturity

team, but the lure of the Big Four proved too strong

assessment for a client under the supervision of my

and after little more than a year she took a role

direct manager,” she recalls.

leading Deloitte Australia’s internal Confidentiality Office and as Deputy Confidentiality Officer for

“Leading each stage of this project saw me

Deloitte APAC.

collaborating with several individuals client side, from security and HR to the executive. Despite strong

“I had the pleasure to lead data governance initiatives,

collaboration across the business, meeting deadlines

the data loss prevention program, insider threat

and a comprehensive assessment, the client-side

program, confidentiality incidents and (co-lead)

assessment lead was non-collaborative with me; not

the security awareness program,” she says. “I was

my male boss, not my junior male colleague, just me.

encouraged to undertake further training and during

In a room full of men, talking about an assessment

this time I gained certification in Risk and Information

I had led, the client-side lead would look to my male

Systems Controls (CRISC) and became a Certified

colleagues for answers to his questions, and would

Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE).”

clarify with my male colleagues that my responses were correct.”

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

From Deloitte, she moved to SEEK, drawn by a desire

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J O U R N E Y ?

to gain experience working at a tech company, and by

GAINING CROSS-CULTURAL EXPERIENCE

SEEK being voted the best technology workplace in

Innantuono also cites working at the Sydney branch

Australia in the AFR’s 2021 poll. Her initial role was as

of Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi, mostly with Japanese

a security influencer leading initiatives across APAC

colleagues on secondment, as having been an

to reduce human risk and uplift security awareness

excellent experience in working and communicating

maturity across the Asia Pacific. While at SEEK she

cross-culturally, and one that had an immensely

became a Certified Information Security Manager

positive impact on her career.

(CISM) and was promoted into the role of security strategy and program lead, working to define SEEK’s

“This provided the opportunity to hone my skills

APAC security strategy and initiatives across APAC.

in cross-cultural communication and further foster a passion for working across regions. Every

COMMITMENT TO LIFE-LONG LEARNING

position I have undertaken since this role has had

In her time at both Deloitte and SEEK Iannantuono

an Australasian/Asia Pacific regional scope. These

has added to her list of cyber security certifications,

communication and stakeholder management skills

something she says reflects one of her core beliefs:

became increasingly valuable as I delved into data

“an enthusiastic commitment to life-long learning

breach incident management.”

and professional development as a deliberate and voluntary act.”

At SEEK, Iannantuono says she “leads, coordinates,

She adds: “Life-long learning is an invaluable skill, especially in cyber security, and applying knowledge and skills gained from experience in diverse fields helps me to be a more wellrounded security professional. The interests and aspirations that I’ve fostered over the course of my life have made me the person I am today.” However, she acknowledges numerous sponsors and

Not only does diversity drive better financial performance, the ability to secure and retain key talent and increased innovation, but it is also in the best interests of businesses from a strategic standpoint. Threat actors have varied backgrounds and experiences; security teams should reflect this diversity to better protect their organisations.

mentors as having “championed me, elevated me and provided amazing opportunities for growth,” saying, “These

communicates, integrates, and contributes to the

individuals have unlocked doors and encouraged me

success of the security portfolio, ensuring alignment

to step out of my comfort zone by moving from ‘silent

with SEEK and security priorities.”

achievement’ to ‘promote achievements’.” “A typical day at work consists of an alarming amount In particular, she singles out John Green and Nina

of coffee (on LinkedIn she describes herself as “an

Yiannopoulos at Deloitte, Brendan War at Bank of

espresso fuelled cyber security strategy and influence

Tokyo Mitsubishi, Chris McDonald and Helen Teixeira

leader”) flexing influencing and diplomacy skills in

at KPMG, and Deepa Bradley at SEEK. “Without these

workshops, working on pulling puzzles together and

supportive and inspiring sponsors, my career would

aligning Security across APAC.”

not have had the same trajectory.”

28.06.2022

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

Despite her triplet of ISACA certifications — Certified

standpoint. Threat actors have varied backgrounds

in Risk and Information Systems Controls (CRISC),

and experiences; security teams should reflect this

Certified in Data Privacy Solutions Engineering

diversity to better protect their organisations.”

(CDPSE), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) — Iannantuono advises aspiring cyber security

BEWARE THE METAVERSE

professionals to focus first on their soft skills. “I

The industry will need every bit of diverse talent

believe, for entry-level roles in cyber security, the

it can muster if it is to successfully counter what

technical and role-specific skills can be learnt on the

Iannantuono personally sees as its biggest challenge:

job, but a great way to get your foot in the door is to

the Metaverse.

focus on developing soft skills. “The Metaverse is a fully immersive, hyper She says, despite their name, these skills are anything

spatiotemporal and self-sustaining virtual shared

but soft and she lists three key skills to focus on.

space for humans to work and socialise. It comes with a raft of security and privacy concerns.

• Adaptability: with exponential growth in technology and threat actors using creative and

“Whilst businesses and government have begun to

new ways to target organisations it is critical

take advantage of the topicality of the Metaverse,

for security professionals to be adaptable to

exploring opportunities to drive towards a greater

rapid changes. Priorities and technical skill

bottom line, it is important for security and privacy

requirements may shift and change, and so

by design to be embedded. Security and privacy

should you.

professionals should be involved in any Metaverse

• Business acumen and influence: security

opportunity exploration or discussion within their

should be an enabler of business. The ability to

organisations, to influence greater security and

identify business priorities, align security goals,

privacy.”

and communicate and influence are critical to career progression.

www.linkedin.com/in/sarahiannantuono/

• Curiosity: being curious, having a desire to deep dive, solve problems and see how things ‘tick’

medium.com/@protectyodata

will take you far in meeting the challenges set by an evolving cyber security landscape. Iannantuono reiterates a belief that, without exception, has been expressed by every woman sharing her journey in AWSN: diversity is paramount. “Cybersecurity needs diversity: diversity in perspectives, leadership and experience is a business multiplier. Providing an infrastructure that supports under-represented demographics (such as women) across the complete employee lifecycle is critical,” she says. “Not only does diversity drive better financial performance, the ability to secure and retain key talent and increased innovation, but it is also in the best interests of businesses from a strategic

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

28.06.2022

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

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and, in 2016, the inaugural Chief of Staff of ADF Headquarters.

EXPERIENCE IN DISASTER RESPONSE Over the years she gained extensive experience

Georgeina Whelan AM, CSC and Bar Commissioner at ACT Emergency Services Agency

in planning and delivering disaster response and humanitarian aid, and in late 2017 took leave from the ADF to take up the role of Chief Officer for the ACT State Emergency Service. Six months later she transferred to the Army Reserve, stayed with ACT State Emergency Service and was promoted to her current role of Commissioner of the ACT Emergency

Services Agency in September 2019. ommissioner Georgeina Whelan,

“My role is to provide effective and cohesive

AM, CSC and Bar says she joined the

management of the four emergency services

Australian Army from school in 1985 “to

(Fire and Rescue, Ambulance, Rural Fire and State

escape”. Instead, she ended up being

Emergency Services) and the enabling services

‘captured’. Three years later she decided

that make up our agency, including the triple zero

to commit to a career in the Defence Force, applied

communication centre,” she says.

for selection to the Royal Military College to complete her officer training and went on to have a 30-year

Throughout her long career, Commissioner Whelan

career in the Australian Army.

has benefited from something that must be quite rare: 35 years of guidance from the same mentor. “He

At school, she aspired to be a high school history

has guided me in a most gracious and unobtrusive

teacher and only joined the army “because I was a

way. He is brutally honest with me when I need it and

little lost and was having trouble finding my way. I did

a supportive ear when I just need to recalibrate.”

not see it as a career initially.” Also pivotal, in a very practical way, has been her

Commissioner Whelan gained her officer training

husband. “He has taught me, coached me, lectured

not in Australia, but at New Zealand’s Officer Cadet

me, listened to me and totally backed me all the way,”

School as one of three in her year selected for

she says. “He assumed the primary role of raising

training as exchange students. “This was, without

our four beautiful children. With the support of our

doubt, the toughest year of my life,” she says. “The

extended family, this enabled me to make myself

experience allowed me to build resilience and tenacity

available for the opportunities that supported my

and it prepared me well for the future.”

career aspirations and progression.”

After completing her officer training in 1988 she

DISCOVERING THE JOY OF LEARNING

joined Army Health Operations and Administration

During her army career Commissioner Whelan

where she spent the rest of her military career,

completed studies at Defence Staff College and

serving in New Zealand, the USA, Canada and in two

the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies and

operational deployments. Her career culminated in

obtained a Postgraduate Certificate in Business

her being appointed Director-General of Army Health

Administration and a Masters in Defence and

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Strategic Studies, but says she regrets leaving

termed non-traditional security threats such as

attaining formal qualifications until the latter stages

environmental, climate, resources and pandemics are

of her career. “I discovered later in my professional

front of mind for Commissioner Whelan.

pathway the joy of learning. I would encourage regular professional development. I have discovered

“My role exposes me to the consequences of natural

it is never too late to learn.”

and human-made hazards and the consequences of not being adequately prepared to combat these

For others aspiring to an emergency services

emerging challenges,” she says. “For the past

management role, Commissioner Whelan recommends gaining formal qualifications in health management, emergency management or policy development, and early career roles in any government emergency services organisation such as a firefighter or paramedic (for which a degree is required).

The security industry draws upon a variety of skills ranging from STEM through to communications and policy development. Whether it is a role as a first responder, in a technical field, human resource management, analyst or in the policy area there is avariety of opportunities and career pathways.

And, just as with cyber security, Commissioner Whelan says emergency services would benefit from the greater

30 months, Australians have experienced the

diversity that increased representation of women

impact these threats will have on our society if left

would bring. “I would love to see more women in

unaddressed.

emergency services, particularly in leadership roles. Women are extremely underrepresented in middle

“The 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires and storms

management and senior leadership positions

were a particularly confronting and challenging high-

across Australian emergency services. Our industry

risk weather season for our nation. The change in

is challenging and exciting and offers a plethora

our climate and the corresponding increase in the

of opportunities. It will only thrive if it continues

threat of natural hazards demands a rethinking of our

to be underpinned by the diversity of thought and

preparedness, the use of technology to enhance our

membership.

response options and research to better understand the steps we must take to preserve our environment.

“The security industry draws upon a variety of skills ranging from STEM through to communications

“Our health system is facing pressures, including

and policy development. Whether it is a role as a

rising costs driven by increasing incidence of chronic

first responder, in a technical field, human resource

diseases, an aging population, inequitable access to

management, analyst or in the policy area there is a

services and gaps in workforce and infrastructure. In

variety of opportunities and career pathways.”

addition, changing customer expectations are driving a need for more personalised, digital, seamless and

FACING MULTIPLE CHALLENGES

integrated care experiences.”

And from what she says, it is clear emergency services will need skills and diversity in spades if it is to respond effectively to the societal challenges they will be expected to deal with. What was previously

28.06.2022

www.linkedin.com/in/georgeina-whelan-b7959551/ www.facebook.com/people/ESA-CommissionerGeorgeina-Whelan/100027309564801/?_rdr

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

Sonomi Miyazaki Senior Information Security Consultant and Team Leader at Westpac

For almost a decade now, Miyazaki has been with Westpac, initially in Identity Access Management and now as a Senior Information Security Consultant and Team Leader. “My current role involves incident

response, creating playbooks, reviewing cases, project work, and managing my direct reports,” she ike many women who have shared their

says.

career journeys in these pages, Sonomi Miyazaki is someone whose career began a

“I am now in a people leadership position where I can

long way from Cyber Security.

learn from people who report to me and also help them develop their careers.”

A native of Japan, she held a variety of

human resources and executive assistant roles

AN AVID ONLINE LEARNER

but harboured a strong desire to transition into IT.

Much of Miyazaki’s learning has been on the job,

However, Cyber Security was not on her radar at the

but she has also made extensive use of the many

time, because she says it was not as important then

resources available online. “I follow security forums,

(2000) as it has now become.

participate in blue team CTF exercises, internal tabletop excises and attend conferences such as

She migrated to Australia because sideways

B-Sides when I can.”

career moves in Japan were not easy for women. She obtained a graduate diploma in Information

“There are lots of awesome courses available online

Technology in Multimedia from James Cook

these days such as Hack the Box, TryHackMe, and

University and started looking for a job in which she

Cyber Defender, where you can get a taste for cyber

could use her language and IT skills.

and develop your skills. There are also lots of free events and activities for red and blue team, such as

“My first role after university was in Identity Access

Splunk’s Boss of the SOC as well as meetups where

Management at an investment bank. I really enjoyed

you can meet industry insiders and others who share

the job, especially when required to investigate

your interests. If you have the financial capacity, I

problems; it was satisfying to determine the root

would also recommend gaining other certifications

cause,” she says. “After I assisted with some Security

or doing SANs courses as they are very valuable in

Operation Centre (SOC) incidents, I wanted to move

the industry. But I have found you don’t really learn

to an investigation and SOC role.”

without practical experience.”

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However, Miyazaki says the most important attributes for her role are not technical skills but rather personality traits: a desire to learn and the curiosity to investigate. “People with backgrounds in other IT areas such as network engineering and development are in a strong position to transfer to Cyber Security.” And she adds: “Diversity and empathy are incredibly important in Cyber Security. A variety of employee backgrounds creates a space for innovative responses that you just won’t get if everyone has followed the same career path and has the same background.”

MULTIPLE CAREER OPTIONS “If you are inquisitive and enjoy problem-solving I would recommend you consider a career in cyber security. If I can do it, any woman can do it, as long as they have a passion for Cyber Security. As threat landscapes change and attacks become more sophisticated, more and more specialised roles have been developed in response. There are now lots more career options in cyber security.” “Women tend to be very tough on themselves and underestimate their true potential. But if you have an interest in Cyber Security you should go for it—you may surprise yourself.” She is keen to see more women take up roles in Cyber Security. “Often Incident Response requires coordination and communication with lots of stakeholders, and in my experience, women excel at this. I want more and more women to join me to protect organisations and societies. Cyber Security threats impact everyone, and a workforce representative of the community they protect is more likely to understand threats that a less diverse team may overlook.”

www.linkedin.com/in/sonomi-m-3414a64

28.06.2022

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

Domiziana Foti delved into new topics, the more inadequate she felt

Security Analyst | GRC at BIP

because she lacked a technical background, and the more she questioned if she was good enough, experiencing imposter syndrome. Foti wondered if there was a place for her in the cyber security world. “Overcoming the fear of not being good enough was a

very important step in my career,” she says. “You have to be ready to accept new challenges and embrace fter graduating in law, Domiziana Foti

uncertainty.

had no clear idea about her future. “After several internships and volunteer

LEAVING HER COMFORT ZONE

experiences I realised I had over-

“The desire to learn helped me to overcome the

idealised the legal profession and it was

feeling of inadequacy. There is nothing wrong with

not for me,” she says. “It was discouraging to realise

asking questions and not knowing everything all the

I would not be happy in the legal profession after

time. This means getting out of your comfort zone

studying so hard.”

and being open to learning new things. Stepping out of your comfort zone also involves experimenting

She grew up thinking she was unsuited to technical

with solutions and methodologies different from

jobs because she did not excel in maths and science. She thought such jobs were only for people with a special gift for scientific subjects. Despite her belief, various cyber security topics piqued her interest and she wanted to learn more.

Working in a male-dominated industry requires the ability to be determined. Company culture is key, finding colleagues and managers who can support and inspire you in your career path makes all the difference.

Foti let her curiosity guide her and enrolled in the Cisco course Introduction to Cybersecurity. After she started studying Foti felt energised and

what you are used to and looking at problems from a

realised she had finally found an industry that

different perspective.”

inspired and motivated her. Foti’s cyber journey has not been easy. She took

However, starting fresh in cyber security felt

some time to figure out which role was right for her

overwhelming and intimidating. The more she

skills, analysing which transferable skills she could

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W H AT ’ S

H E R

J O U R N E Y ?

bring to her new journey. A breakthrough came when she realised technical roles are accessible to those without prior knowledge of the field.

GETTING STARTED IN CYBER “For someone who is a beginner and is starting to study the basics of cyber security, the amount of material and knowledge available online is overwhelming,” Foti says. “Navigating this sea of information is not simple and having a mentor and a community to ask for advice really helped me. One of the best suggestions I received was to try and identify a role I liked and start studying the main relevant topics, then being consistent and curious would do the rest.” After completing the Cisco course, Foti landed a position as a security analyst for an Italian consulting company. “Working in a male-dominated industry requires the ability to be determined. Company culture is key, finding colleagues and managers who can support and inspire you in your career path makes all the difference,” she says. “The skills required to be a consultant are not predefined, both extroverts and introverts can succeed. In fact, the key to problem-solving is diversity of thought. Working in consulting also means working with a lot of data and projects simultaneously and being able to develop an empathetic relationship with your clients. “Working in the cyber industry and being able to help organisations better protect themselves from various cyber threats is incredibly rewarding. I am really happy I found the courage to make this leap. No day is ever boring and every day there is a new challenge to tackle. The lesson I learned from the experience that could benefit other women: don’t be afraid of not being sufficiently qualified, there is definitely a role suitable for your skills.”

www.linkedin.com/in/domiziana-foti

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A SYMBIOTIC CYBER RELATIONSHIP

Michelle Ribeiro Executive Conference Producer at Corinium Global Intelligence

And it’s a two-way street. As well as tapping CISOs and others for their industry knowledge, Ribeiro offers them opportunities to share their expertise and raise their profiles. “That is my favourite part because it is how I give back to the cyber security community,” she says. “Speaking at events is an opportunity for them to share their successful experiences with their peers, strengthen their networks, learn from each other, improve their businesses practices and ultimately achieve their companies’ cyber security goals.”

Ribeiro is particularly proud of how she is able to ichelle Ribeiro is not a cyber security

raise the profile of women in cyber security. “I love to

professional per se, but probably

celebrate women’s achievements. Inviting them to be

knows more about what’s hot in

part of my events is only a small contribution to their

cyber security and what keeps

career path but one that makes me feel very proud

CISOs awake at night than most

of my job and very honoured to be able to offer some

CISOs. She is an executive conference producer with

support.

UK based market intelligence, advisory and events company, Corinium Global Intelligence and the main

“I love to be able to work with some of the most

producer responsible for its portfolio of CISO events

inspiring women in cyber security and have them

in the ANZ region.

speaking at my events. I love it when they share their invaluable experiences on how to overcome diversity

Her role involves in-depth research on the most

and inclusion challenges, which is one of the key

critical challenges facing cyber security executives,

issues facing the security industry. But I love it most

information she uses to shape the key themes and

when they get on the stage and talk about their most

discussion topics of the events she produces.

successful career achievements in security fields because that is when they are really proving women

“The events I organise are a platform for executives

can be as successful as men.”

to share ideas and showcase successful

achievements,” she says. “I work closely with a group

PRAISING WOMEN IN CYBER

of advisors made up of CISOs, senior InfoSec leaders

In fact, Ribeiro thinks women have the potential to be

and key industry players from some of Australia’s

incredibly successful as cyber security specialists.

and New Zealand’s largest organisations. They help

“In my opinion, a lot of the capabilities required

me validate my events’ content and ensure we are

for a security role are innate skills for women that

targeting what the industry really needs.”

can actually give them an advantage over men.

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W H AT ’ S

H E R

J O U R N E Y ?

For example, women are generally very attentive to

She has been producing events for the past 15 years

details, which is a critical requirement of any security

across a variety of industry sectors, starting in her

role. Women are also very intuitive which helps

native Brazil. She has focussed on cyber security

us see what others usually wouldn’t. That is also a key advantage that will help us to be successful in a security role.” However, she thinks there is too much concern with security being a male-dominated industry and says the focus should shift to “doing a great job and delivering the outcomes expected by our organisations,” regardless of gender.

I love to be able to work with some of the most inspiring women in cyber security and have them speaking at my events ... I love it most when they get on the stage and talk about their most successful career achievements in security fields, because that is when they are really proving women can be as successful as men.

“I know discrimination and unconscious bias are real problems, but I believe the

since 2019 and loves it. “It is a very interesting area

best way to defeat them is by not giving emphasis to

that is always evolving, so there is so much to learn

them. Focus on the positive, focus on the success,

and explore,” she says. “No two days are the same,

focus on the outcome. Aspire to be successful

so I never get bored in my job. And the cyber security

because you CAN BE successful, not because you are

community is always willing to help and support each

a woman.

other. That is the best part of my job.”

“If you are aspiring for a career in security, start by

She says one of the key trends and challenges

acknowledging it is what you want. Don’t focus on

emerging from her discussions with the cyber security

the fact that it is a male-dominated industry. It is a

community is the convergence of physical and cyber

fast-growing, well-paid industry. There are a lot of

security. “Facilitating the convergence of physical and

opportunities and interesting areas you can explore.

cyber security is not an easy task when the teams

Go for it! You might be surprised by how much you

have different perspectives, but it is an important area

can love this environment.”

for organisations to focus on if they want to scale their businesses through technology innovation.”

A LONG CAREER IN EVENT PRODUCTION Communications and Publicity and Adverting, and a

ADVICE FOR ASPIRING CONFERENCE PRODUCERS

post-graduate degree in Marketing Strategy and got

For anyone thinking of a career in the events industry,

her first job as a conference producer while studying

she stresses that a conference production role is very

for that postgraduate degree.

different from event management. “The role requires

Ribeiro has a bachelor’s degree in Social

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WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

you to do a lot of research on the key themes and

meeting her husband in 2013 she moved to Australia,

topics of the events. If you have strong analytical

fell in love with the country and is now an Australian

skills they will help you because you will use the

citizen.

content of your research to shape your event’s agenda.

PRAISING PARENTAL INFLUENCE She credits her parents with being the greatest

“You also must love writing, because creating relevant

influence on her career journey through their

content is a critical part of the role. As the conference

guidance and inspiration. “They worked very hard

producer, you are responsible for understanding the

to give me the best education they could. My dad

event’s themes and translating those into an agenda

always encouraged me to study a lot. He inspired me

that will make people want to attend it. You are also

to pursue my dreams on my own. He said I would

responsible for creating content pieces to support the

always get help along the way, but if at any point

marketing team promoting your event.

someone doesn’t believe in you or makes you doubt your own dreams, don’t listen to them. Keep trusting

“It is also important that you are sociable and enjoy

yourself and your dreams and aspirations. Don’t let

meeting new people because you will be managing

anyone or anything hold you back. Be persistent and

your speakers, sponsors and partners as well as all

keep chasing them and working hard for them.”

the people you connect with as part of your events. For any school leaver contemplating a cyber security “You must also be very organised and have the ability

career, Ribeiro says: “The most important thing is to

to multitask. You will be working on tight deadlines

identify your abilities and the things you like about

and managing many projects at the same time. If

security and use that knowledge to help you design

you have an active mind, like new challenges and

your career path. If you are a person who enjoys

like learning new things every day, then you will love

communicating and sharing your knowledge you

exploring a career as a conference producer.”

could aspire to a role in security training. If you like the more technical aspects of security you could

For aspiring conference producers, Ribeiro

search for qualifications to give you the technical

recommends fields of study such as events

background you need for a role in security. If you

management, journalism, marketing and

are a natural leader you could search for training to

communication, or research and development.

develop your leadership skills.”

“These are the most important areas you will be dealing with in your daily routine,” she says.

www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-r656e6/

Before taking a conference production role Ribeiro managed to realise an ambition to work abroad, scoring an internship in Bucharest after graduating. “Not only was I able to improve my English skills, but I also learned that no dream is too big. You just have to work hard and do all the right things at the right time, and in time everything will fall into place. Sooner or later, an opportunity will knock on your door. Then you just have to say yes.” Having seen much of Europe while based in Romania Ribeiro did not settle easily back in Brazil and after

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

28.06.2022

a strategic intelligence analyst with the NSW Police Force. She says she had “no idea what a strategic intelligence analyst did, but the role description did

Lesley Honeyman Director of Cyber Security Operations at Cyber Security NSW

outline the requirement to conduct crime modelling”.

TOP NSW GOV’T CYBER SECURITY ROLE Today, she is the Director of Cyber Security Operations at Cyber Security NSW, working with government agencies and councils to uplift their cyber security maturity and managing teams that provide a range of services to support these agencies and councils, including: intelligence, incident response, vulnerability management, security and infrastructure uplift, and an internal technological development capability.

Ms Honeyman cites her first intelligence analyst or many people, their career journey starts

job as monumental in her career progression.

with a university course they believe will

She was passionate about the role and one of her

prepare them for their chosen career.

earliest commanders, Assistant Commissioner Paul

Rather than choose a degree to further

McKinnon, was pivotal in shaping her future career.

any specific career ambitions, Lesley

Honeyman chose one that would leave her options

“Through his leadership, I was exposed to many

open: a Bachelor of Applied Science in Human

different opportunities and worked in many different

Geography at the University of NSW (UNSW).

roles in the organisation, some within the intelligence profession and others that enabled me to develop

“When I left school I was considering town planning.

new skills and capabilities,” she says.

I selected my course at university because it was not specifically targeted at one career path – there were

“He recognised the skills I had developed at university

many careers that I could consider,” she says.

and, although they were still raw, he capitalised on them to deliver important projects for the NSW Police

While UNSW no longer offers the course Ms

Force.”

Honeyman graduated from, human geography is “the study of people and place”, where “human

KEY ROLE IN 2000 SYDNEY OLYMPICS

geographers examine social and environmental

Aided by McKinnon’s leadership, Honeyman worked

problems in a holistic way and apply spatial thinking

on major Royal Commission reform projects and

to help resolve social conflicts and environmental

implemented critical technology that has since

crises”.

shaped the tasking and deployment of frontline resources, culminating in the delivery of the Olympic

Armed with her degree and an honours thesis in

Intelligence Centre for the Sydney 2000 Olympic

economic modelling, Ms Honeyman scored a job as

Games.

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W H AT ’ S

H E R

J O U R N E Y ?

Over the course of her career, Ms Honeyman

etc. As we move into the future, this list of roles will

has gained extensive experience leading crisis

only expand and change to adapt to the environment.

management, including spearheading intelligence

The diversity of this work means you can find a role

resources during the Lindt Café siege.

you are passionate about, and each role contributes to making a difference to people every day.

Another mentor, Dr Maria Milosavljevic, the NSW Government’s first Chief Information Security Officer,

“It has been projected that almost 18,000 new cyber

helped set Honeyman’s career on a new path. “I was

security workers will be needed by 2026. This growth

at a career crossroads and had a pivotal meeting

provides plenty of opportunities for new entrants and

with Dr Maria Milosavljevic, where I paused to reflect

career-switchers to work in a fast-paced and ever-

on my career history and recognised my wealth

changing environment.”

of experience and how that was valuable to cyber security,” Ms Honeyman says. “She challenged me to

MORE WOMEN IN CYBER SECURITY

reconsider my internal voice about my skill match to

Ms Honeyman is keen to see more women enter the

an operational role in cyber security.”

profession, saying she has seen no evidence of a ‘glass ceiling’. “This profession is open to the transfer

Honeyman identifies the biggest challenge of her

of skills women may have developed in other roles.

career as establishing a cyber operations function for

The skills we have developed via training, previous

the NSW Government and ensuring it provided value

work experience and life often provide a different lens

to other NSW Government bodies.

that is important when considering the risks that are inherent in the digital world.

“In my current role, I have been fortunate to be able to build the team from the ground up and lucky to

Women are great at recognising the risk and

have colleagues who supported me in this journey.

communicating that to stakeholders who don’t have

My crisis management skills have enabled me to

exposure or in-depth knowledge. We have great

lead government agencies in responding to cyber

stakeholder management skills, great analytical skills

incidents.”

and great communication skills: lots of amazing talent that can be readily adapted to this profession.”

A SECURITY CAREER ADVOCATE In an industry facing a dire skills shortage, Ms

To women who doubt they have the requisite skills for

Honeyman is a powerful advocate for a career

a job in cyber security, Ms Honeyman says: “You do

in security. “If you like to work in a challenging

not need to make sure you have every capability in a

environment where you are learning every day, then

job advert to work in cyber. This industry recognises

consider this profession,” she says.

it is new and is willing to invest in the training and development of its profession. Seize this opportunity

“Cyber security has many roles and not all involve

to help shape and develop a new and exciting

hardcore technology experience. Working in this

profession.”

profession is not all about the images we see on the internet. It is not all about hacking. Cyber security encompasses training, awareness, governance, risk,

www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-honeyman-a4199562/

intelligence, audit, penetration testing, threat hunters,

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Tan and her team work collaboratively to enable organisations to strengthen their security posture and bridge resource gaps in their cyber security. “I have experienced experts conducting risk assessments, guiding organisations to their security certification,” she says.

Shamane Tan Chief Growth Officer at Sekuro

“I also collaborate with a team of ethical hackers whose job is to break into things and reveal their techniques so companies can become stronger. Another part of my role is around managing the human element, which is often dubbed the weakest link in security.”

However, she adds: “People can be our strongest first line of defence. So my role is to raise awareness or someone who describes herself as

within the community and change the culture and

having “always been passionate about

mindsets around cyber security.”

communicating well, building human relationships, bringing the community together and raising awareness on

FOUNDER OF AN INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

meaningful topics,” a bachelor’s degree course in

In addition to her role at Sekuro Tan is the founder

computer engineering might seem an odd choice.

of Cyber Risk Meetup, an international community of more than 4,000 members across Australia,

However, Shamane Tan says it was a good start

Singapore and Japan. And, as one of Sekuro’s brand

to her career. “My studies in computer engineering

evangelists, she often gives keynotes at global

were helpful in providing the technical foundation

conferences. She has also authored two books: Cyber

that helped me speak the language to the technical

Risk Leaders, compilations of her conversations with

audience and translate that to the business. Down

more than 70 CXOs from different industries around

the track, my career started to take shape as it was

the world, and Cyber Mayday and the Day After, a

a self-discovery journey of learning what I’m good at,

leader’s guide to preparing, managing, and recovering

building on my strengths and developing new skills.

from business disruptions, which she co-authored.

From there, I eventually found my way to my dream job.”

Tan got into cyber security from executive recruitment, where she helped CIOs building cyber

HER DREAM JOB

security hubs recruit their leadership teams. “Cyber

That dream job is chief growth officer at cyber

security was new back then and there was a huge

security and digital resiliency solutions provider,

need,” she says. The Australian Women in Security

Sekuro (formerly Privasec) where, she says, “I lead the

Network (AWSN) also influenced her shift into cyber

outreach strategy to help C-suite executives achieve

security. “I met with AWSN years ago and saw the

value preservation and business growth objectives

diversity of backgrounds there were in cyber security.

with cyber risk management. I bring the perspectives

Hearing their different stories gave me the courage

of both the technical and business worlds, and help

to go for a career change and specialise in cyber

executives bridge their cyber resilience gaps.”

security.”

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And people have had a huge influence on Tan’s career

advice to cyber security career aspirants is: “Invest

journey. “Growing up, I always had different dreams

time in developing your skills for networking and

and lists of aspirations. What triggered them into

invest time in networking! Surround yourself with

becoming a reality was the people I met throughout

mentors, and a community of healthy and positive-

my life, who inspired me and encouraged me to

minded people who will inspire you for greatness.”

pursue those aspirations.”

THE DANGER OF LIMITING BELIEFS A RICH COMMUNITY OF SUPPORTERS

She adds: “Don’t fall into the trap of expecting

Asked if colleagues and managers, mentors, family

perfection of yourselves, because if you do you may

and friends and partner(s) have been most influential,

limit yourself from trying new things or moving to new

Tan says: “I’ve been blessed to have great colleagues,

roles. A coach once told me the sky’s the limit, and it

leaders, mentors, friends and a wonderful family who

has stuck in my mind. Whenever my limiting beliefs

have supported me throughout. I have had incredible

start to rise within me, I just remind myself that it is

role models in my life, who paved the way forward

only I myself who can limit my own potential.”

and showed me how to navigate the cyber security industry to get to where I am today. These are the

However, Tan says women still face headwinds

people who challenge me and act as my sounding

because of their gender. “Despite the progress,

board where I can bounce ideas and gain new perspectives. She adds, “Take the Sekuro team as another example. They have always been vocally supportive and publicly affirming of my initiatives, ideas and the value I have brought to the company. They celebrated my successes, which really encouraged me to go further

We are up against cyber criminals and attackers who don’t discriminate amongst themselves or who they target. We on the defenders’ side, have to embrace contributors from diverse backgrounds to build a strong ecosystem.

knowing I have the backing and support of my company.” It’s hardly surprising then that Tan says she “believes in the power of building

we have made over the decades, I still notice the

strong, deep and authentic relationships.” And that

unconscious bias that exists if I step into a room full

these have “carried me really far and helped me

of ‘white hairs’ and I’m the only woman there. I’ve

navigate the corporate landscape.”

been in a room where the men think they know more than me, and their opinion is more important. They

In particular, “One of the key factors that accelerated

could listen, but they are not really hearing.”

my learning was investing my time in gleaning from the previous generation of leaders. I must have had

One example she relates is particularly telling. “One

more than a thousand coffees with different industry

time, I was invited to a meeting and I brought along a

leaders over the years.”

junior male colleague I was mentoring. The other men in the room assumed he was my boss and channelled

With this background it’s hardly surprising Tan’s

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WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

all questions to him even after we exchanged

education and awareness, legal, policies, sales,

business cards.”

management and many more.

GENDER BIAS IN ACTION

“We are up against cyber criminals and attackers who

Faced with such an overt display of what must, after

don’t discriminate amongst themselves or who they

an exchange of cards, rank as conscious bias, Tan

target. We on the defenders’ side, have to embrace

says: “I have learnt to pick my battles. In situations

contributors from diverse backgrounds to build a

like this, it is important to know your identity, and

strong ecosystem.”

what you have within you. I know my voice, and I speak (at the right time) with confidence, but I don’t

CYBER DEFENCE STARTS AT THE TOP

fight to be heard and speak just for the sake of

However, she says effective cyber defence starts at

speaking.”

the top. “Executive leaders must first and foremost take a proactive approach with their cyber risk

Fortunately, such experiences are not the norm.

strategy. As part of growth and security maturity, it

“There are many men supporting women, advocating

makes sense for businesses to start looking at an

for them, and many inspiring women who have

offensive strategy that will give them the foresight

also led the way and show us they can be really

to plan their next tactical move, as compared to just

successful in cyber as a career,” Tan says.

being at the backfoot playing defence.

“Cyber security is one of the more embracing sectors,

“If businesses start preparing for the inevitable

recognising the need for diversity, not just in genders,

cyber disruptions they will be looking at running

but in the background, experiences and culture. Cyber

more war room exercises and maturing their

security is a field that celebrates creativity and out of

business continuity processes as part of crisis

the box thinking because different perspectives and

management drills. Companies need to be talking to

experiences are what we need in raising our cyber

peers proactively, especially across industry sectors

resilience across the industry.

because information and experience exchange is invaluable in contributing to the growth of our

“Diversity brings a huge benefit for the security

ecosystem.”

industry because there is an urgent need for different talent and skills, from technical roles to governance, risk and compliance roles, forensics, research, cyber

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

www.linkedin.com/in/shamane/

28.06.2022

doors to vendor management in Telstra’s engineering and architecture.”

PIVOTAL INFLUENCES She credits another manager with also having a pivotal influence on her career. “They took me aside

Gina Mihajlovska Cyber Security Manager at EY

and said: ‘you need to do project management and learn every facet of technology that is going to influence our future. I know you can achieve this. Trust yourself.’” Throughout her career, she says a most important asset has been “Trusting my ability to learn new things and not being intimidated by the complexity of security, technology and process. I have learned

how complex security is and will be in the future. And I have learnt to listen, analyse and find the point of ina Mihajlovska is a Cyber Security

urgency to start the conversation at all levels: societal,

Manager at EY (formerly Ernst &

personal, governmental and educational.”

Young) where she works across the full spectrum of cyber security: assurance,

And for anyone aspiring to a career in cyber security

maturity assessments and program

she recommends an education that embraces data

work. However, she aspires to a more direct role in

science, criminology and social science, because

an organisation’s cyber security. “I am to proactively

“security is about people, institutions, humanity and

and inclusively lead the management and security

social relationships most of all.”

direction of an organisation,” she says. On a more technical level, Gina thinks zero trust, Gina has identified barriers to establishing security

systems thinking and DevSecOps will be important

leadership. “It has been challenging coming to terms

aspects of cyber security in the near term.

with how sparse the security knowledge of industry leaders can be and find ways to lift their appreciation

And, in common with every woman who has shared

of the criticality and importance of cyber.”

her cyber security journey, Mihajlovska is a strong advocate for more women in the industry.

She was introduced to cyber security in 2007 while working in information management for a

“Women lift economies, and they will lift security

local government organisation that wanted to use

due to their ability to see things from different

SharePoint as an electronic document management

perspectives. This allows for a better understanding

system (EDMS) and has worked in cyber security ever

of the problem and solution. Women are also good

since in various industries: financial services (banks

collaborators and engage with people to lead the way

and superfunds), telecommunications and education.

forward. These are useful skills when building cyber team resilience.”

However, she says her first real introduction to cyber security came in the early days of the internet while working at Telstra when a senior executive “opened

28.06.2022

www.linkedin.com/in/ginamihajlo/

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

TALENT BOARD Manavjeet Kaur WHAT POSITIONS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Full time/ Contract

PREFERRED STATE NSW( Sydney, or remote/ flexible)

WHAT KIND OF ROLE? Information security analyst/ Cyber Security Analyst, Security awareness training Specialist. Cyber Security Consultant.

WHAT'S YOUR EXPERTISE? Dynamic, resourceful, and engaging technical professional with solid knowledge of Programming languages/ Platforms including Java, Android, Python, Unity, C#, and C /C++, Data Visualisation, and Business Analysis. I have more than twenty years of leadership experience in process improvements, product lifecycle management, and building training/education programs from the ground up based on specific needs. I have designed and delivered Cyber Security awareness courses at Australia's university and RTO levels.

WHAT'S YOUR IDEAL WORK ENVIRONMENT OR BENEFITS REQUIRED? I have worked in various environments, from casual and laid-back to fast-paced agile. I believe in a collaborative environment, where the team members have a strong sense of camaraderie and a good work ethic, an environment that helps transfer knowledge into skills for individual and organisational growth.

DM ON LINKEDIN

Arthur Mapisa WHAT POSITIONS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Full-time, part-time or casual

PREFERRED STATE NSW ACT SA TAS VIC

WHAT KIND OF ROLE? Cybersecurity Consultant, Security Assurance Analyst, Penetration Tester, Cybersecurity Analyst, Cybersecurity architect or similar

WHAT’S YOUR EXPERTISE? Entry-level Vulnerability management, Medium-level Web security, Entry-level penetration testing, Entry-level IT Governance and Risk compliance

WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL WORK ENVIRONMENT OR BENEFITS REQUIRED? An environment where I can work well as part of a team and express my innovative skills

DM ON LINKEDIN

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28.06.2022

EACH ISSUE WE WILL LET YOU KNOW WHO IS LOOKING FOR A NEW ROLE, WHAT KIND OF EXPERTISE SO THAT IF YOU HAVE SUCH A JOB OPENING AND LIKE ONE OF THESE CANDIDATES, YOU CAN CONTACT THEM.

Saber Attar Motlagh WHAT POSITIONS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Cyber Security Forensics, Information Security Analyst/Cyber Security Analyst

PREFERRED STATE New South Wales

WHAT KIND OF ROLE? I am interested in roles that are more on the investigative side of Cyber Security, for example, roles looking at attacks that happened or trying to analyse/predict future attack methods. However open to most roles in the cybersecurity world.

WHAT'S YOUR EXPERTISE? I have worked in the IT industry for 3 years now (despite only being 22). This includes time spent working in Level 2 support at a bank in Australia and working as a web designer/SQL developer for a small IT firm. However, I am more interested in Cyber Security and I graduated with a Bachelor of IT majoring in Cyber Security. I am in the process of studying Comptia's Security Plus.

WHAT'S YOUR IDEAL WORK ENVIRONMENT OR BENEFITS REQUIRED? An ideal work environment would be one that is expecting and pushes me to be my best, but also relaxed and not super rigid in structure. Room for growth is very important to me and hybrid work (home/office) is preferred but not essential. No specific benefits are required.

REACH OUT ON EMAIL

Grace Imani WHAT POSITIONS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Contract, Part-time and Full-time

PREFERRED STATE I love Perth however for the right position I will willingly relocate

WHAT KIND OF ROLE? Information security analyst, Risk management professional, SOC analyst (I have developed an interest in this area and I'm slowly upskilling) I am looking for a role that provides some guidance that coupled with my passion and determination will help me grow as a professional.

WHAT'S YOUR EXPERTISE? Cyber security, Analytics, Problem-solving, Machine learning, Project management, Customer service

WHAT'S YOUR IDEAL WORK ENVIRONMENT OR BENEFITS REQUIRED? An environment where you feel motivated to grow and improve. A place where everyone is welcome. A place where your superiors not only delegate, but also lead.

DM ON LINKEDIN 28.06.2022

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

TALENT BOARD Al Mamun Mahbub WHAT POSITIONS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Preferably mid-level. Full-time

PREFERRED STATE VIC

WHAT KIND OF ROLE? Any cybersecurity position, if relevant training is offered.

WHAT'S YOUR EXPERTISE? 13+ in IT, new to security

WHAT'S YOUR IDEAL WORK ENVIRONMENT OR BENEFITS REQUIRED? Hybrid work environment

DM ON LINKEDIN

Priya Kaul WHAT POSITIONS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? I’m looking for an entry-level role

PREFERRED STATE: Victoria

WHAT KIND OF ROLE? Blue team roles

WHAT’S YOUR EXPERTISE? I possess a high level of stakeholder management and analytical skills

WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL WORK ENVIRONMENT OR BENEFITS REQUIRED? Flexible working environment and option to Work From Home.

DM ON LINKEDIN

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

28.06.2022

EACH ISSUE WE WILL LET YOU KNOW WHO IS LOOKING FOR A NEW ROLE, WHAT KIND OF EXPERTISE SO THAT IF YOU HAVE SUCH A JOB OPENING AND LIKE ONE OF THESE CANDIDATES, YOU CAN CONTACT THEM.

Liam Harmon WHAT POSITIONS ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Full-time, Part-time or 1-2 days training / volunteer work a week.

PREFERRED STATE QLD

WHAT KIND OF ROLE? Open to anything, ideally cloud/cloud security.

WHAT’S YOUR EXPERTISE? Many years experience in customer service and print production/management. All my time in the print industry has refined my eye for detail and quality and has grown my interpersonal and relationship building skills.

WHAT’S YOUR IDEAL WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT OR BENEFITS REQUIRED? My ideal work environment is where people are doing their best, passionate to improve and willing to help each other showing a good team spirit. Training and support from colleagues and employer, as well as some flexibility in the work structure.

DM ON LINKEDIN

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A NEW ROLE IN SECURITY, CYBER, PROTECTIVE, RESILIENCE OR GRC? Contact us today and we can publish your details in the next issue of the magazine to help you find your next role.

aby@source2create.com.au

28.06.2022

REACH OUT

vasudha@source2create.com.au

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

THE THREE ‘RS’ OF CYBERCRIME FIGHTING: RETHINK, RESKILL, REBOOT by Stuart Corner

“The criminals are using advances in AI and machine learning to launch faster, more frequent and efficient

Mandy Turner

cyber attacks. We need to think about how we can

Cybercrime Specialist | Director & Co-Founder Demystify Cyber Consultants

recovery by using these advances.

increase the speed of detection, prevention and

“Criminals are getting a decentralised economy, According to Mandy Turner, the cybercrime fighting

using blockchain to make their cybercrime attacks

community is sclerotic in comparison to the

and campaigns more effective and making it really

cybercriminal community. It is doing things the way

hard to locate the offenders. We could use this stuff

they have been done for years while the crims are

ourselves. We could use this for the data integrity

constantly innovating, evaluating and exploiting

of our investigations. We could use it to get better

new technologies to further their endeavours,

collaboration.”

collaborating and co-operating on techniques and targets.

A CALL FOR COLLABORATION Even that most ubiquitous technology, the internet,

To combat the increasing volume and sophistication

could be better used to boost the capabilities of

of cyber attacks she argues cyber security needs

cybercrime fighters, Turner argued.

a complete overall. It needs to rethink, reskill and reboot, and the cybercrime fighting community needs

“We could use it to increase the speed of

to learn from, and emulate, its adversaries.

communication, collaboration and response. Think about how we can use technology to help us fight

In her AusCert 2022 presentation Cybercrime fighting

cybercrime and investigate cybercrime and analyse

2022 - the reboot, Mandy (Amanda-Jane) Turner,

cybercrime.

an adjunct lecturer in criminology for the University of Queensland, outlined what needs to be done to

“Criminals are thinking of this all the time. So let’s

achieve these three ‘Rs’ of cyber security reform.

reskill and rethink. I have seen in my darknet scrapes, criminals chatting to each other, telling each other

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

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A U S C E R T 2 0 2 2

F E AT U R E

‘This company pays ransoms. This company is an

“Criminals have huge business enterprises. They

easy target. For a little money, I’ll give you the way in.’

have recruiters, they have psychologists, they have

How about we make more use of communication for

accountants, linguists, etc. All these people are

the good guys?”

working together to commit cybercrime. So we need to harness the skills and the aptitudes of people to

A GENUINE USE FOR DEEP FAKES

make sure they become great cyber crime fighters.

Turner talked about how cybercriminals have

They don’t need a million certificates and degrees.

exploited deep fake technology to perpetrate

… We need to encourage and enable people who

cybercrimes, saying it had been used to embarrass

have an aptitude to reskill and become cyber crime

and steal, and suggested the same technology could

fighters. We need diversity in cybercrime fighting.

be used to fight cybercrime.

I’m not just talking about females, I’m talking about diversity of culture, diversity of thought, diversity of

“In 2017 a Reddit user called Deep Fakes began

language.”

using AI-generated videos to put the faces of female celebrities on the bodies of adult entertainers and

APTITUDE BEFORE SKILLS

post these as the celebrities. … In 2019 [a deep fake]

She argued it is wrong to seek technical skills as the

was used to socially engineer a victim and relieve

primary requirement for a cyber crime fighter. “It is

them of a large sum of money…. Maybe we could

old thinking that people with degrees and certificates

use it to do more memorable education and cyber

are best for the job and that only tech trained people

security.”

can fight cybercrime.

She also argued the criminal fraternity is far better

“[We need] people who are trustworthy and

than the security fraternity at exploiting diversity,

passionate, people who investigate and are curious,

drawing on people with different skills and different

people who look at cybercrime in different ways. We

aptitudes.

can teach you the tech, but your aptitude and innate behaviours are yours and yours alone, and you bring those diverse outlooks. Those are the people we want.”

HAVE YOU EVER DREAMED OF BEING A

"This technological thriller is the hacker world having such global impact to the unsuspecting world that it makes you very aware the power within the web…” - Trevor, indiebook reviewer

PRE-ORDER NOW

CAREER PERSPECTIVES

PRANJALI KARVE

NAVIGATING A CAREER TRANSITION INTO CYBER SECURITY by Pranjali Karve, Cybersecurity Intern at Telstra| Bachelor of Cybersecurity student at Deakin University I moved into cyber security after two decades in

desire to succeed. I knew what I wanted and why

building architecture, a completely unrelated field.

I wanted it. This might seem trivial, but was most

With the demand for people in cyber security growing

important, it would carry me through the rough

day by day, there will be more people from other

patches.

industries getting into cyber security as I have done. tips to people who want to transition, but with every

CONFIDENCE AND SINGLE-MINDED DETERMINATION.

passing year, life teaches me to be more humble.

A new career was a risk, so I decided to go for the

However, I would love to share what worked for me

free TAFE course. As well as studying I worked on

in this career transition in the hope it will be of some

other projects that helped feed my creativity. I started

help to others on the same track.

and worked on three businesses that kept me in

It would be presumptuous of me to give advice or

situations where I had to think on my feet, meet and To get the chance to build a new career late in life

negotiate with people and think big picture and detail

is a fantastic opportunity. When I decided to leave

at the same time. Little did I know then that these

architecture there was very little I could salvage from

skills are sought after in cyber security where they go

the wreckage, or so I thought at the time. As I later

by names like ‘stakeholder negotiation skills’, ‘ability

discovered, there were plenty of things that helped

to work under pressure’, ‘multitasking abilities’ and

me in my new journey.

‘creative problem solving’.

Here’s what helped me and perhaps could help you

A FIRM BELIEF I SHOULD SPEND AS MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE PURSUING THINGS I LOVE.

too:

RISK-TAKING AND GETTING OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE.

Not only do such pursuits keep the mind fresh and happy, they inevitably add transferrable skills.

When I started I made a list of what I did and did not

have. I did not have a job in hand, just responsibilities.

My approach to studying is very personal. When I

I had loads of confidence in myself. I had a burning

was studying Certificate IV in Cyber Security I went

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

28.06.2022

C A R E E R

P E R S P E C T I V E S

above and beyond the course resources because I

Long ago I was in a toxic job. One day I’d

was curious. Whatever topic was introduced in class

had enough and I stopped going to

I would research in my own time until the cows came

work. I told no one, I did not resign,

home.

and I did not hand over. Stupidly, I had worked the whole month and stopped going

For example, I found the introductory networking

days before payday. When I called the boss to

course content not enough for me so I bought the

ask for my pay he simply refused to pay me.

CCNA study guide and devoured it along with seven or

Nothing I said could change that. What I did

eight networking courses on Pluralsight. I was able to

not see at the time was how dependent he was

hold advanced discussions in class with the teacher

on me. I saw only my side of the situation. I was

as well as help my peers with their assignments. That

young and stupid.

teacher acted as a referee for me when I applied for a job and became a cheerleader who pushed me to

I learnt my

do even better. I did a similar additional study for all

lesson.

subjects.

No matter what, being

IF I WANT TO BE GOOD AT SOMETHING, I TOOK CHARGE AND FOUND WAYS TO ACHIEVE MY GOAL.

professional

Finding my way into the industry has been like a

only on what should and should not be done but on

treasure hunt. I attended a webinar that mentioned a

a genuine understanding of the business, you work

book. I read the book which helped me decide what I

for, your place in the big picture and empathy towards

wanted to do next. Then I met, or e-met, people who

people dependent on you. Professionalism is hard

were doing the same thing as I. One of these people

to maintain in the face of adversity. It needs to be

mentioned an opportunity that led to where I wanted

inculcated with strict discipline and practice until it

to be. That path led to success. However, there were

becomes second nature.

is the most important thing. Professional conduct should be based not

plenty of paths I took that led to dead ends. The thread common to them all was people. It is people

When I moved into another profession I thought I

not resumés, certifications or degrees that gain

was starting from ground zero but work experience,

you a job. Knowledge alone is not enough, knowing

new learning transferrable professional and life skills

someone is not enough. Being good at your work and

accumulated over the years made this transition easy.

letting people know what you know is most important. Last, but certainly not least, attitude is the captain of Nothing about professional networking should

your ship. Only a good, nay a great, the captain will

feel artificial or forced. Everyone — introverts and

steer your ship through choppy water and stormy

extroverts — can bring their whole authentic selves to

weather and get you and your precious cargo of

professional networking.

skills, knowledge, hard work and intelligence to your destination safe and sound.

READING, LISTENING, LEARNING FROM OTHERS, BEING PROACTIVE IN SEEKING OUT OPPORTUNITIES TO CONNECT WITH PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY, AND BEING ACTIVE ON LINKEDIN. People seldom talk about failures or bad experiences,

I hope sharing my story will help you in some way to achieve your dream career. I wish you all the best.

www.linkedin.com/in/pranjali-karve/

but they are just as important for success. Here is a failure story for you.

28.06.2022

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

SOPHIA PACE

WHY MENTORS ARE ESSENTIAL TO YOUR CAREER’S SUCCESS by Sophia Pace, Head of Community and Brand at Avertro Cybersecurity is a multifaceted and rapidly

in 2021 at Avertro, a Sydney-based venture-backed

evolving industry. So much so, there are many and

cyber security software company. Its flagship

ever-changing career pathways created by new

product, Avertro CyberHQ, is claimed to be the world’s

specialisations and new technologies. It’s hard,

first cyber management decision system. It “helps

especially for a newcomer, to plan and execute a

you manage, measure and report on the performance

career journey. Help is necessary.

of your cybersecurity function,” Avertro says.

Many women have shared their cyber security

Pace started at Avertro in strategic partnerships

journeys through the pages of Women in Security

and marketing and was recently appointed Head of

Magazine. And many have spoken of the important

Community & Brand.

role mentors played in those careers. However one of them, Sophia Pace, went beyond mentoring for

FROM JOURNALISM TO CYBER SECURITY

support and guidance in her career: she engaged a

It’s a role a long way from her aspirations when she

professional business coach, and it paid off.

left school: to be a journalist or an actor. To that end she studied journalism at Macleay College in Sydney

He was, she says, one of the pivotal influences in

and her first job was in an advertising agency, where

her career. “My business coach probably deserves

she says, “I was exposed to the realm of digital and

a page of thankyous. He taught me so much about

technology and loved it.”

myself. When I transitioned out of corporate to pursue a career more aligned with me and my values

After a couple of years with the agency and eager

I had no idea where to start. The work I did with him

to learn more she went to the UK and “landed some

uncovered it.”

dream jobs working for Sony, Formula One and Jaguar/Land Rover managing their digital strategies

She adds: “I feel it’s really important we normalise

and global product launches.”

asking for help. It’s so empowering.” Four years later and missing the sunshine she

The transition her business coach helped with took

returned to Australia and made a radical career shift:

place when Pace got her first role in cyber security

she started her own business running a coworking

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

28.06.2022

C A R E E R

P E R S P E C T I V E S

space. Then, missing the world of technology, she

“Also, choose a company you are proud of and what

took a role with Google followed by one with Westpac.

it’s offering to the world. When you’re proud you unlock new levels of creativity because you want to

It was while working in Westpac she came across the

make a difference, you genuinely care and your work

strategic partnerships and marketing role at Avertro

makes more of an impact.”

and applied, knowing there would be candidates who, on paper, looked more suitable. She speculates

IT’S GOOD TO SHARE

she got the gig “because of my experience, building

From the perspective of her role at Avertro, Pace says

my own company, understanding the issues Avertro

she sees there is a need for greater recognition of

solves and my drive to learn more about cyber

cyber security as a shared responsibility embracing all

security.”

levels in an organisation.

AN IMPORTANT PARENTAL MODEL

“The board in enterprise organisations needs to

Pace’s business coach played a key role in her career

be better educated on cyber security so they can

journey, but so too did several other people: her father

make more informed decisions about the safety

and her managers in earlier roles.

of the company. And cyber security needs to be aligned with the overall business strategy. It should

“When I was growing up my dad was always working.

not be considered an afterthought. Education and

He didn’t come from much and watching what he

translation are key. Without these, you’ll continue to

achieved and sacrificed for us gave me the work ethic

have the disconnect between departments (board and

I have today.

security) and struggle to have proper synergy.”

“My first boss encouraged me to move overseas

NEW CAREER PATHWAYS

knowing he would lose me as an employee. My

And Pace has identified developments that will see

second boss taught me my worth, how to fight for

new cyber security career pathways emerging. She

things you want and ask for the exchanges you

sees the biggest factors impacting cyber security

deserve.”

in the near future as being artificial intelligence and decentralised finance. It’s an emerging financial

For girls leaving school and contemplating a cyber

technology based on distributed ledgers similar

security career, Pace says we can create so many of

to those used by cryptocurrencies that removes

our own barriers.

the control banks and institutions have on money, financial products, and financial services.

CREATE YOUR OWN REALITY “Back yourself. You are in control of your life. What

“It will be interesting to see how organisations

you think creates your reality. Persistence can

continue to adopt these advancements and how they

outweigh talent. If you’re persistent at learning you

adapt their teams and risk management strategies to

can achieve anything. So don’t be afraid to try, and

protect themselves against new attacks,” she says.

ask questions. Cyber security is nothing like what a google image search returns. It’s interesting, emerging

www.linkedin.com/in/sophia-pace-29656530/

and diversifying both in people and roles.” www.avertro.com/

On a practical level Pace says: “Be curious and learn about the various roles within the industry. Talk to people working in jobs you’re interested in and ask about their experiences, what it’s like, what they do day-to-day and how they got into their role.

28.06.2022

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

LUKASZ GOGOLKIEWICZ WINS the inaugural Kyle Maher Award at AusCERT 2022 by Stuart Corner | Interview with Lukasz Gogolkiewicz and Danielle Rosenfeld Lovell

The annual AusCERT conference saw the addition of

strong cohort of female leaders to support the next

a new award in 2022. Honouring the work and legacy

generation of women entering the cyber workforce.

of the late Kyle Maher, the award in his name is given to recognise “a person that consistently leads with

“As a mentor, I work with mentees who are in cyber

empathy and shows a dedication and commitment

security or are looking to start a career in the

to mentoring the next generation of cybersecurity

industry,” he says. “The support I provide includes

professionals.”

advising on the different career paths available, connecting people with those in the industry and

Lukasz Gogolkiewicz, Head of Corporate Security

providing specific advice and support through the

at SEEK, was the inaugural recipient in recognition

recruitment process.”

of his role as a mentor in a new mentoring program created by the Australian Women in Security Network

Finding a pathway to get into cyber security can be

(AWSN), the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD),

confusing and daunting. “The industry isn’t great

and OK RDY. Lukasz and one of his mentees, Danielle

at defining what is required of graduates or those

Rosenfeld Lovell, share their experiences and advice

who are hoping to enter cyber security. As a result,

on mentoring.

many people are undertaking study or extra learning which doesn’t necessarily improve or generate job

Lukasz, who spent a decade as a security consultant

prospects.”

before joining SEEK, says teaching and supporting people throughout their cyber security careers has

In addition, “there can be a reluctance from those

long been a passion of his. He is grateful that early in

hiring to invest in supporting people to develop the

his career, a few people recognised something in him

skills required of the job. This results in companies

and pushed him in the direction he is going now, and

having high expectations of potential candidates,

he has always wanted to pay that forward.

which most are unable to meet. For those who are willing to upskill, the opportunities to do this often

Cognisant that women can feel discouraged from

aren’t available.”

entering, or staying, in the cyber security industry

Lukasz wanted to be a mentor in this AWSN

When it comes to women specifically Lukasz says,

initiative and help shift that narrative. He saw it as

“cyber security can be at times quite masculine and

an opportunity to play a part in helping to build a

the cultural progression in the industry has been slow,

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F E AT U R E

the lack of female role models and decision-makers in working environments can be representative of an unsupportive environment.”

A MENTEE’S VIEW Mentee Danielle says the experience of being mentored has been invaluable. “My mentoring relationship with Lukasz kicked off almost a year ago at a time when I was feeling especially worn down by a mix of rolling lockdowns and juggling a professional job and study. What I particularly appreciated about the experience was that it helped me keep sight of my

can also be really helpful for keeping the relationship

medium to longer-term goals and to persist with the

goal-directed and using it to develop your career.

things I needed to do to make those goals feasible. “What I really valued in Lukasz as a mentor was “As time has gone on, I think part of the joy now is

that he’d had experiences in different areas of cyber

getting to reflect on how much things have changed

security in addition to being extremely encouraging

and how far we’ve both come in some ways. The

and supportive. I also found he was able to challenge

most obvious example of this is that I’ve now moved

in a friendly and constructive way some of the ideas

into the industry as a cyber security consultant.”

I might have had about what I was and was not capable of.

Applicants to join the mentoring program need to specify what they are looking for in a mentor, and

“The most important benefit is having had people in

Danielle offers some advice.

my corner who were willing to provide moral support when I’d encountered challenges during the transition

“I tried to be as open as possible to have a range

to industry. That’s invaluable when you’re building

of different industry mentors when I signed on

confidence in a new career.”

as a mentee. I personally wanted to meet people with a real diversity of experience who had varied

In terms of specific guidance, Danielle says being part

perspectives on what a career in cyber security might

of the mentoring program gave her access to insider

look like. My mindset was very much that I wasn’t

perspectives on how to approach her early career

completely fixated on one area in cyber, so I wanted

that she would not otherwise have considered. “I have

to get exposure to a range of ideas and to people’s

a much better understanding of the sorts of career

reflections on their career journeys.

options that exist than I would have without mentors to bounce ideas off.”

“And having someone who is kind and attentive was a really high priority for me. You are building what will

Lukasz’s mentoring produced a significant shift in her

hopefully be a lasting relationship with your mentor

planned career direction. “I’ve ended up starting my

and that tends to take consistent effort and time.

cyber career in an entry-level penetration testing role.

Mentors have opted into providing you with their

Before I applied, I honestly didn’t think anyone in that

time and attention and I think that’s a privilege that

space would consider my application seriously nor

shouldn’t be taken for granted. I’d aim to be as reliable

that I was necessarily cut out for that sort of work.

as possible with regard to meeting attendance and to

I was encouraged to re-evaluate some of the ideas I

make the effort to organise meetings.

had about how I might fit into that kind of role.”

“Finally, being present and attentive during your

www.linkedin.com/in/lukasz-gogolkiewicz-3420445/

meetings and coming with some questions, or potentially some goals to discuss with your mentor

28.06.2022

www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-rosenfeld-lovell/

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

JOB BOARD CYBER & INFORMATION SECURITY SPECIALIST | ASG GROUP BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA HYBRID

FULL-TIME · MID-SENIOR LEVEL

MUST BE AN AUSTRALIAN CITIZEN

Do you have exceptional technical skills, customer focused performance & out of the box thinking? ASG is seeking expressions of interest from seasoned Cyber Security Specialists to join our team. In this role, you will have the opportunity to grow your career and work on some exciting projects. Your main responsibility will be to support security consulting, advisory and client delivery. WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU? You’ll be rewarded with a career changing experience only consulting can provide. •

Unwavering focus on professional development

•

Diverse & challenging project work

•

Paid certifications

•

Flexibility to juggle what’s important to you with work

•

Committed health & wellbeing plan

•

Competitive salary packages

•

Corporate partnerships

APPLY NOW

CYBER THREAT RESPONDER | VISY AUSTRALIA MELBOURNE

FULL-TIME · MID-SENIOR LEVEL

ACCEPT APPLICANTS AUSTRALIA-WIDE AND OFFER WFH OPPORTUNITIES

Visy is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing a working environment that embraces & values diversity & inclusion. Joining the Visy Industrial & Enterprise Solutions team during what is an extremely lively time will challenge & engage the best of Cyber Threat Responders. We have set considerable, yet achievable growth targets under an ever evolving business model & this your chance to be part of this exciting journey! You will be tasked with assisting the Chief Information Security Officer search, contextualise and recommend mitigations against existing and emerging cyber security threats across the Information Technology and Operational Technology environments. IN ORDER TO BE QUALIFIED FOR THIS ROLE, THE INCUMBENT WILL NEED THE FOLLOWING SKILLSETS & EXPERIENCES: •

Proven experience in information security with an emphasis on security operations, incident response.

•

You have an analytical mindset and you like to develop creative solutions when solving problems.

•

You are a focused & self-motivated individual who can perform under pressure & thrives in a dynamic & fast paced environment.

•

You can work autonomously & can adhere to targets & deadlines.

Please contact Anna Mingal via anna.mingal@visy.com for a confidential discussion

APPLY NOW

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

28.06.2022

CYBER RESPONSE ANALYST | MACQUARIE GROUP SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA ON-SITE

FULL-TIME

In this role, you will lead end to end Cyber Incident coordination and logistics as well as handling cyber event preparations across our Cyber Incident Response team. You will be the outward voice of the program and work alongside cyber response as they handle firefights for the company. You will work alongside a diverse, global team responsible for identifying, triaging, and managing threats and risks in the cyber environment. You will act to ensure that Macquarie’s digital estate is protected from threats known and unknown. As a well-rounded technologist you will partner with the operations, defense, research, and hunting functions of the Cyber Threat team to provide world-class incident response to active threats in Macquarie’s digital environment. This key role demands a highly motivated individual with a strong background in technical project management or incident response, combined with a working knowledge of network and systems operations. Knowledge of cyber security platforms and operational theory is strongly preferred. You must be detail-oriented with a drive to constantly improve and evolve your environment and possess excellent communication skills to engage with all levels of our stakeholders. You must be able to maintain calm and continue to deliver in high-pressure situations – the cyber security environment is constantly changing so being able to quickly and willingly adapt is crucial.

APPLY NOW

SENIOR APPLICATION SECURITY ENGINEER | JUST EAT TAKEAWAY.COM UK- LONDON

FULL TIME

DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & BELONGING

REQUIRED •

Experience in identifying & addressing vulnerabilities throughout SDLC, with the ability to switch between defensive & offensive mindset

•

Experience working in agile environments and with Continuous Delivery / Continuous Integration (CI/CD)

•

Experience with automating security processes

•

Great communication skills, and proven stakeholder management both within and outside of technology departments

•

Experience in guiding and developing engineers on best practice

•

You will have a passion for learning, always looking to identify opportunities to develop your own security knowledge

•

Directly mentoring other AppSec Engineers

•

Passionate about open-source

•

Detailed knowledge of OWASP Top 10, and in relation how to design appropriate security controls

Do you believe passionately in protecting our products, as well as the data of our customers and employees? Do you love working with global Product & Technology teams to ensure the right security controls are implemented throughout the SDLC? Then look no further! We believe everyone should be responsible for security; a core component of every engagement will be education & awareness of our partners. The role requires a well-rounded and upbeat person who is passionate about making a positive impact to Just Eat Takeaway. com. They should be able to build collaborative relationships and drive lasting change to raise the bar of security in all our products and services.

APPLY NOW

28.06.2022

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

JOB BOARD HEAD OF ENTERPRISE SECURITY | AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES

FULL-TIME · EXECUTIVE

IDEAL CANDIDATE: You will have extensive experience in developing organisational security plans, assessing security risks, including cost benefit analysis, and providing advice to senior executives. THE ROLE: A senior leadership opportunity is available to lead APRA’s Enterprise Security Management function. As APRA’s Chief Security Officer (CSO) it is a strategic role with strong external ties and emphasis on both policy setting, advice, assurance, and operational excellence. Reporting to the Chief Risk Officer you will maintain, improve, and manage APRA’s security in relation to its people, information, and assets such that APRA remains within its risk appetite. The role spans all four policy domains of the required Commonwealth Government Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF) from both a policy setting and assurance perspective: Security Governance - pertaining to the management structures and responsibilities that determine how security decisions are made. Information Security - pertaining to classification and handling of official information to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Personnel Security - pertaining to how to screen and vet personnel and contractors to assess their eligibility and suitability. Physical Security - pertaining to physical security, control, and building construction measures to safeguard government resources and minimise or remove security risk.

APPLY NOW SENIOR ANALYST – MONITORING, DETECTION AND RESPONSE | DEFENCE AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA, CANBERRA, AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY ON-SITE

THE ROLE: Within the ICT Security function an APS6 Monitoring Detection and Response (MDR) Senior Analyst is accountable under limited direction to perform and achieve complex information and cyber security work within an integrated workforce. An APS6 MDR Senior Analyst will exercise both initiative and judgement in the monitoring and triage of event and alerts, and identification of security incidents impacting Defence networks, and detailed technical, and professional advice in relation to complex cyber scenarios which contribute to the strategic posture of Defence’s networks. The APS6 MDR Senior Analyst will be responsible for leading a small team, setting work priorities, managing workflow and resources, building team capacity through coaching/feedback and reviewing the quality of work undertaken by others. They will exercise the associated people and resource responsibilities to achieve work unit outcomes. They will be accountable to contribute towards ongoing self-improvement and professional development. IDEAL CANDIDATE: •

Highly collegiate with experience managing a diverse range of personnel and tasking.

•

Possessing a background in/comprehensive understanding of Cyber Security Operations, Cyber Security Incident Response and/or protective security principals.

•

A confident and persuasive communicator with the ability to explain complex concepts in plain language.

•

Self-driven with a proven track record of managing competing priorities to a high standard of accuracy within allocated timeframes.

•

Dynamic, able to switch priorities without losing focus of overarching strategic goals.

•

Have demonstrated ability in the development/usage of frameworks, governance, and workflows.

•

Able to deliver high-quality outcomes – including ensuring the generation of high quality and timely situational awareness and reporting, generated from data, processes and tooling.

•

These are shift work positions - Applicants must be able to commit to shift work.

For further information please review the job information pack, reference CIOG/03321/

APPLY NOW

SPECIALIST, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE & MACHINE LEARNING | WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM US SAN FRANCISCO

The World Economic Forum (“the Forum”), committed to improving the state of the world, is the international organization for publicprivate cooperation. The Forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Why we are Recruiting The World Economic Forum Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution Network (C4IR) is looking for a Specialist to join a high-profile team of experts working to shape the trajectory of emerging technologies, maximizing their benefit to society while reducing potential risks. REPORTING LINES & INTERACTIONS The Specialist will work in partnership with the Head of AI & Machine Learning and teams across the Forum, to help drive project delivery, community building, and engaging constituents in the development of new globally oriented policy and governance frameworks. QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS •

Master’s degree in relevant domain with 2-3 years relevant professional experience.

•

Self-starting, customer-driven team player with strong organization and time-management skills.

•

Excellent communication skills and English fluency, both spoken and verbal; fluency in another language is a plus.

•

Strong grasp of Microsoft Office (PowerPoint, Excel, Word); experience with Salesforce would be a big advantage.

•

Ability to simultaneously manage multiple complex projects in a highly collaborative environment and thrive in situations of high ambiguity.

•

Some knowledge of and demonstrated interest in AI and technology policy

APPLY NOW

GRC CANDIDATES REQUIRED ACROSS AUSTRALIA | ALL LEVELS Interested reach out to Aby aby@source2create.com.au

APPLY NOW

PRINCIPLE IS GRC | DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN YOUTH JUSTICE & MULTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT AUSTRALIA, BRISBANE BASED

Looking for anyone interested in transitioning into security

APPLY NOW

28.06.2022

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

JOB BOARD PROTECTIVE SECURITY OFFICER | QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT AUSTRALIA, BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND

ON-SITE

FULL-TIME

ABOUT THE JOB Do you want to help make Queensland a safer place by protecting important government buildings? Do you hate the 9-5 grind where every day feels the same? Don’t let that thought worry you, because in the Protective Services Group, every day is different, with varying start times, new locations and a range of clients. Are you passionate about providing exceptional security services and maintaining a high level of professionalism for clients? If so, then this is the job for you! Exciting opportunities are available to become a part of the Protective Services Group(PSG). PSG is within the Queensland Police Service under the Security and Counter Terrorism Command. Attractive public holiday, weekend and overtime rates with plenty of overtime and extra shifts which include special tasks/duties available! For 8-hour shifts, Monday to Friday, you can accrue an additional Rostered Day Off every 28 day period KEY DUTIES INCLUDE •

Conducting observations of the interior and exterior of Government buildings and facilities. This also includes general inspection duties and special duties relating to the demands of businesses within Protective Services to ensure a high level of security is maintained.

•

Operating specialised security equipment and, when required, exercising the powers authorised under the State Buildings Protective Security Act 1983.

•

Providing back-up assistance to other Protective Services officers, particularly in critical incident situations.

•

Controlling the entering of personnel and parking of vehicles in Government and designated property in accordance with policies and procedures.

•

Detecting and reporting fires and other building hazards and assisting in the emergency evacuation of Government buildings

•

Ensuring the quality of all communications with clients and members of the public are maintained at a high standard

APPLY NOW

AUSTRALIAN SIGNALS DIRECTORATE AUSTRALIA

Exciting career opportunities are now open! Never worked in cybersecurity before? We are looking for a diverse range of skillsets, no matter your background. Take our quiz to find out what ASD career suits you.

APPLY NOW GM SECURITY ENGINEERING | XERO FLEXIBLE ON LOCATION - COULD BE IN ANZ OR EVEN WEST COAST US

IDEAL CANDIDATE: •

Multiple years in a manager of managers role (eg Head of or ideally GM)

•

Engineering background (eg has managed an engineering team)

•

Security experience

•

Also must be a champion of diversity!

APPLY NOW 64

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

28.06.2022

AFP PROTECTIVE SERVICE OFFICER ENTRY LEVEL RECRUIT PROGRAM | AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE AUSTRALIA, SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES

ON-SITE

TEMPORARY · ENTRY LEVEL

*Applications are now open for 2023 Entry Level Recruit Programs.* •

Do you want to make a difference in the community?

•

Do you want a challenging and highly rewarding career in law enforcement?

• Are you a fit, healthy, resilient individual looking for a diverse, inclusive and supportive organisation? *If you answered ‘yes’ to the above, take the first steps to join the AFP today. * At the AFP you will have a career that delivers variety, a collaborative and inclusive culture, unique challenges and the reward of protecting Australians and Australia’s interests from serious crime. Your AFP career will commence as an entry level recruit with world leading training at the AFP College and you will commence earning a salary at the start of your recruit course. Following graduation, you will commence an exciting career as a Police Officer or Protective Service Officer (PSO), enabling you to make a difference in the community by combatting crime and protecting others. At the AFP we value the different perspectives, approaches and lived experiences of our people, and recognise our collective intelligence and diversity is what makes us stronger. We encourage applications from people from all walks of life, including culturally and linguistically diverse, First Nations people and women. Want a career as a Protective Service Officer?* Protective Service Officer (PSO) opportunities exist nationally within Commonwealth assets and critical infrastructure across Australia, including Parliament House and key Defence locations across Australia. PSOs are trained to deny, detect, deter and disrupt any criminal activity and respond to criminal and national security threats. As a PSO, protecting sites of interest is critical to AFP operations where a proactive and intelligence based approach is taken to ensure the AFP can outsmart crime. PSOs perform a range of high visibility vehicle, foot and bike patrols and static protection and are trained in counter terrorism first response capabilities. There are great opportunities to work in our remote locations such as Pine Gap, Geraldton and Exmouth. Those willing to deploy to required locations will potentially be selected for courses more quickly. You are not guaranteed your preferred location and if you are successful in receiving an offer, the deployment location will be based on the operational requirements of the AFP and the Australian community. TO APPLY FOR ENTRY LEVEL RECRUIT ROLES, YOU MUST •

be an Australian citizen

•

be 18 years of age or older

•

have a minimum Year 10 Certificate with Cert IV/Diploma or Trade level qualification/Certificate – year 12 Certificate and University level qualifications are welcomed

•

hold a valid Australian driver’s licence (P Plates are accepted however, if you have a learners licence please apply once you have your provisional licence). In addition to the above before you are offered a position, you will also need to provide evidence you can swim 100 metres freestyle, have First Aid and CPR certifications. HOW TO APPLY To submit your interest, visit AFP Police and Protective Service Officer Entry Level Recruit Program at jobs.afp.gov.au. Please note: *By submitting your interest in 2022, any offers into an Entry Level Program are likely to be offered for 2023 courses. To obtain more information about the position, please call 02 5127 2555. Applications close: * 11:59pm (AEDT) Thursday 30 June 2022

APPLY NOW

28.06.2022

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

JOB BOARD APPLICATIONS SPECIALIST | AFFORD AUSTRALIA, SYDNEY, PARRAMATTA & WESTERN SUBURBS

THE ROLE AFFORD is experiencing an exciting period of technology transformation and transition. You’ll be right at the heart of this transformation! Reporting to the Enterprise Applications Manager, you’ll support business processes through the provision of proactive technical support and management of AFFORD’s enterprise business applications. The role will be a combination of L2 / L3 application support and 50% working with business SME’s to improve application performance and requirements. You’ll ensure application support and management processes are improved and IT Services are delivered to a high quality. For more information or a confidential discussion please call Steven Fulop at u&u Greater Western Sydney on 0418 994 446 quoting Job Reference 28127

APPLY NOW IDENTITY & ACCESS OPERATIONS ANALYST | ORIGIN ENERGY AUSTRALIA, SYDNEY, MELBOURNE, BRISBANE OR ADELAIDE BASED

ABOUT THE JOB Support the day-to-day technical operations of the IAM technology stack Outstanding career opportunity to develop your knowledge and expertise. Can be Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Adelaide based Working for us At Origin we have a strong purpose and values that challenge us to find the answers to the big energy questions. Every person that works with us helps us reach that goal. If you bring good energy to Origin, you’ll get it in return. A challenging career. An exciting industry. And the support to grow and explore your potential. THE ROLE There are a number of business trends within Origin and in the energy industry that create the need for increased focus on effective identity and access management. Online services – 4.3m retail customers interacting through a number of online channels with Origin. Cloud and DevOps - Increased adoption of Cloud-based services and agile and DevOps based product delivery. Digitisation – every business process in Origin is being digitised and transformed. Convergence – convergence of technologies (IT, ICS, OT, IoT) creates new opportunities and emerging risks. Regulatory – regulatory intervention to protect critical energy infrastructure from cyber-attacks. Ready to join an innovative energy company and a progressive cyber security team a strong focus on diversity, flexibility, workplace culture and developing you? Origin Energy was a finalist in the Best Place to Work at the 2021 Australian Women in Security Awards. This role sits within the Cyber Security Team and is part of the support team for Identity and Access Management function. IS THIS YOU? You are an organised individual, a self-starter and are outcomes orientated. You have a Bachelor’s degree in a technical IT field or equivalent work or educational experience. More importantly you have a genuine interest in IT and Cyber security concepts and how they apply in a corporate environment. Origin - Where good change happens

APPLY NOW

HEAD OF CYBER SECURITY | NANO DIGITAL HOME LOANS AUSTRALIA, SYDNEY

FULL-TIME

Nano is a Fintech company focused on delivering outstanding digital home loans. Innovation, fairness and clarity are at the heart of everything we do. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR IN YOU •

A passion for teamwork and collaboration

•

A willingness to challenge the status quo with a customer lens

•

Have a ‘whatever it takes to get the job done right’ attitude

•

To thrive and grow in a fast-paced Agile environment

•

A hands-on approach. This is not a Visio/PowerPoint style role.

•

The successful candidate will be equally adept at both architecture/design but also personally implementing and maintaining Nano’s cyber security environment.

In this role you will join our Cyber Security team. You will be driving outcomes for Nano’s security posture across the cloud, networks systems and applications. You will be reporting to the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and will have opportunities in supporting the security of all of Nano’s systems as well as deploying and managing new systems. You will be exposed to work with Fortinet, Azure, AWS, Salesforce, Heroku, O365 and many other leading cloud, end-user and SAAS products. You will be supported and mentored by the CTO to help you grow in your career.

APPLY NOW ANALYST, CYBER REMEDIATION | NAB AUSTRALIA, MELBOURNE

DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE

HYBRID WORKING, LOTS OF HANDS-ON LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

ABOUT THE JOB The Analyst, Cyber Remediation will be joining Group Security’s newest team that has been setup to lead remediation efforts on impactful and complex cyber security exposures and controls gaps. The ideal candidate will bring a strong enthusiasm for making a difference along with critical and logical thinking. Use this role to grow your cyber security career - attitude and aptitude are more important than experience! This role includes a combination of these responsibilities: •

Support remediation of impactful and complex cyber security exposures and control gaps

•

Work with respective control/process/asset owners to mitigate exposure

•

Support management and prioritisation of remediation backlog.

•

Support initiatives in periodic remediation campaigns

•

Contribute to internal root cause analysis and support remediation to prevent recurrence

•

Support regular reporting on progress

•

Participate in deep dive reviews to identify potential exposures

•

Help coordinate end to end functional reporting from across cyber security teams

•

Ensure respective policy, standards, process and controls meet regulator and compliance expectations

•

If you think this role is the right fit for you, we invite you to apply. Let’s explore who you are and what drives you. We’d love to share our vision for the future of banking.

To be eligible to apply, you must have Australian or New Zealand citizenship or permanent residency status.

APPLY NOW

28.06.2022

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

WHEN FIRST NATIONS CULTURE MET CYBER SECURITY by Stuart Corner

The most intriguingly titled presentation at AusCERT

“I also think it would be beneficial because you can

2022 must surely have been Applying Indigenous

examine all the elements of a cyber threat and how

(Australian) Philosophy to Cyber Security Strategies.

that threat fits into the ecosystem. It can also provide

It begs the question: what could a 65,000-year-old

the local context of situations and problems we face

culture that evolved in isolation possibly have to

as an industry.”

say relevant to the two millennia of technological advances that have delivered computer chips and the

Woolley invoked Aristotle—once described as “the

challenges of cyber security?

first genuine scientist in history”—quoting him as saying “the whole is greater than the sum of the

Plenty, according to presenter Jasmine Woolley.

parts,” and saying multiple ‘parts’ needed to be

She is a Torres Strait Islander and is writing a

identified and incorporated to produce a national

thesis on the topic as part of a Master’s of National

cyber security strategy that was “robust, executable,

Security Policy at ANU majoring in cyber warfare and

outcomes-focused, and defendable.”

counterterrorism. She plans to follow her master’s thesis with a PhD on the topic.

THREE PILLARS OF INDIGENOUS CULTURE Woolley said indigenous philosophies were unique to

“Indigenous culture of 65,000 years understands

each tribe but all combined knowledge and cultural

space, understands how everything interconnects

practices with three common features: autonomous

and interrelates,” Woolley said. “I believe it would be

regard, ethics and moral wisdom, and adaptability.

advantageous for this knowledge to be harnessed

She went on to explain how each of these attributes

because it can create alternative solutions to threats,

has value in cyber security.

assist in tackling capability gaps and concerns, and combine worldviews to create new strategies.”

Autonomous regard and ethical and moral wisdom underpin the rules, obligations and systems that are

A MEETING OF CULTURES

at the heart of indigenous beliefs. They constitute

Woolley saw the potential for synergies between this

indigenous people’s ‘lore’ passed down from

ancient culture and the much younger philosophies

generation to generation for the past 65,000 years.

underpinning western societies. “These worldviews

“Lore outlines our relationship to place and all things

could include a combination approach where we

in our place. It also shows that First Nations people

harness what we have learned under western

have a responsibility to look after the world we live in,”

philosophies as well as what we have learned as part

Woolley said.

of indigenous philosophy,” she said.

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28.06.2022

A U S C E R T 2 0 2 2

F E AT U R E

She said all these concepts were interrelated and

There is respect for the sovereignty and the rights of

interconnected and constitute an ecosystem, like

others, everyone is treated with respect, and diversity

cyber security which is an ecosystem comprising

conflicts and tensions are managed.

trade policy, disaster and emergency response, social wellbeing and healthcare; all interrelated and

Autonomous regard in relation to cyber security

interconnected in some way, shape or form.

“means we have a responsibility for regional partnerships, we have to consider our role as an

“The things we do in cyber have direct implications for

industry in the bigger picture of the ecosystem.”

other policy areas. In turn, this impacts our diplomatic relations with countries. We need everything to

Ethical and moral wisdom in First Nations philosophy

function at optimal efficiency or our diplomatic

“means the individual holds the ability to predict the

standing and operational efficiency can be placed at

impacts of a threat before it occurs. There is a focus

risk.”

on the need for collaboration between communities to ensure you abide by cultural morals, and ethics

The way Woolley described adaptability in First

passed down from generation to generation.”

Nations culture will resonate with anyone familiar with the desirable attributes of a cyber security specialist.

Woolley said: “Cyber threats need nonlinear thinking.

“[Adaptability] is non-linear thinking and is used to

We are in a rapidly evolving industry. The threats we

get to the root cause of the issue at hand. There is an

face might not be the threats we face in a month’s

inherent adaptability and ingenuity that stems from

time. We have to think critically and have a solutions-

the spiritual and physical realms of our lives. It can

based approach to address new capability gaps.”

harness indirect management strategies and strong analysis capabilities to help create holistic outcomes.

And in cyber security, “If we heed the ethical and

All factors are taken into consideration.”

moral wisdom, then, as an industry, we have a better chance of acting with integrity and fighting the bad

NONLINEAR THINKING NEEDED

guys. … Cyber needs to work together as a team,

Autonomous regard in First Nations culture, she said,

adopt the village mentality thinks smarter, and not

meant that the value of relationships is paramount.

harder, and enable good management.”

28.06.2022

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

NICOLLE EMBRA Cyber Safety Expert, The Cyber Safety Tech Mum

What is the office of the eSafety Commissioner and what does it do? Digital Australians are lucky. Let me tell you why.

(eg if it enables them to be contacted by strangers).

Australia is the first country to have a government

Ask questions while you play, like: “what do you think

agency dedicated to keeping people safe online. The

you would do if someone you didn’t know sent you a

eSafety Commissioner, established in 2015, is led by

message?”

Julie Inman Grant and a team of professionals who work together continuously to provide a safer online

HELPING PARENTS EDUCATE THEMSELVES

experience for Australians.

The eSafety Commissioner website provides a mountain of easy to find and easy to read content for

The work the eSafety Commissioner does and the

parents and carers:

resources it provides are invaluable to me as a cyber

• Talking about big issues

safety parent educator. The office of the eSafety

• Skills and advice such as creating family tech

Commissioner provides many functions. This article

agreements

outlines those of most assistance to parents and

• Healthy digital habits and online safety basics

carers of children who use internet-enabled devices.

• Videos, books, info sheets, etc • Webinar series

TALKING TO YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT ONLINE SAFETY

There is no way parents and carers can know and

The eSafety Commissioner website helps parents talk

stay on top of everything in the digital world. What

to their children about the hard stuff: pornography,

they can do is become familiar with their children’s

sexting, cyberbullying and online grooming, to name

devices. What model device do they have? How are

only a few.

they using it? What apps have they downloaded?

It’s not easy to start these conversations with children to do so. It lists the types of questions you can ask

PROVIDING RESOURCES FOR PARENTS WHO DON’T KNOW WHERE TO GO OR WHAT TO DO ABOUT A DIGITAL DILEMMA

your child and where to find further support if you

Don’t be fooled into thinking your child will not be

need it.

groomed online or cyberbullied. Sadly, it can and

and the eSafety Commissioner helps with tips on how

does happen to many children regardless of their You can use other people’s experiences (positive and

education or upbringing.

negative) to talk to your children about online safety.

By showing interest in what your child is doing online

When it happens, it is overwhelming. There have been

and how they like to use their device you can open up

too many teen suicides in Australia that might have

opportunities to start conversations. Ask them about

been avoided if their families and support networks

the game they are playing, get them to teach you

knew about the work the office of the eSafety

how to play and spend time playing it with them. This

Commissioner does. Its staff have been granted

gives you an insight into the functionality of the game

special powers that allow them to have harmful

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

28.06.2022

C O L U M N

content removed, issue notices and fines and order further legal action. You can report certain activities and be guided through every step of the process to deal with these. Serious online abuse: cyberbullying including imagebased abuse (Sharing intimate images or videos without the consent of the person shown). Illegal and restricted online content such as images and videos showing the sexual abuse of children or acts of terrorism and content which should not be accessible to children. This is one website that you need to bookmark immediately – www.esafety.gov.au www.linkedin.com/in/nicolle-embra-804259122/ www.thetechmum.com www.facebook.com/TheTechMum

www.pinterest.com.au/thetechmum www.linkedin.com/company/the-cyber-safety-tech-mum/

28.06.2022

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

A unique offering for our Victorian (AU) based readers! A specialist program dedicated to those wanting to get into cybersecurity. This 1-year program includes: Specialised security training (Threat Intelligence and Hunting, Structured Analysis Techniques) ISC2 SSCP training and certification Mentoring CV and Career Advice AWSN membership

An exclusive program for women in security with leadership potential. This 1-year program includes: Women in Leadership Development Powerful Presenting Training CISM training and certification Mentoring Leadership Forum with peers AWSN membership

Only 13 spots available in each program stream Program fees will be charged at a heavily discounted price Applications now open | To find out more visit awsn.org.au

INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES

WOMEN-LED SUPPORT NETWORKS ARE EXTENDING A HAND TO THE NEXT GENERATION by David Braue

Diversity advocates are laying a foundation of equality to inspire future women in security

fter she started working at SAP’s small Nigeria sales office, it didn’t take long for Yemi Keri to realise that there was an opportunity to build a full-fledged regional office staffed with locals, rather than shipping

overseas staff as in the past.

“It was a new industry for me and a new role,” Keri said during a recent webinar, recalling how she often found herself as “the only female in the room”. “I had to self learn to understand my environment, and the technology industry, with no support structure whatsoever.”

Yet even as she successfully pitched the idea to SAP management, the newly-promoted regional

She recalled admonishment from a manager who

manager for West Africa recognised that the move

demanded she apologises after triggering a male

offered opportunities to increase the representation

colleague who asked him “’are you going to let this

of local women who, like her, had entered the industry

small girl come and start telling us what to do here?’”

looking for a sense of purpose and belonging – and

encountered the reality of regional industry where just

“I knew I was up against all sorts of biases,” Keri

9% of cybersecurity professionals are women.

explained, “and I didn’t want to let down any other

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28.06.2022

F E AT U R E

woman that would want to come and take off in this

heading ICT for the government of her native Edo

type of world.”

State, managing IT strategy for the National Pension Commission, and eventually as CEO of business and

“But you have to have a certain level of

ICT consultancy Heckerbella.

confidence when you’re doing your work as a woman in technology – and to have

Throughout, she has continued to nurture the same

that confidence, you must acquire the

philosophy that led her to push herself to build a

requisite knowledge and skill sets.”

career in ICT – and engages with the next generation of workers through decades-long involvement with

And that she did. Over the course of a 20-year career,

industry-development groups like the Lagos Angel

Keri

Network, Nigerian Economic Summit Group, and

has progressed through a range of roles including

women angel investor network Rising Tide Africa.

“By addressing this growing gender gap in technology, we’re empowering our young women to seek out the thriving, exciting careers of the future – the ones that are going to actually offer them the improved quality of life and upward mobility that a career in tech can provide.” - Dr. Tarika Barrett, CEO at Girls Who Code

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WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

“I was a female from Edo state,” she said,

special interest groups,” said Kate Bright, UK-based

“and I was ready to ensure that I left a

CEO and founder of global security consultancy firm

legacy so that whenever they saw the next

UMBRA International.

girl coming, they would give her some level of “Senior leaders and people within the industry are

respect.”

more inclined now to ask how you are – and ask it in

LOOK INWARDS TO LOOK OUT

a way that is actually meaningful.”

From Africa to Amsterdam, China to Canada, women in similar situations

With genuine enquiries backed by real action, she

are leveraging their own career

continued, “I’ve never known a time when there’s

experiences to build the support

a networking group for every interest and group

systems that Yeri lacked – and

across the industry – and there has never been

they’re doing it by building

a time when there has been more places for

industry groups that foster

people to try out their skills, and map them over

the experiences of like-minded

the industry. We can all look out for each other by

women.

looking out for ourselves.”

Whether for moral support, building professional networks or out of a sense of creating structures that will make it easier for the

FOR THE NEXT GENERATION Like many women, Dr Tarika Barrett has also drawn on her early influences for inspiration as

next generation of women to realise their

she navigated a career supporting disadvantaged

potential, the creation of women-focused

students that in 2016 led to her appointment as CEO

advocacy groups has exploded in recent years.

of Girls Who Code, a now-global organisation that has engaged over half a million girls, women and non-binary individuals through coding camps and

There are dozens of groups and programs like

clubs.

CyberHeroines, Girls4Tech, She Secures and the Australian Women in Security Network (AWSN)

The organisation’s goal – to address the IT

advocating for women in cybersecurity – and the

industry’s lingering gender gap – gelled with her own

number pushes into the hundreds by the time you

experience going to an all-girls’ high school.

add specialised groups focused on areas like AI, data analytics, and development, where women are being

“While there, I saw firsthand the transformative

empowered by organisations like Code Like a Girl,

impact that all-girls learning spaces can have,” she

TechGirls Movement, GoGirl, Go for IT, and more.

said as she joined Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) director Jen Easterley to

Many have been aided by the global reach of video

announce a new partnership intended to provide

collaboration tools adopted en masse during the

awareness, training, and pathways into cybersecurity

pandemic era, where locked-down and home-working

careers.

women turned online to channel their introspection and self-development as they honed their own

Thanks to her exposure to technology during high

resilience and the ways they can tap it to benefit the

school, Barrett said, “I also got bitten by the tech bug

broader cause of women in security.

and saw how hard it was to make that school open to any kid who wanted to [pursue tech].”

“The pandemic has, in some ways, unified that sense of personal resilience, and the idea of community and

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28.06.2022

F E AT U R E

“By addressing this growing gender gap in technology,

THE GEN Z DIFFERENCE

we’re empowering our young women to seek out the

Every woman working in the tech industry likely has a

thriving, exciting careers of the future – the ones that

not-dissimilar story to share – and with many drawing

are going to actually offer them the improved quality

from their initial apprehension of the challenge ahead

of life and upward mobility that a career in tech can

as inspiration to make a difference, the collective

provide.”

support structure available to today’s women is bigger, more diverse, and more available than ever

Increasing the visibility of cybersecurity careers can

before.

be instrumental for many Gen Z students finishing their studies and wondering which way to take their

Such organisations promise a far more nurturing

emerging careers.

environment for Gen Z workers that are emerging from university to find their own way in the world –

Cybersecurity offers opportunities even for those

and already feeling empowered to make a difference.

that haven’t pursued technical subjects through high school and university – and it’s often just a case of

“I wouldn’t be here today if there wasn’t something

connecting an eager young woman with the support

that I thought we could do better in the industry or

network and mentorship to help her find her feet.

something that we need to improve upon,” secondyear cybersecurity university student and Gen Z

Just ask Megan West, a cybersecurity incident

activist Kyla Guru noted during a recent Sophos

response consultant with IBM X-Force who

webinar.

completed a bachelor’s degree in political science and government in 2017 before learning about the

An active advocate for young people interested in

university’s new cybersecurity master’s degree.

cybersecurity, Guru has already engaged with a range of security teams and flagged “the huge issue that

“I knew it was an intriguing, up and coming field, and

young people weren’t discussing cybersecurity, and

I had always loved playing around with computers,”

that the whole industry was talking about the future of

she said during a recent International Women’s Day

cybersecurity – but that the future wasn’t in the room

webinar. “So I applied and was accepted.”

to represent themselves.”

While working on the cloud migration team at

That sense of disenfranchisement is steadily

integrator TD SYNNEX, West saw a position open for

dissipating thanks to concerted efforts to provide

an associate cybersecurity analyst and “randomly

the kind of direct support and encouragement that

applied for it, having no experience, no formal

the likes of Keri found so lacking early on – and that,

education, no certifications.”

Guru said, looks set to reinforce the Gen Z philosophy to create unprecedented opportunities for women in

With the encouragement of “number one supporter”

cybersecurity.

CISO Dan Lasher – who “knew I was shy in the beginning but saw something in me,” West said, she

“This generation is all about young people impacting

pressed her case for the new role.

and affecting other young people, and inspiring them to make a change in their lives,” she said,

“Honestly, just because of my proficiency, and being

noting increasing awareness as the next generation

able to communicate and explain why I was the best

“understand the changes that need to happen in our

fit for the role while working harder than anyone else

world to move forward into a better future.”

that was applying, they chose me for it – and my career launched from there.”

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“And I think cybersecurity is one of those changes.”

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

SECURITY DANCE PARTY: FOUR LESSONS FROM A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE TEAM by Sarah Innantuono, APAC Cyber Security Strategy and Program Lead Deepa Bradley, Global Transformation Executive - Cybersecurity Specialist Adam Hallyburton, IT Security Program Project Manager Hashim Khan, Digital, CyberSecurity and Agile Enthusiast

“Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.” - Verna Myers (inclusion strategist)

For diversity to be truly impactful and sustainable in

Microsoft estimates the well-known Solar Winds

an organisation it needs to be built on a foundation of

Hack took at least 1,000 engineers to create. Among

inclusion.

these, there would certainly be individuals with different life experiences, genders, religious beliefs,

Business thrives on diverse experiences and

cultural backgrounds and more. Imagine trying to

perspectives. Numerous studies have found a

combat this diversity of thought with a small team of

strong focus on diversity and inclusion can deliver

clones.

key benefits including better financial performance, increased creativity and innovation, greater employee

Cybercriminals come from all backgrounds and work

satisfaction, lower absenteeism and stronger talent

in a borderless environment. Security should too.

retention. Every area of a business can work to build diversity

FOUR LESSONS TO EMBED DIVERSITY AND FOSTER INCLUSION

and inclusion. However, fostering diversity and

The members of our newly formed Security Strategy,

embedding inclusion within cyber security is

Governance and Portfolio team represent diverse

increasingly critical because the richness of

cultural backgrounds, ethnicities, gender identities

experience helps solve complex problems for

and ages. We discuss our varied experiences of

businesses and their customers.

diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Reflecting on our individual career journeys, we found four key

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practices conducive to creating a diverse team and

them as individuals about their goals, their pain points

fostering inclusion.

and their gaps in knowledge. They welcomed the approach because it demonstrated their value to the

ENSURE EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY

program. I reviewed the skills people brought to the

Diversity and inclusion should be supported by

table and then looked at any gaps as opportunities to

policies and processes that ensure equality in a

uplift our capabilities to collaboratively deliver success.

business. Fundamentally, diversity and inclusion are aspects of equality and should be embedded

“Anyone who knows me knows I have zero tolerance

in all stages of the employee lifecycle. This may be

for harmful behaviours and remain observant of

through the use of “blind hiring” practices to mitigate

non-verbal cues that are indicative of unfair or unjust

underlying and inherent bias in recruitment processes,

practices within the workplace. I encourage teams to

or by employing defined and transparent processes

be open, authentic and considered in their approach.

for promotions and pay rises (and the criteria behind

I soon saw a positive change in the mood of the team

them).

as I listened and addressed pain points. It came to light that a team member who had previously been feeling

“In 2014 a young lad who desperately wanted an

vulnerable in the workplace because she had been

opportunity in the Middle East failed our technical

judged negatively due to her ‘accent’ finally felt safe.

interview even after completing an exceptional

I found out because she was courageous enough to

technical writeup test. I was curious to speak to the

share her experience with me and I was able to help

candidate since his technical test was brilliant, and

her regain her self-worth and confidence by offering

during the re-interview, I learned he had difficulty

her a genuine seat at the table with the visibility we all

explaining himself in English, not being his native

deserve and by showing her respect and appreciation

language. So, I comforted his nervousness by

for her brilliant contributions. I leveraged support

switching to Hindi and he was brilliant after that.

from the HR director to create safe conversation

Although my colleague rejected him after his interview,

forums and a poster campaign to encourage people

I still ended up hiring him. He helped us deliver some of

to speak up and raise awareness of what unkind and

the biggest initiatives back then, took the opportunity

unacceptable behaviours look like. This all resulted in

to improve his communication and today he is married,

a more harmonious and productive environment and

living with his family there in a well-settled senior role

highlighted that D&I is a right, not a privilege and is

which is paying four times more.” – Hashim Khan

about making sure none of us feels we have to walk alone.” – Deepa

MAKE LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABLE AND EMPOWERED It is important for security teams to cultivate inclusive

EMBRACE AUTHENTICITY AND CHAMPION OTHERS

leadership traits and ensure accountability for driving

The phrase ‘bring their authentic self into the

a diverse and inclusive culture and not relying solely

workplace’ is common when discussing diversity

on the human resources department. Importantly, it

and inclusion. Research has highlighted that being

is the responsibility of leaders to create infrastructure

authentic can drive greater personal connections

and processes that foster cultural norms, attitudes

leading to greater fulfilment in the workplace,

and behaviours and that craft a sense of belonging.

improved job performance and career success. Teams whose members communicate and visibly

“Fifteen years ago I was leading a transformation

embrace and champion this commitment can truly

program and inherited a PMO team who were capable

embed diversity.

and focused but seemed a little quiet and guarded. I believe in setting clear expectations and leading with

“I’ve lost count of the number of times throughout

kindness and respect so I met with each member of

my career I’ve witnessed the emergence of a

my new team to clarify objectives and I also asked

bad culture that does not empower others to be

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authentic. Micromanaging and preventing employees or colleagues from championing others or being championed themselves, failing to create a safe space in which employees can speak up, withholding

• Who feels safe producing ideas and do they get credit for them? • Are there any microaggressions? (red flag, discuss with HR)

vital information, and treating some employees different from others: all these practices lead to a

“If you see any ‘red flags’ have a confidential chat with

lack of diversity and a non-inclusive culture. Trusting

a leader you trust around actions to foster inclusion

individuals to do their job, creating a positive work

and work towards diversity.” -Sarah

environment in which individuals can flourish, actively listening and being empathetic because everyone’s

INVITATION TO THE SECURITY DANCE PARTY

situation is different: all these are critical to fostering a

Bringing in diverse talent with complementary

good culture. All of these and more are fantastic traits

skills, and ensuring an inclusive culture spanning

of a great leader and colleague.

behaviours and attitudes can go a long way towards bridging the global shortage of cyber security workers

“I recently moved into a newly established team

and retaining key talent.

with a new leader and I can honestly say I thought I knew what an amazing authentic leader was who

Our challenge to you is to embrace the four lessons

championed and embraced all aspects of myself and

identified above in your respective careers and craft

others, but in my current role I have had the privilege

a diverse and inclusive culture. Let’s work towards a

of working for the most empathetic, authentic and

security dance party!

passionate leader who has gone above and beyond to champion myself and colleagues and has given us the tools to be our authentic selves and has created a safe space in which we are able to talk about anything, whether it be work-related or a personal matter.” Adam Hallyburton

MAKE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY Just as security is everyone’s responsibility, so are diversity and inclusion. No one wants to dance alone. It is critical we all regularly check behaviours and attitudes within our teams and get comfortable speaking up when diversity and inclusion are not considered.

References: S. Dixon-Fyle, K. Dolan, V. Hunt & S. Prince, Diversity Wins: How inclusion Matters, 2022, website: https://www.mckinsey.com/ featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-howinclusion-matters National Cyber Security Centre, Decrypting Diversity, 2021, https:// www.ncsc.gov.uk/files/Decrypting-Diversity-v1.pdf J. P. Mello JR. 700K more cybersecurity workers, but still a talent shortage, TechBeacon, 2021, https://techbeacon.com/security/700kmore-cybersecurity-workers-still-talent-shortage L. Tung, Microsoft: SolarWinds attack took more than 1,000 engineers to create, ZDNet, 2021, https://hbr.org/2021/02/howmuch-of-your-authentic-self-should-you-really-bring-to-work P. Muncaster, Women in Cyber: Workplace equality will take a decade, InfoSecurity Magazine, 2020, https://www.infosecurity-magazine. com/news/women-cyber-workplace-equality/

“There have been times in my career when I have witnessed behaviour contrary to the cultivation of a diverse and inclusive workplace. It is important to regularly review your team and not wait for bad behaviour to escalate and shift culture. Next time you are in a meeting, look around the table or Zoom call and ask: • Is it a diverse group? • Who is doing all the talking? • Do people interrupt and talk over others?

Deepa: linkedin.com/in/deepa-bradley

Sarah: www.linkedin.com/in/sarahiannantuono/

medium.com/@protectyodata

Adam: www.linkedin.com/in/adam-hallyburton-307a6516/

Hashim: www.linkedin.com/in/hashimkhan86/

• Are people reluctant to speak up?

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SIMON CARABETTA

WE’RE WRESTLING WITH THE WRONG PROBLEM By Simon Carabetta, Cyber Communications Specialist

In September 2001 I stood outside the old, since

The referee they found was me. I got the call and

demolished, Perth Entertainment Centre waiting in a

learnt I would be in the ring with some big names

very long queue hoping to meet a childhood idol of

from the industry. I was a newbie. I had refereed only

mine, none other than Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart.

a few matches for my local group and had no idea what I was doing. But I was it. No one else in Perth

Yes, I admit, I grew up watching and loving

had my experience, nor were they willing to step up.

professional wrestling, and I’ll never make

So I said yes.

any apologies for that. Whether it was World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Nitro on Friday

I also said yes to a career in cyber security in much

nights or World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE)

the same way after teaching for almost 13 years. This

Monday Night Raw, I could not get enough of the

is why I am now able to make the very roundabout

action in the ring. Looking back on those days, I can

connection you readers have all been waiting for,

draw a lot of parallels between my entertainment of

much as I did in my two previous articles.

choice and the industry I see myself working in today. It’s all about the training. For me as a referee, Funnily enough, the highlight of that day back in

navigating the sometimes questionable, and yes

2001 was not only meeting the Hitman, it was also

wholly scripted, world of professional wrestling, there

bumping into a group of misfits much like myself

was far too much learning and too many moving

who said they were starting their own local wrestling

pieces to consider. Firstly, it’s not a sport in which

association. So I did the logical thing: I joined them.

you officiate. I wasn’t officiating at all. I was acting. Now don’t get me wrong, what happened in the ring

Fast forward nine months and I’m now standing

certainly wasn’t fake. A wrestler got hit in the face

inside a ring in the stadium I had been standing

with a chair, then they really got hit in the face with a

outside the previous September. The World Wrestling

chair. But there’s an art to doing it without inflicting

Allstars are touring Australia and, prior to their

too much damage. Wrestlers will bleed real blood,

touchdown in Perth, they had been wondering where

cop real bruises and break bones in the same way as

on earth they would find a referee.

any athlete.

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It’s all about the training. When you throw someone from the proverbial frying pan into the fire, there will be one of two outcomes. Either they will fly or they will fail. When we’re set up to fail, the outcome tends to lean more towards the latter. However, setting people up to fail is exactly what many organisations in our sector are doing. We see universities and TAFEs churning out large numbers of students with cyber qualifications but without the right tools, the necessary experience or the information they need to survive their first year in the industry. Collectively, we are setting up our cyber talent to fail and fall: to fall hard on the mat as they

more confusing, leaving both students and teachers

would if they had just received a body slam.

with the wrong impression of our industry.

Don’t get me wrong, there are also organisations

What we really need are clear university and TAFE

doing it the right way. CyberCX has proven itself in

pathways including more vocational education and

the graduate space, giving staff room to grow, and

training (VET) programs in schools teaching cyber

offering on-the-job support and a plethora of the right

security to older secondary school pupils and full

tools to enable early-career professionals to quickly

integration of cyber security into the curriculum.

find their feet and flourish. Bunnings here in Western Australia has a very good cyber security team and

What we really need is an education program that will

provides the right amount of support. In fact, if you

hit the gym, build some serious muscle and choke

look closely there are many heroes of the industry

slam the issues causing these talent and skills gaps.

ensuring our new wave of cyber soldiers is wellequipped and getting the right experiences.

What we really need is to have better engagement with schools and to stop talking about cyber security

The problem is, that we’re wrestling with the wrong

as a future industry and instead as a fact of life and

issue. Creating traineeships, graduate programs and

an essential skill that everyone needs. Digital literacy

excellent initiatives like the ADF Cyber Gap Program

is just as important as literacy and numeracy. This is

is all well and good, but what are we doing to address

the message that needs to strike hard, pin down the

cyber security at the grassroots level?

cyber gap, and nail it for the count of three.

If we are still projecting a shortfall of 16,000 security

If we continue setting up our future talent to fail with

workers by 2026, where do we envision them

short term visions and solutions that do not fix the

coming from? Borders have only just opened and

underlying issues we set up our entire industry to

while Australia may now seem more attractive than

fail. Just as with wrestling, the ring we find ourselves

ever, international students and new arrivals will

in can be extremely dangerous when we find our

not be drawn in numbers sufficient to fill that gap.

opponent, the cyber criminal, to be much more adept

We need to look within our own borders to students

and experienced than ourselves.

sitting in classrooms hungry for knowledge of future industries. Cyber security simply isn’t getting into our

www.linkedin.com/in/simoncarabetta/

schools to the extent it should and sadly when it is spoken about in classrooms, the conflation of cyber

twitter.com/carabettasimon

safety with cyber security makes cyber security even

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WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

MARISE ALPHONSO

TEN ELEMENTS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SECURITY By Marise Alphonso, Information Security Lead at Infoxchange

The most basic premise of security is the

play a pivotal role in providing guidance, threat

requirement to uphold the confidentiality, integrity and

intelligence and advice on cyber threats and security

availability of information. The practices, toolsets and

improvement practices for individuals, organisations

initiatives that assist our organisations and society at

of various sizes and governments.

large to achieve this are vast and diverse, in no small part due to our ever-expanding use of ever-advancing

2. Standards, frameworks and methodologies.

technology and the increasing digitisation of our lives.

These include: NIST CSF, the ISO/IEC27000 family

We need a range of tools to combat threat actors

of standards, ISO31000, FAIR, COBIT2019, ISM, PCI

and address the multifaceted challenges of the

DSS, OWASP Top 10, MITRE ATT&CK and CVSS.

information and cyber security arena.

They offer broad and industry-specific guidance and good practice. Some include components and

My top ten list of elements that contribute to making

methods that can be used to ascertain a baseline

a concrete difference in security, directly or indirectly

of practice and then determine which information

and in no particular order, are:

security efforts should be prioritised to maintain the risk appetite of an organisation within acceptable

1. The government cyber bodies around the world.

levels. Others are more technically focused, providing

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC),

guidance on how to address technical vulnerabilities.

the UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC),

the US CyberSecurity and Infrastructure Security

3. Security researchers and industry reports.

Agency (CISA) and other government cyber bodies

With the complexity of digital infrastructure and

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technology, security researchers play an extremely

Having this capability greatly assists an organisation

important role. They use their expertise to understand

to identify and notify anomalous or suspect activity.

vulnerabilities and the attack surfaces these could present. Reports such as the Verizon Data Breach

7. Legislative and regulatory requirements. CPS234,

Investigations Report (DBIR) are valuable sources of

the SLACIP Act, the Privacy Act (including the NDB

information on global trends in security incidents and

scheme) and VPDSS are some of these requirements

data breaches.

in Australia. They aim to ensure the protection of information, secure business operations and protect

4. Security awareness initiatives. Awareness is the

the digital economy. They drive information and

first step towards driving change. For individuals

cyber security practices across various sectors of the

and organisations awareness and education on the

economy.

behaviours needed to uphold secure practices are key. Such initiatives run the gamut from spreading

8. Open source software security initiatives. The US

awareness of current threats such as phishing and

White House Security Council, the Linux Foundation

business email compromise to cyber safety for

and the Open Source Software Security Foundation

children and families. Campaigns to educate the

(OpenSSF) have held two summits this year aimed

public about the dangers of excessive sun exposure

at bringing key organisations together to collectively

(slip-slop-slap) and the urgent need for recycling

address issues associated with open source software

(Remade in Australia) served to increase awareness

security. Following the Log4j vulnerability in late

in these areas. In a similar way, various bodies such

2021 their efforts are required to safeguard systems

as the eSafety Commissioner and the Office of the

Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) run annual campaigns during Safer Internet Day and

9. Security news (journalists and podcasters). Not

Privacy Awareness Week to educate and inform the

a day goes by without there being something to

public about the need for data protection.

report on in the security world. Security professionals rely on trusted sources of information to provide

5. Password managers and multi-factor

insight and advice on incidents and events impacting

authentication (MFA) mechanisms. Password

organisations and individuals. Some of my favourites

compromise has been a leading cause of security

in this space are Brian Krebs, Kim Zetter and Risky.biz.

incidents and data breaches over recent years according to the 2021 Verizon DBIR. Password

10. Security industry bodies. Industry bodies such

managers and MFA have raised the bar in protection

as AWSN, AISA, ISACA and ISC2 provide information

of access to IT systems and services. Microsoft,

security professionals with access to professional

Google and Apple have recently committed to

networks, events and conferences to share

implementing passwordless authentication on their

knowledge. They also provide the opportunity for

platforms (mobile device, browser and operating

skills certification against knowledge in the security,

system), but until that happens we must continue to

risk, audit and privacy domains.

use the products and technology that keep system access secure.

Those are just ten elements. There are plenty other elements making a difference, particularly the daily

6. Security Operations Centres (SOCs). The recent

efforts of all the individuals working in the security

ACSC Cyber Threat Report (September 2021) says

industry to keep their organisations secure.

the 2020-21 financial year saw rapid growth in the exploitation of security vulnerabilities. SOCs which

www.linkedin.com/in/marise-alphonso/

operate continuously are a centralised function for monitoring an organisation’s technical environment.

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WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

AMPLIFYING THE DIVERSE VOICES OF CYBER SECURITY By Kavika Singhal, Western Sydney University, Final Year Student Emily Goodman, Cyber Security Consultant at EY Michelle Gatsi, Cyber Security Consultant at EY Shinesa Cambric, Principal Product Manager, Microsoft Intelligent Protections Emerging Identity at Microsoft Jay Hira, Director of Cyber Transformation at EY

Diversity in the cyber security workforce is slowly but

this is a major challenge for industry and society.

steadily shifting from being merely a tick box exercise

Every role in cyber is significant and I believe the field

to being led authentically. Diversity can be defined in

should accommodate the needs of individuals from

many ways, but at its core is about embracing people

diverse professional and academic backgrounds. I

not only for the value they bring, but also for how

am also passionate about cyber awareness and the

they present. As cyber security practitioners from

importance of effective communication on healthy

various walks of life we got together as a group to

cyber practices. I believe it is important for us to build

share who we are, what excites us, what challenges

a more secure online world by protecting the most

us about working in cyber security and what making a

vulnerable in the community, such as children and the

difference in cyber security means to us.

elderly.

RESPONSES FROM CONTRIBUTORS

Emily: My name is Emily Goodman and I am

Kavika: My name is Kavika Singhal and I identify as

passionate about learning and continuing to broaden

an inquisitive learner – I learn by asking questions.

my knowledge. Originally, I studied accounting and

Curious by nature, my deep passion for cyber

marketing at university. However, I felt I was not

security stems from my interest in crime novels and

fulfilling my purpose whilst working in my previous

technology since the tender age of eight. The quest

roles. I decided to pursue postgraduate studies in

to gain the best of both worlds led me to pursue my

cyber security because of my curiosity and desire to

degree in Cybersecurity and Behaviour at Western

learn. I was also inspired to enter the field following

Sydney University. During my academic journey,

the great shift and uncertainty that came with the

I worked in various roles with several remarkable

COVID-19 pandemic. Growing up, I loved to create

organisations. My fascination with technology and

obstacle courses. I view cyber security in a similar

how it influences and shapes human behaviour, (ie,

way, as a big obstacle course. It presents many

human-computer interaction) continues to motivate

challenges that require analytical thinking and

me to know more.

problem solving to overcome.

My understanding of cyber security is constantly

My time working in cyber has been brief. However, I

evolving. I have learned that cyber security is not

have enjoyed every minute of it. Cyber security has

just about staying ahead of criminals but also about

helped shape the perspectives of my everyday life

holding strong together to stay ahead. Unfortunately,

and I have learned a lot in the process. I am also

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P E R S P E C T I V E S

surrounded by supportive and motivating colleagues

One area of cyber security I am excited to see

who encourage me every step of the way.

improving is diversity and inclusion. I am encouraged to see a diverse mix of people thriving in leadership

Initially, I was quite intimidated when joining cyber

positions and in the industry as a whole. We are

because I did not have robust IT experience, so I think it is important the cyber industry accepts a wide variety of career backgrounds. It is an industry that encourages people with different perspectives and views, and I am grateful for the opportunities I have been offered to get involved with cyber initiatives. I am proud to be a part of a cyber industry that is continually growing and welcoming people with diverse experiences.

“Cyber security has managed to gain a seat at the board table. The next goal is the dinner table. We need to start educating a new generation of cyber heroes, as young as five, on the good and bad actors of cyberspace. We need to inform and empower them with tips on protecting their identity and staying safe online.” - Jay Hira, Director of Cyber Transformation at EY

Michelle: My name is MichelleRutendo Gatsi and I consider myself an ambitious learner. I was born in Zimbabwe and raised mostly in Australia.

problem solvers and I cannot think of a more effective

My academic background is in social science,

way to solve a problem than to leverage as many

criminology and cyber security risk management.

different perspectives as possible to achieve a common goal. These different perspectives result

I like to think of the cyber security industry as one

from diversity in culture, gender, age and experience:

big house with many ‘rooms’ in which we can

everyone brings something valuable to the table

choose to spend our time, from incident response

through their personal experiences.

to vulnerability management. Also, I really enjoy the collaborative nature of the industry. There is a

Shinesa: My name is Shinesa Cambric. When I

truckload of resources available, but sometimes

was in middle school I had a teacher tell me I love

I get swept up by the never-ending whirlwind of

challenges, and in my cyber security career journey,

information. So, I try to remind myself I don’t need to

I’ve continuously faced new challenges that required

know everything from the outset, that learning is part

me to stand up or stand out. I believe my love of

of the journey.

these challenges has drawn me to cyber security

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and is the reason I continue to stay, currently as a

all my energy into pursuing my passion for cyber

Principal Product Manager and leading the Intelligent

security.

Protection of Emerging Identities team at Microsoft. For me, cyber security is a dynamic puzzle with layers Embracing challenges has often led me into

of complexity. As soon as we get closer to solving the

environments where I was the only person of colour,

puzzle the coordinates change and the complexity

or the only woman, in the room. Championing the

evolves, making the puzzle more difficult to solve.

need for different perspectives helped me build a

This means practitioners need to continuously learn

career that combined in-depth knowledge of identity

and adapt, which is the best thing about working in

and access management and GRC well before these

cyber security.

began to rise in popularity. Today, I’ve learned to use my voice as a strategic thinker, problem-solver and

It is in an industry that abounds in numbers and

advocate for diversity in tech, but I wish I had found

statistics. If I were to wish for one thing it would be

the courage to do so much sooner.

that we make more use of analogies and stories to convey our messages instead of scaremongering

Diverse candidates continue to be under-represented

with statistics.

in cyber security, and with the shortage of workers throughout the cyber security industry embracing

Cyber security has managed to gain a seat at the

diverse candidates could make all the difference

board table. The next goal is the dinner table. We

to creating safer companies and safer societies.

need to start educating a new generation of cyber

My passion for diversity and my understanding

heroes, as young as five, on the good and bad actors

of security architecture, identity and access

of cyberspace. We need to inform and empower them

management and GRC have led me to embrace a

with tips on protecting their identity and staying safe

concept I call ‘identity in-depth’, where identity is

online while dealing with cyber villains such as bullies,

thought of as having multiple layers.

scammers and fakers.

For me, identity is not just the way a person looks,

SUMMARY

but also the background and viewpoints they bring to

Cyber security is complex. To develop an effective

problem-solving. We need to secure digital identities

and sustainable solution to this complex problem

using a similar perspective. Both diversity and strong

we as cyber practitioners must come together and

identity management controls are necessary to

build a more inclusive industry that welcomes diverse

address the challenges of building resilient cyber

perspectives, experiences, personalities and cultures

security programs that will be the key competitive

that creates a safe and inclusive environment.

differentiators between good and great companies in

Together, we can make a difference by educating the

the digital world.

next generation of cyber heroes, focusing on cyber resilience, embracing diversity and sharing stories

Jay: My name is Jay Hira and I consider myself

and analogies.

a lifelong learner. When I was young I was very competitive and focused on being number one. I

www.linkedin.com/in/kavika-singhal

soon got hit with a dose of humility that changed my perspective and the course of my career. The need

www.linkedin.com/in/emily-goodman-b9a023144/

to be the best was replaced with a strong desire to collaborate, share, learn and grow with the team to

www.linkedin.com/in/michellegatsi/

achieve collective wins. As I grew older (and wiser — at least I’d like to believe so) I became clearer about my purpose and who I wanted to be, and I channelled

www.linkedin.com/in/shinesa-cambric-cissp-ccspcisa%C2%AE-0480685/ www.linkedin.com/in/jayhira/

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Contact us today to find out how you can become an industry contributor, no matter the level of experience. reach out now www.womeninsecuritymagazine.com

KAYELENE KERR

EDUCATING AND EMPOWERING CHILDREN Interview with Kayelene Kerr, Body Safety, Cyber Safety and Pornography Education Specialist |Child Safety Advocate | Founder eSafeKids

This is a public health crisis we can no longer afford to ignore. Children’s unrestricted access to pornography can and must be addressed. Perhaps this is the child protection issue of our time. Kayelene is recognised as one of Western Australia’s

We interviewed her to learn more about her

most experienced specialist providers of protective

organisation and her services to protect children.

behaviours, body safety, cyber safety, digital wellness and pornography education workshops. She has dedicated her working life to protecting and serving the community, in both the government and not-for-

What first piqued your interest in working to counter children’s access to pornography and its impact on them?

profit sector. The internet and technology have transformed the She is passionate about the prevention of child

way we learn, create, connect and are entertained. It

abuse, sexual exploitation and sexual violence

has given our children access to the world but has

and draws on over 25 years’ experience in study

also given the world access to our children.

and law enforcement, investigating sexual crimes, including technology-facilitated crimes. Kayelene

Whilst our children gain immense benefits from

believes protecting children from harm is a shared

being online there are also risks. I observed the

responsibility and she aims to inspire the trusted

increase in the number of children online and saw

adults in children’s lives to tackle sometimes

a corresponding upward trend in cases of online

challenging topics.

grooming, child sexual abuse and exploitation, sextortion, youth-produced sexual content, imagebased abuse and exposure to pornography.

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P E R S P E C T I V E S

Portable electronic devices in particular changed the way pornography is accessed and how pornography accesses children. Whilst pornography is not new, the nature and accessibility of pornography have changed considerably.

At what ages do you see child access to pornography becoming an issue? Do you think most parents understand the extent to which pornography has become part of children’s online experience, especially very young children?

Knowing that children are growing up in a world where it’s impossible to avoid sexualised media and

It’s not a matter of ‘if’ children will see pornography

pornography I’ve worked tirelessly since 2015 to

but ‘when’ and the when is getting earlier and earlier

develop and deliver workshops to address the harmful

in their lives. In Australia, the age of first exposure

effects of pornography on children and young people.

is reported as being between eight and 10. Prepubescent exposure to pornography is particularly

Knowing that many parents, carers, educators

problematic.

and other professionals working with children and young people often struggle to start much-needed

I think parents are largely unaware of the nature and

conversations and education I’ve developed and

prevalence of online pornography. This is concerning

delivered practical, strategy-rich workshops to

given we know exposure and access to pornography

educate, equip, empower and support people who live

can have a negative impact on children’s health, well-

and work with children and young people.

being and safety.

The main purpose of your website seems to be to offer your services. There’s a limit to what one person can achieve. Do you find demand for your services outstripping supply and do you plan to expand?

Pornography’s effect on children and young people is amplified by the absence of adequate education and conversation in the home, school and wider community. Many parents and carers are unaware of how readily available pornography is. Pornography is the primary, and in many cases, the only education

I spent 21 years working in a government organisation

children and young people receive about relationships

and seven years working in the not-for-profit sector.

and sexuality.

At this point in time, I don’t plan to expand eSafeKids. I believe in collaboration over competition and

Concerningly, a significant portion of pornography

continue to work with a number of organisations and

children view either accidentally or intentionally

individuals across Australia to address this public

contains violent images and themes. Research

health crisis.

has found exposure to pornography can result in; children displaying harmful and problematic sexual

You have some informational/instructional videos on eSafeKids. Any plans to develop interactive online training for parents and/or people who work with children?

behaviours, child-on-child sexual abuse, sexual

This year I plan to develop online training for parents,

Studies also suggest frequent viewing of pornography

carers, educators and other professionals. I will also

may reinforce harmful gender stereotypes, contribute

continue to develop and source free and accessible

to young men forming unhealthy and sexist views of

content to support the trusted adults in children’s

women and sex, condoning violence against women

lives.

and developing sexually coercive behaviours.

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aggression and violence, sexism, objectification, risky sexual behaviours and poor mental health and wellbeing.

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

The Third Action Plan of the National Plan to Reduce

that anticompetitive behaviour from a handful of

Violence against Women and their Children had a

major tech companies is preventing parents from

focus on “better understanding and countering the

adequately protecting their children online.

impact of pornography given increasing evidence showing a correlation between exposure to online

Big tech companies have clearly demonstrated

pornography and the sexual objectification of women

they are unwilling or unable to self-regulate. Sadly,

and girls, the development of rape cultures and the

and with devastating consequences, children’s

proliferation of sexual assault.” There may also be

fundamental human rights are not prioritised. Big

other impacts, on things such as body image, mental

tech is exploiting its market dominance at the

health, academic performance, addiction and erectile

expense of children and families. At the moment for

function.

the most part parents and carers are the first and last line of defence.

Where are children getting most of their access to porn today: from dedicated porn sites, or from social media services like Facebook, TikTok etc?

Until big tech does more to safeguard children from pornography and other illegal, harmful and hurtful content, the responsibility rests with us, the trusted adults in children’s lives. This is a public health

Children with access to the internet on any device

crisis we can no longer afford to ignore. Children’s

at home, at a friend’s place, at school or in any of

unrestricted access to pornography can and must be

our community spaces are at risk of exposure.

addressed. Perhaps this is the child protection issue

Pornography is readily available through most online

of our time.

sites and services our children use. It is now harder to avoid pornography than see it. Online services, apps and platforms frequently contain illegal, hurtful and harmful content. For many children, it’s too

The Protecting the age of innocence report, to which you made a submission, came out in 2020 with six recommendations.

much, too soon. Many pornography sites are not age-gated and the gating on those that are is often

•

response?

ineffective because users self-certify their age. The most common ways children are exposed to pornography are; being shown it/sent it by someone,

Do you feel they represented an adequate

•

What is your view on actions, if any, that have been taken to implement those?

googling sexual terms and unintentional exposure – advertising, pop-ups etc.

Australia ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990, which means

Do you think the major social media platforms should do more to protect children from pornography and if so, what?

Australia has a duty to protect children from harm. There is a substantial body of national and international research that demonstrates children are being harmed.

The Strengthening Online Safety: Empowering

Australian Parents To Keep Their Children Safe

The Protecting the age of innocence report made a

Online report, to which I contributed, highlighted

number of recommendations. One of which was for

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P E R S P E C T I V E S

the creation of the eSafety Commissioner to lead

the opportunities for child sex offenders and other

the development of an implementation roadmap

financially motivated criminals to sexually exploit

for a mandatory age verification scheme for online

children will continue to increase. This has created

pornography. Extensive consultation and research

an ideal criminogenic environment because there are

are being undertaken to identify what proportionate,

abundant opportunities for crimes to be committed,

effective and feasible age verification and

highly motivated offenders, a lack of coordinated

infrastructure would look like. Whilst this is a positive

and effective regulation and an absence of adequate

step forward to safeguard children it will not be a

parental supervision, education and conversation.

silver bullet and will not be without challenges. Even young people from being exposed to pornography.

ESAFEKIDS WORKSHOPS, TRAINING AND RESOURCES

This means accurate, comprehensive, inclusive,

In the absence of adequate education in the home,

shame-free relationships and sexuality education is

school and wider community, pornography is the

essential.

primary and in many cases, the only education

the most robust controls will not prevent children and

children and young people receive about relationships

What do you see for the future? The latest thing seems to be virtual reality porn, which, according to one article, “transforms users from passive observers of sexual fantasies on screens into active participants in immersive erotic experiences.”

and sexuality. Kayelene strives to reduce and prevent harm through proactive and preventative education, supporting and inspiring parents, carers, educators and other professionals to talk with children, young people and vulnerable adults about pornography.

•

Is it going to be possible through formal and informal education, technology, parental

eSafeKids provides evidence-based Reducing

guidance, etc to stem the tide?

the Harm: Talking About Pornography workshops

What do you see as the consequences if we fail

throughout metropolitan and regional Australia and

to do so?

internationally. These workshops can be delivered face-to-face at your location or online as a webinar.

VR pornography is already here and with the Metaverse on the horizon the need to protect children

eSafeKids also provides books and resources to teach

has never been greater. A recent large-scale study

children about social and emotional intelligence,

of 150,000 pornographic videos demonstrated that

respectful relationships, diversity, resilience, empathy,

one in eight titles advertised to first-time users of

gender equality, consent, body safety, protective

the top three porn sites described sexually violent,

behaviours, cyber safety, digital wellness, media

coercive and non-consensual content. This is what

literacy, puberty and pornography.

our young people are seeing. This is what our children are seeing. It is fair to say pornography is playing a

www.linkedin.com/in/kayelene-kerr-a2aa1b197/

key role in creating a climate in which sexual violence and coercive and non-consensual behaviours are

www.esafekids.com.au/

normalised and eroticised. If we fail to act the consequences for our children and future generations will be devastating. The internet poses a particular challenge because those seeking to victimise children take advantage of

www.youtube.com/channel/UCHWmjg_v53YaDt6U0Mik8EQ www.instagram.com/esafekids www.facebook.com/eSafeKids

the relative anonymity that online interaction provides. As the internet and technology continue to advance,

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WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

COGNITIVE BIAS: IT’S CORRODING CYBER SECURITY by Stuart Corner

Shanna Daly Cyber Security, Incident Response, Digital Forensics. Advisor, Speaker, Streamer, & Master of Shenanigans.

And under the pressure of responding to a security breach, cognitive biases can really come into play. The definition continues: “Biases are unconscious and automatic processes designed to make decisionmaking quicker and more efficient.” So what is to be done about it? Individually not a

Cognitive, or implicit biases. We all have them, from

lot, Daly said. “It’s a bit difficult to notice our own

simple things like choosing to buy coffee from a café

biases. It becomes challenging to recognise and

with an Italian-looking barista believing Italians to be

acknowledge these behaviours in ourselves. But

better baristas, to always want the same seat on a

when we become aware of our shortcomings we

bus.

can use what we have discovered in ourselves to help our leadership style, correct or potentially stop

Those were just two examples Shanna Daly, former

discriminatory behaviour in ourselves and in others.”

Chief Trust Officer at Paraflare (now Principal Consultant at Cosive), cited in her AusCert 2022

DEFEATING BIAS WITH DIVERSITY

talk, Overcoming cognitive bias. What’s cognitive, or

In cyber security the solution, she said, is to build

implicit, bias got to do with cyber security? A lot, Daly argued. “If implicit bias affects the decisions made by individuals in security teams, then that will affect security and, potentially, the security of the entire organisation.” If you take this definition of cognitive bias, from a

diverse teams because people from different backgrounds, people with different experiences, and different outlooks have different cognitive biases, which are likely to counteract each other. “Diverse teams are more likely to constantly re-examine the facts and remain objective.”

psychology website, it’s easy to see why. “A cognitive

And there are many biases that should be considered

bias is a subconscious error in thinking that leads you

when trying to craft a diverse team. Daly went on

to misinterpret information from the world around

to discuss how other inherent behaviours: authority

you and affects the rationality and accuracy of

bias and automation bias can compromise the

decisions and judgments.”

performance of cyber security specialists.

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Authority bias is the tendency to attribute greater accuracy to the opinion of an authority figure and to be more influenced by that opinion. She talked of the Power Distance Index (PDI), a measure applied to nations that rates, in general, its people’s respect for authority. An individual from a high PDI country would be less likely to question an email purporting to come from the CEO or CFO that asks for changes to be made to the bank account for payment. “It is something to consider when you’re hiring a team and you’re looking at people’s backgrounds,” Daly said. “And a woman from one of those countries is probably going to have double the challenge when it comes to their ability to talk up.”

BEWARE AUTOMATION BIAS Automation bias is likely to be particularly dangerous in a cyber security specialist. It is the tendency to over-rely on automation. Someone with automation bias is likely to over accept computer output as a heuristic replacement for vigilant information seeking and processing, Daly said. Summing up, she said building a diverse team was far from easy. “You need to go out of your way to make it happen. It’s critical to evaluate individuals and team members holistically when you’re building out security teams, particularly those charged with protecting organisations and or conducting investigations. “Avoid trying to hire someone for culture fit. Don’t use it as a hiring metric. Look for those people who are going to make a contribution to the computing community. If you build the right team, the culture will come.” www.linkedin.com/in/shannadaly/

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WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE PUBLISHER NAMED AUSCERT DIVERSITY & INCLUSION CHAMPION by Stuart Corner

took on the task of reviving the neglected CSO (Chief

Abigail Swabey PUBLISHER, and CEO of Source2Create

Security Officer) brand, encompassing a magazine and events, and giving it an Australian focus. “I could see huge potential for it and at that stage, I was really trying to find a way to break into a different market, one where there was exponential growth,

In the criteria for its Diversity and Inclusion Champion

and security was it,” she says. While pursuing that

award, AusCERT cites the Diversity Council of

challenge she became aware of concerns about the

Australia’s definition of a diversity and inclusion

lack of women in the industry and the challenges the

champion as “someone who plays both a symbolic

few female participants faced.

and an active strategic role.” This year’s winner, Abigail Swabey, publisher of the Women in Security

“I read articles about how women in security were

Magazine and producer of the Australian Women in

sparse, research reports where the numbers were so

Security Awards and their New Zealand counterpart,

skewed you thought it must have been wrong, blogs

plays a role in diversity that goes well beyond being

on how to retain the small number of women already

merely symbolic or simply strategic: it is eminently

in security, requests for female mentors or career

practical and tactical.

advice, and social posts on how to not be the only female in the room.”

In her own words, the magazine and the awards “give me a platform to scream and shout to try and make a

As a parent of teenage girls, Swabey was also well

difference for the greater good.”

aware of the challenges girls with any aspirations in STEM face. “They were growing up in a school

Her introduction to the world of cyber security, and

system where tech subjects were not cool, STEM

the challenges women face being a part of it, came

didn’t get much of a mention and IT was led by a

15 years ago when, as an account director at IDG

nerdy uncool teacher. Why would teen girls even go

Communications in search of a new challenge, she

for this?”

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AMBITIOUS GOALS Wanting to “do something that would help, or at least push other parties to come forward and do something,” Swabey started looking around and found the Australian Women in Security Network (AWSN) and its founder Jacqui Loustau. From that meeting grew a long friendship and a professional relationship, and Swabey’s determination to “do something” for women in cyber security. She set herself some ambitious goals. “I thought I would make it my job to try and change the way females are seen within security, to increase the numbers of females in security, to show females a career path in security they may or may not have known they had, to elevate those females already within security so everybody would know who they

LAUNCHING WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

are and what they do, and deliver a platform for

In comparison to the blood, sweat and tears

females to use within security.”

Swabey shed launching the awards, launching the magazine was a walk in the park. “I didn’t really

Her first major initiative to achieve these lofty goals

have any challenges. I guess the only challenge was

was the Australian Women in Security Awards, which

how I would pay for it. I quickly did some numbers

debuted in 2020. They did not have an easy birth.

and decided I wasn’t going to fret about that. My company would pay until people want to promote

“No one in the industry really wanted to support

their organisations in it. I’m not going to kill myself

them, no one wanted to put money behind them, and

trying to sell it. If organisations don’t see the value in

hardly anyone wanted to nominate. So, basically, all

putting dollars behind it then so be it. It’s easier for

I had was a great idea and nothing else. That soon

me to get the magazine out there to see if it works.

changed with a bit of blood, sweat and a lot of tears,

If I decide later on that revenue needs to be a priority

and a ton of social media nagging.”

I will change tack, but that’s definitely not the case right now.”

The awards now pay for themselves and Swabey’s aim is to acknowledge more women in the industry.

That company is Source2Create, a boutique media

“I want to try and recognise as many individuals,

and marketing house, Swabey founded in 2020

companies, volunteers, mentors, champions and

after almost 14 years with IDG Communications

programs as I possibly can, and then I want to shout

(now named Foundry). Source2Create, she says has

about them so that everyone knows about them.

enabled her to “build on my passions: the Women

That’s where my growth from these awards will

in Security Magazine and the Women in Security

come.

Awards. Those passions give me a platform to scream and shout to try and make a difference for

“Some say I’m short-sighted in what my growth

the greater good.”

potential for these awards is or I am crazy not to use them as a revenue spinner, but I didn’t start this

She’s come a long way from her childhood spent in a

project to make money. I did it to make a difference,

small town in the UK when she aspired, first, to be an

and if that means it’s one state at a time, or one

English teacher and then a sports teacher, because

country, so be it, but I will make a difference and

“I didn’t love my English teacher so I struggled to

overcome every challenge put in my way.”

remain passionate and focused the majority of my time and efforts on sports.”

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WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

Swabey came to Australia to help her father clear up

promote diversity in the industry giving her “a louder

her grandfather’s estate. “The travelling bug took over

voice, one to be taken more seriously when it comes

and all I then wanted to do was travel, and Australia

to diversity and inclusion.”

seemed a big enough place to do that in.” And she says the movement to increase the number She credits Loustau and Mandy (Amanda-Jane)

of women in cyber security has, to some extent,

Turner, today an adjunct lecturer in criminology

become a victim of its own success. “I can see

for the University of Queensland, as being two key

businesses going out of their way now to hire women,

influences on her journey into cyber security, along

but is it for the right reasons? Is it because they are

with Matt Tett founder and managing director of

women, or because they are also the best candidate?

ENEX TestLab.

Is it to increase your diversity ratio so you get to tick that box?

MAJOR INFLUENCES Key influences on her overall life journey have been

DIVERSITY CHALLENGES REMAIN

“dear friend Reshma Shetty for giving me the courage

Swabey is being coy about her next steps. “We have

to go after what I want, and my husband Scott

some projects we are working on right now for 2023,

Swabey for always pushing me to believe in myself,

so watch this space, because they are very exciting.

telling me always I am capable of doing anything

They are still within the women in the security realm.

when I put my mind to it.” For her role at IDG, her

I’m sticking to what I know!”

former boss Davy Adams gets the credit “for letting me just get on with running a brand the way I wanted

Maybe there is a clue in her comments on how the

without having to constantly be held back and for

industry is approaching diversity. “I see the huge

allowing me to trust myself enough to build and use a

challenge of our industry being stuck in this never-

team that I handpicked to come on that journey with

ending loop of ‘we have a skills shortage but we only

me.”

accept experience blah, blah, blah’. Honestly, take a risk on the graduates, bring them in at entry-level

One achievement she gives no one but herself

and train them up for what you ultimately want. That

credit for is launching a security magazine. “I love

would be more effective rather than where we are at

magazines,” she says. “Every time someone said to

right now in a stalemate with ourselves.”

me in my career ‘print is dead’ I would snap back that they were wrong and that there will always be a place

“I see a market trying to work out the diversity

for print—digital or physical—in the world, same as

element within their workforces for men, women,

books.

non-binary identity individuals etc, but not thinking of the next step of inclusion, belonging and culture.

“So I launched a magazine to prove everyone wrong,

I would love to play devil’s advocate and have

and lo and behold the subscribers came and loved

businesses start running the blind recruit concept,

it and with every issue that subscriber base just

where the gender or the name is not disclosed, just

keeps growing and growing. So there is a clear want

the qualifications and experience. It’s an easy route to

and need for the magazine in the industry. It’s not a

reducing biases.”

money-making tool for me. It was, is and will always be my passion project: a platform I can use alongside

www.linkedin.com/in/abigail-swabey-95145312/

the awards to be able to give something back to the industry and that I am delivering on without question.”

aby@source2create.com.au

Swabey says she was shocked to receive the AusCERT Diversity award, unaware she had been nominated. She hopes it will strengthen her ability to

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Easy Reliable Resourceful No job is too big or too small. We look after your marketing & content needs so you can get on with what you do best. GET CONNECTED AND TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR BUSINESS SUCCESS TODAY!

charlie@source2create.com.au

aby@source2create.com.au

vasudha@source2create.com.au

NIVI NEWAR

THE TANGIBLE UPLIFT PROGRAM By Nivi Newar, Head of Cyber Security Strategy & Governance at UNSW

There’s a shift underway in the level of skills and

reduce cyber risk exposure to an acceptable level.

experience sought for cyber security positions and

Strategic program timeframes are now 18 to 24

it’s not helping women, says Nivedita (Nivi) Newar. So

months instead of three to five years.

she decided to do something about it.

GROWING DEMAND FOR SPECIALISTS Nivi, whose ‘day job’ is Head of Cyber Security

“This change is driving the demand for professionals

Strategy & Governance at UNSW, with a couple of

with niche cyber security qualifications, specific

others, has founded the Tangible Uplift Program-

subject matter expertise and significant experience in

Women in Cyber Security Leadership program. Its

delivering security solutions within specific industry

aim: to train and assist 50 women across Australia

types. Therefore, the barriers to entry into cyber

to pass the CISM written exam in 2022 and increase

security have never been higher. This demand has

their cyber security skills and knowledge, uplift their

made it harder for women to penetrate the industry.

credibility and marketability and assist them with job

However, the industry has not yet fully recognised the

readiness.

new challenge.

Nivi says she was moved to start the program by

“There is already an extremely low percentage of

what she saw as a seismic shift in the cyber security

capable female leaders under 40 years of age in

landscape and a consequent shift in the skills sought

cyber security senior leadership positions. In addition

which disadvantaged women looking to enter cyber

to that, the percentage of women applying for cyber

security or advance their careers.

leadership and managerial roles is incredibly low.”

“Cyber security threats are growing rapidly because of

Nivi says this trend has the potential to become

complex, sophisticated and well-funded nation-state

a vicious circle. “Women need examples of other

attacks resulting in catastrophic impacts that have

successful female role models or influencers in

the potential to drive organisations to extinction,” she

sustained and upward trending leadership roles to be

says. “As a result, the delivery timeframes of cyber

able to visualise themselves in one.”

security programs are being shortened by half to

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On a more positive note, she says the prospects for

To develop the program Nivi worked for several

women seeking entry-level roles are better. “There is

months with colleagues, industry peers and external

some flexibility at the mid to junior level roles where

partners including ISACA Sydney Chapter, ISACA

mentoring and training can be afforded.”

International, IT Masters (CSU), CAUDIT, Cyber Risk Meetup, Cyan, Australian Information Security

A HEFTY COMMITMENT

Association (AISA).

Interest in the program suggests Nivi was spot on with the idea. All 50 positions were filled within days

Nivi’s ambitions extend well beyond this initial

of launch, despite the fact it requires late evening

program. She envisages it as precipitating a global

participation over four months, and preregistration for

movement that will give women who aspire to be

the ISACA CISM exam at a cost of $US575 for ISACA

leaders in cyber security a “tangible uplift” to their

members and $US760 for non-members.

careers.

The Tangible Uplift Program includes online training

She hopes to create momentum for the program by

and preparation for the CISM exam. Nivi says much

getting at least one of the participants to give back to

research went into choosing this particular exam

the program when they have benefited from it, and for

as “the most suitable and credible certification for

the program to be adopted by thought leaders in other

management roles in cyber security” for women

countries.

aspiring to senior roles. The majority of applications came from more experienced women, contrary to Nivi’s initial expectations. She suggests there may have been a lack of awareness of government funding and tax offsets for the cost among more junior women. Only 36 per cent of

“Women need examples of other successful female role models or influencers in sustained and upward trending leadership roles to be able to visualise themselves in one.”

applications claimed to be aware they could claim the cost of training and certification against income tax. Nivi says statistics from the 2021 Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) Salary in Australia | PayScale seem to show a correlation between the percentage of women in leadership positions and the percentage of female CISM certification holders in Australia.

MEDIA PARTNERS To raise awareness of the program and create a sustainable model, Nivi has partnered with MySecurity Media and Australian Cyber Security Magazine to highlight its impact on participants and hopefully encourage more women to apply.

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WHAT’S ON OFFER

and showcase the technologies and processes they

Participants in the program get: free one-year AISA

use in their jobs.

membership and free four weeks of online CISM training: CAUDIT offers participants the free short

The program will also give participants a unique

course Certified Information Security Manager

opportunity to hear from industry leaders (CISOs of

(CISM) Prep, in collaboration with IT Masters. This

reputable organisations) about the significance of

technical course guides participants through the rich,

cyber security certifications in the hiring process and

but sometimes long and mystical, CISM material in

other factors taken into account when considering an

preparation for the exam. The course webinars have

applicant for a management or leadership role.

been recorded and are available to participants on demand.

REWARD FOR TOP FIVE CISM EXAM SCORERS The top five CISM exam scorers passing the exam by

Each participant will also receive a 20 per cent

1 December 2022 will receive a pass to attend AISA

discount voucher (sponsored by the ISACA Sydney

Cybercon in 2023, worth $770. All participants who

Chapter) to register for the CISM exam before training

pass the exam by 1 December 2022 will receive up to

commencement and a free course completion

70 per cent off the cost of the full range of CompTIA

certificate from IT Masters.

exam vouchers and courses to help them uplift their technical capabilities.

Qualified and experienced cyber security professionals will assist participants with exam

Participants will be able to learn and study together

preparation. This preparation will include gamified

and motivate one another to get certified. They will

quizzes and ISACA practice exam questions and

also have the opportunity to meet and collaborate

publicly available free practice quiz which includes

with other participants in a dedicated collaboration

questions from ISACA’s test preparation exercise that

forum.

are the level of difficulty as those in ISACA’s official CISM exam.

www.linkedin.com/in/nivedita-newar/

Successful and influential security professionals in

www.tangibleuplift.wixsite.com/tangibleuplift

various roles associated with each CISM domain will deliver a day-in-the-life online session about their role

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www.australiancybersecuritymagazine.com.au/tangibleuplift-mentoring-program-for-women-in-security/

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KAREN STEPHENS Karen is CEO and co-founder of BCyber, an agile, innovative group who works with SMEs to protect and grow their business, by demystifying the technical and helping them to identify and address cybersecurity and governance risk gaps. Karen has recently graduated from both the TechReady Woman Accelerator graduate and CLP program with the Cyber Leadership Institute in 2021.

C O L U M N

Progress not perfection might just be the key There are many people making a difference in cyber security and how it is viewed by our clients, but I would like to draw attention to a Federal Court ruling in May of this year when, for the very first time, an Australian Financial Services Licensee (AFSL) was found to have failed to adequately manage its cyber security risks (the ruling). The message that cyber security should be top of mind for all businesses (especially those in the advice space) was clearly spelt out by her honour Justice Rofe when she stated “Cyber security risk forms a significant risk connected with the conduct of the business and provision of financial services. It is not

response measures adequately support the size and complexity of their business and the sensitivity of the

possible to reduce the cyber security risk to zero, but

information they hold.”

it is possible to materially reduce cyber security risk

Three key responses are needed:

through adequate cyber security documentation and controls to an acceptable level.” This translates to: while nothing is 100 per cent perfect, progress and not perfection is key. The cyber security pathway for AFSLs is now clearer with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) advising they: “Should be aware of the potential consumer harms that arise from cyber security shortcomings.”

Cyber education should be a key foundation of risk mitigation programs. They should be ongoing and not a one-off “set and forget.” Cyber should be included in a business’ overall risk mitigation programs and policies. As we have said before, cyber risk is a business risk not just a technology problem. Cyber programs and policies should be dynamic, practiced and able to be evidenced. A static “tick the

“Should adopt good cyber security risk management

box” checklist is no longer the best of the breed.

practices to reduce potential harm to consumers.

There is much more to unpack with the ruling, but

… [Practice] active management of cyber risks and continuous cyber security improvement, including assessment of cyber incident preparedness and review of incident response and business continuity plans.” Are expected “to act quickly in the event of a cyber incident to minimise the risk of ongoing harm … [and all] … should regularly reassess their cyber risks and ensure their detection, mitigation and

I hope this gives you a flavour of what has been happening in the world of financial advice. www.linkedin.com/in/karen-stephens-bcyber/ www.bcyber.com.au karen@bcyber.com.au twitter.com/bcyber2 youtube.bcyber.com.au/2mux

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VERONIKA LAPUSHNIANU

THE IMPORTANCE OF DIPLOMACY AND CROSS-CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE AS PART OF AN ORGANISATION’S DNA by Veronika Lapushnianu, International Business Communications Trainer, Founder of GroupEtiq

It is everyone’s responsibility to make cyber security

consultant in international diplomatic protocol. There

one of the most attractive workplaces if we are

is so much to love about working in cyber security:

to build a safer future. Technology is evolving at

constant learning; keeping up with new technologies

an unprecedented speed and bringing together

and global trends; the fascinating stories of real-life

international teams with one common goal:

cases; exposure to different business cultures; the

fighting cybercrime. Highly skilled cyber security

opportunity to help organisations and citizens stay

professionals from all over the world, proudly

safe.

representing governments and private businesses, collaborate in order to strengthen the ‘defence power’

However, a role in cyber security is not without its

of organisations and protect citizens. More than ever

challenges, many of which have been raised in this

there is a need for diversity and inclusion.

magazine. Some are the result of mismanagement, and some result from toxic behaviour. Any cyber

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I am a female expatriate with a bachelor’s degree

security organisation that promises the best culture

in management, who has worked for multinational

finds itself fighting HR complaints and, if these are

IT and cyber security companies in business

not addressed, uncontrollable attrition. Promoting a

development and marketing roles and am a certified

company’s values, setting policies, and enforcing a

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P E R S P E C T I V E S

code of conduct will only do a part of the job. It is very

A higher-ranked individual should be the first to offer

difficult to change an individual’s value system, habits

a handshake. Cultural traditions and religion must

and communication style.

be respected. In Japan bowing is an alternative to a handshake. One must know the acceptable

The underlining reasons for miscommunication are

rules of greeting, correct forms of address, seating

complex. We all come from different backgrounds,

arrangements, and communication style, for

with an established value system, education levels,

negotiations to take place. The same principle applies

culture, perception of what good and bad are, and

when managing diverse teams.

understanding of power.

PRINCIPLE OF GENDER EQUALITY How do we create a safe corporate culture in which

According to international standards, communication

any professional, regardless of gender, education, or

in business happens between ranks, and not between

cultural background can realise their full potential and

genders. This answers many questions, such as

inspire the next generation of workers?

should a man open the door for a lady or pay the bill for a lunch meeting; should men and women shake

To create an inclusive and diverse culture with

hands or kiss on a cheek.

healthy communication in this interconnected global community we need people who exhibit cultural

Formal business attire helps to create the right

intelligence and personal diplomacy.

professional image and avoid misunderstandings such as “sending the wrong message”. This is a form

MUTUAL TRUST AND RESPECT

of non-verbal communication, a way of sending a

Dr Ichak Adizes, the author of the Adizes Methodology

signal about one’s status and business intentions.

implemented by organisations around the globe, says “mutual trust and respect”, a culture of cooperation

When a diplomat attempts to raise a topic that

and collaboration are essential if organisations are

is taboo in another country the reputation of that

to survive each stage of their corporate lifecycle. He

diplomat’s country is diminished. In business,

argues that respect exists when trust is established.

expressing political views publicly could cost an executive their job and inflict financial damage on

Trust is without doubt the key currency today. But

their employer.

how do we establish trust? By using a dominant tone of voice a leader projects

DIPLOMACY AND CROSS-CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE

power and confidence in the USA but could miss a

Formal communication between government officials

Keeping the voice low, or not expressing an opinion

and corporations’ executives is formalised according

during a meeting, can be interpreted as a sign of

to international diplomatic protocol and etiquette,

weakness or lack of knowledge in some cultural

a set of rules and recommendations that specifies

contexts. It can also indicate that the person is shy,

acceptable verbal and non-verbal communication

introverted or simply avoids confrontation. Politeness

between the parties. The founding principles have

does not equate to weakness.

business opportunity by doing the same in Japan.

been set to ensure that all signs of respect are read equally in a multicultural, multifaith environment in

PERSONAL SPACE

order to establish and maintain mutual trust and

Hugging in Latin America is a sign of friendship

facilitate cooperation.

and trust but can be seen as a sign of intrusion into personal space in Germany. Keeping your distance

PRINCIPLE OF HIERARCHY

means respecting another’s personal space in

One rule of international protocol specifies the order

Australia.

of communication between people of unequal status.

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MANNERS

A NOTE TO NEXT-GENERATION LEADERS

Crossing one’s legs are considered bad in Japanese

I’d like to highlight the importance of choosing

culture. Doing so and exposing the soles of one’s

supportive, experienced leaders wisely, especially

feet to another person shows extreme disrespect in

early in the career as this is what shapes one’s

the Arab world. Knowledge of these cultural taboos

future. If I could briefly summarise, based on my own

is essential for anyone speaking on panels in a

professional experience, a great leader is culturally

multinational, multireligious audience.

aware, respectful, encourages and motivated to

THE NEED FOR A ‘COMMUNICATION FRAMEWORK’ IN CYBER SECURITY “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” is a famous quote from management consultant Peter Drucker.

To create an inclusive and diverse culture with healthy communication in this interconnected global community we need people who exhibit cultural intelligence and personal diplomacy.

Creating and maintaining a good corporate culture is a team effort guided by team leaders. Leaders who are great experts in their field are trained

achieve new horizons, studies your full potential and

to manage and lead others according to theory as

contributes to your career path, defends in complex

well as modern best practices. By implementing a

situations, generously shares knowledge, provides

communication framework based on internationally

equal opportunities to team members, acknowledges

accepted business protocol standards, organisations

everyone’s contribution and achievements, leads with

significantly improve the quality of internal and

integrity.

external communications. I strongly believe that cross-cultural intelligence, understanding of different

A great way to develop personal diplomacy is by

business practices, negotiations and management

analysing one’s own culture and value system first, as

styles are essential for leaders in cyber security.

well as habits, and traits. Then observe how others respond and understand where the “borders” are and

Simple ways of maintaining trust and respect

what makes others want to interact and collaborate.

are: accepting people for who they are; treating

The next step would be to learn about people in a

professionals based on expertise vs. gender;

workplace, their background, education, experience,

learning to ‘agree to disagree’ without losing face;

traditions, hobbies, behaviour, and taboos and

understanding traditions and taboos; giving feedback

understand what makes everyone different. This helps

with dignity; avoiding labelling and stereotyping;

to create a baseline for cross-cultural awareness that

listening to understand, rather than listening to

can be then applied to a corporate communication

respond; adjusting negotiation styles as needed;

framework and code of conduct.

rewarding based on experience and achievements vs. gender; applying relevant management and

www.linkedin.com/in/veronika-lapushnianu/

communication styles when leading diverse teams.

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ANGELINA LIU

IN CYBER, LANGUAGE IS THE WEAPON OF CHOICE by Angelina Liu, Account Executive at Barracuda

Celebrate your differences and you’ll send a signal

Well-meaning associates and advisers told me it

to other folks they are free to do the same, writes

would be wise for me to do so: that I should consider

Barracuda account executive, Angelina Liu.

growing my hair and applying some makeup if I hoped to have a chance of scoring a job in my chosen

I’m delighted to say, in my experience, the world in

field.

general and the ICT world, in particular, have become significantly more open-minded and accepting than

Back then graduate opportunities were scarce as

they were a decade or two ago.

hen’s teeth, even for individuals who had graduated at the top of their class, never mind those who

Why do I think so? Because for quite a while I’ve been

had finished up somewhere in the middle as I, no

proudly behaving true to myself, no holds barred: a

hardcore swot, had done.

gay woman of Asian heritage with a personality that might be best described as quirky. And I’m regularly

While the makeup was and remains a deal-breaker,

applauded for bringing my whole self to work, even by

I took the hair growing advice to heart but felt

Barracuda customers and partners with a decidedly

uncomfortable and miserable with my slightly longer

conservative bent.

locks.

FALLING INTO LINE

The relief I experienced upon cutting them off made

This was not always the case. Back in the day —

me realise I was unlikely to ever succeed in the

the day being 2009 when I emerged from Monash

workplace by pretending to be anyone other than my

University as a fresh-faced graduate clutching a

authentic self.

bachelor’s degree in biochemistry — I felt some pressure to fit in, to appear and present as a more

CONCENTRATING ON WHAT COUNTS

conventional woman.

Fast forward 12 years and I feel challenged and fulfilled in a job I love, working as a cyber security account executive whose beat encompasses

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three southern states: Victoria, South Australia and

I’d like to see my baby daughter grow up in a world

Tasmania. I have the privilege of engaging with more

where discrimination and bias, both conscious and

than 20 channel partners, several of them kicking big

unconscious, are not the barriers to success they

goals in the mid-market and enterprise space.

were for many people from minority backgrounds in

All have committed to working with Barracuda as a preferred supplier, in part I like to think, because of the good ‘channel karma’ I’ve endeavoured to foster

Celebrate your differences and you’ll send a signal to other folks they are free to do the same

since stepping into an account executive role four years ago. Our partners know they can count on me to behave transparently and ethically, that

the not so distant past: a world where businesses and

I won’t over promise and under deliver and that I’ll

organisations are happy to hire people who look and

back them to the hilt when they’re bidding for new

think differently and support them to do their best

business.

work.

And they’ve learned to evaluate me, not on my

That’s why I strive to do whatever I can to make a

appearance, my sexuality or my personality but on my

difference in my workaday world — sharing my story,

character and the work I do, how well I take care of

advocating for education and training initiatives that

them and how effectively I advance their interests.

raise people’s awareness of the issues, and mentoring younger people to pursue rewarding career pathways

That’s just as it should be. And it’s just as it will be

without having to pretend to be something they’re not.

for the next generation if they’re able to be true to themselves, to feel comfortable about standing out

I count myself deeply fortunate to work for a

rather than fitting in as I felt compelled to do back in

company whose staff, partners and customers have

the day.

encouraged me to do just that. What a beautiful world it will be when that’s the norm for each and every one

TAKING THE LEAD

of us.

Leading by example, showing young people who are still finding their feet in the world of work that

www.linkedin.com/in/angelinaxl/

differences are to be celebrated rather than minimised is something I’m passionate about, and doubly so having recently become a parent myself for the first time.

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ASOU AMINNEZHAD

RINA MADLANI

CYBER SECURITY: THE ISSUES AND THE CHALLENGES by Asou Aminnezhad, Security Evangelist and Rina Madlani, Cloud Advocate The 21st century is characterised by many

and centre, especially if you handle client or customer

innovations: industrial, mechanical, technological,

data. Something as simple as an email address

transport and in communication. The innovation

can be used to distribute viruses, and a credit card

represented by the internet has played a significant

or social security number could enable a hacker to

role in improving communication, making it easier

get unauthorised loans and leave the victim with

for people to send messages to and from all corners

massive debt. If your client information falls into the

of the globe. Access to data-rich applications and

wrong hands your business could suffer irreversible

platforms has made the world feel small.

reputational damage. A focus of cyber security is the protection of critical information. The provision of

In today’s society, every person is connected to the

data security, mobile security and network security

global web giving hackers abundant opportunity

are all considered key components of an effective

to hack people, including those who do not have

cyber security strategy, along with planning around

social media accounts. So, w is this happening? It is

disaster recovery and identity management.

happening because personal information is stored on multiple personal devices, commercial websites and

A single cybercrime could destroy your business. This

in the cloud.

is why companies need to develop and implement robust and appropriate cyber security practices.

Another significant development that exposes

Start by creating a disaster recovery plan. Having

enterprises to security vulnerabilities has been the

this in place can help your teams identify all potential

growth of the work-from-home culture triggered by

harmful events in order of probability; everything from

the COVID-19 pandemic. Enterprises that have yet to

a malware infestation to a terrorist attack.

establish a zero-trust framework have struggled to secure remote access to their systems.

A disaster recovery plan makes your teams think deeply about risk management. Every single person

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IMPORTANCE OF CYBER SECURITY

in your business is responsible for cyber security and

Constant technological evolution has made it

they should take preventive measures during each

essential that your business puts cyber security front

workday to reduce risk.

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Having a culture of cyber security awareness can

security professionals must engage with everyone,

make a huge difference to your cyber posture. Steps

from marketing, facilities and business operations to

to create such a culture include:

the executive committee. This requirement creates extremely varied and rewarding career opportunities

• Getting the board on board (leadership support)

for cyber security professionals.

• Leveraging soft skills. • Investing in technology and building a resilient cyber security culture. • Fostering diversity and inclusion in your cyber security team. • Making cyber security a priority and allocating

According to the (ISC)² 2021 Cyber Workforce Report, the global cyber security workforce needs to grow 65 per cent if it is to effectively defend organisations’ critical assets. The number of professionals needed to fill the gap has decreased from 3.12 million down

sufficient budget to implement a proactive cyber

to 2.72 million in the past year, but there remains a

security program.

massive shortage. Multiple industry reports highlight

• Developing a cyber security awareness/ education/ certificate program.

the risks organisations will continue to face from the lack of cyber security skills.

• Recruiting security ambassadors for thought leadership. • Leveraging the cyber security framework and implementing a zero-trust methodology. • Focussing on the security of the cloud transformation journey. • Managing the adoption of shadow IT by a remote workforce.

WHAT CAN BUSINESSES DO TO OVERCOME MALWARE AND RANSOMWARE? Cyber security is no longer the responsibility of IT professionals alone, it has become everyone’s responsibility. Organisations need to implement cyber security solutions and educate their employees on best practices.

CYBER SECURITY INDUSTRY ISSUES

There are myriad complex cyber security solutions

I would like to address two significant issues facing

available in the market and no universal solution,

the cyber security industry: the lack of gender

organisations must, therefore:

diversity and the significant skills gap. • understand regulatory requirements relevant to

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION MATTER Working in security means being surrounded by brilliant people from different backgrounds and with different experiences and perspectives, all with a common purpose to protect people online. Attracting more women to the security sector is critical to combating the ever-growing wave of cybercrime.

their business. • implement a framework to prevent, protect, monitor and recover. • identify the cyber security solution best suited to their requirements. • educate employees about cyber security awareness

Cybercriminals have a variety of backgrounds making it imperative our cyber workforce matches this

In summary, we can all make a huge difference to our

diversity to ensure we can defend our organisations

personal and professional security posture by being

and ourselves from their attacks.

aware of cyber threats. The ripple effect of everyone taking ownership can have a massive impact on our

THE WAR FOR TALENT

personal and professional cyber safety.

Cyber security is a board-level concern, and a lack of proper cyber security management can be

www.linkedin.com/in/asouaminnezhad/

disastrous for an organisation. Everyone in every type of organisation needs an understanding of

www.linkedin.com/in/rina-madlani-mba-b6608810/

cyber security appropriate to their role and must adopt secure behaviours. To achieve this, cyber

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MEL MIGRINO

A WOMAN’S PASSION TO LEAD by Mel Migrino, Chairman and President, Women in Security Alliance Philippines and Group CISO, Meralco

Thinking like an adversary to outsmart them has

real-time threat intelligence in a robust and trusted

been our strategy for a long time. While this remains

platform that provides an early warning system about

true in certain organisations, it is no longer sufficient

potential risks and attacks. Organisations that build

to combat cybercrime. According to Cybersecurity

such a model to counter cyber attacks will see a

Ventures, the global cost of cyber threats is projected

difference.

to reach $US10.5 trillion by 2025, driven by several factors. Intelligent techniques, tactics and procedures

As a seasoned cyber security practitioner and

tend to bypass current cyber protection platforms

a concerned citizen, I felt the need to continue

and result in cyber teams hitting their panic buttons.

this quest and at the same time help bridge the

Adding to their challenges is the global shortage of

cyber security talent gap, especially the under-

cyber security employees, estimated to be 3.5 million

representation of women in this field.

in 2021. With much excitement and a little anxiety, I

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The way forward is to adopt collective defence,

established the Women in Security Alliance

which requires converging private and public sectors,

Philippines (WiSAP). Its mission is to nurture women

vendors, regulators and supply chains to share

security leaders and make contributions to society

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while promoting gender inclusivity. WiSAP aims to promote awareness and best practices in governance and technology across security and risk disciplines and to build a community where men and women coexist. WiSAP aims to: • Empower women in the practice of cyber security, risk, physical security and related disciplines. • Promote gender equality, recognising that women and men have equal rights and opportunities. • Encourage sharing of information on security and threat intelligence among its members. • Promote skills and talents among women in security through recognition. • Encourage collaboration among various security groups to scout for resources for cyber security, physical security and related disciplines. • Support strategic measures to safeguard supply chains. WiSAP aims to be a partner, resource, mentor and coach. Developing and growing with its members and the rest of the society is a key imperative. WiSAP believes a priority for any organisation should be to give value to career aspirations and promote a nurturing culture, and, with the shortage in cyber security skills, this should be a critical focus. Fostering more inclusive, hybrid work environments is crucial for employee satisfaction. Organisations should train all employees about true inclusiveness and tolerate nothing less. Lastly, WiSAP aims to establish policies and plans to foster diversity. An organisation that engages women to manage its crises achieves better outcomes. Women’s power and ability to influence enable them to succeed in the digital society.

www.linkedin.com/in/mel-migri%C3%B1o-b5464151/ www.linkedin.com/company/wisap-women-in-securityalliance-philippines/

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CYBERSHIKSHAA: GETTING INDIAN WOMEN INTO CYBER AND PRIVACY by Stuart Corner

A multiparty initiative in India aimed at getting more

covering theory, case studies and practical hands-on

women into cyber security and privacy has already

projects. On successful completion of the training,

delivered cyber security and privacy training to 900+

participants receive a certificate and assistance with

female candidates from engineering and other

placement in a cyber security role.

disciplines. There are seven cyber security focussed modules, The program, CyberShikshaa, is an initiative of

plus soft skills and aptitude sessions.

Microsoft India and the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) with support from Information Security

• System fundamentals

Education and Awareness (ISEA), an initiative of the

• Introduction to cyber security

Ministry of Electronics & IT (MeitY), Government of

• Cryptography

India/GoI.

• Network security and countermeasures • Web server and application security

According to its website, the primary objective of the

• Security auditing

program is “to connect with women candidates from

• Cyber forensics

tier 2, tier 3 cities and rural areas and to align a career path for them in cyber security.” The site says there

This program is offered to new engineering

has been a steep rise in demand for skilled cyber

graduates. The training is provided by two other arms

security workers, but women have been insufficiently

of MeitY, the Centre for Development of Advanced

represented compared to their representation in the

Computing (C-DAC) and the National Institute of

wider IT industry.

Electronics & Information Technology (NIELIT), a body created to undertake human resource

CyberShikshaa intends to bridge the gap between

development and related activities in information

the demand and supply of talented professionals

technology, electronics and communications

and increase the number of women working in cyber

technology.

security and privacy. Additionally, there is another privacy module for The cyber security program offers a course

experienced women professionals who have taken

comprising four months of interactive training

a career break and a short introductory course, CyberShikshaa for Beginners, for college students.

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According to the privacy module program, skilled

CyberShikshaa was launched in 2018 providing

privacy professionals are in high demand and

face-to-face cyber security training and had delivered

the privacy module training is aligned with DSCI’s

training to 22 cohorts in 12 cities when COVID

Certified Privacy Professional (DCPP) certification,

forced a move to online training. To date, more than

which is what employers are looking for. It describes

800 women from 100 cities across India have been

the program as “a pioneer credentialing program

trained under the cyber security program. Under

which empowers you with knowledge and equips you

the privacy module, around 100 ‘women on break

with necessary skills to advance your career in the

candidates’ from 30 different cities with an average

field of data privacy.”

career break of 3-4 years have been trained. Among the trained, more than 450 candidates have been

Microsoft has provided funding for CyberShikshaa

placed in various organisations including corporates,

and has been instrumental in raising awareness of it

law enforcement agencies and start-ups.

and garnering support from various stakeholders. The CyberShikshaa curriculum has also benefitted from feedback from major employers who have taken on graduates from the program.

www.linkedin.com/company/data-security-council-ofindia/ twitter.com/dsci_connect youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYZb8VYygIYicNHXrtCqZfB_ gFu0vgYBd

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THE HEAD-IN-THESAND APPROACH TO CYBER SECURITY by Stuart Corner

“And there is an agenda: what you can or you cannot

Virginia Calegare Founding Director - CISOaaS - DPOaaS - CISSP LGPD Expert, ISO27001 LI & LA - SABSA - CCNA SecOps I & II

discuss. And even when the message the CISO is conveying is accepted, it is not something for today. Because everything else comes with RoI. They have a new product to launch. They want to merge and acquire other companies.

CYBER SECURITY DOES NOT GROW A BUSINESS When it comes to cyber security, Virginia Calegare

“[They say] ‘cyber security is not bringing us any

says there are plenty of ostriches. In her AusCert

money. We have new strategies. We have new plans.

2022 presentation, No. Ostriches are not great

We are growing. Everyone is invited to the table. Let’s

strategists! Calegare, founding director of cyber

talk about finance. Let’s talk about the new market,

security advisor RightSec, said a head-in-the-sand

compelling innovation, and transformation. And we

attitude to cyber security was rife in the boards of

don’t need someone that will come and hinder our

Australian organisations.

ability to grow.’”

Through RightSec Calegare is the virtual CISO

This top-level attitude to cyber security, Calegare said,

for large enterprises. She does not portray it as a

then percolates through the organisation making

rewarding experience. “I’ve been doing this for a

the CISO’s job difficult. “When the CISO attempts to

long time. I arrive [at a board meeting] having the

build relationships and get people to implement the

opportunity to present and talk, but it’s not always the

controls he [or she] has identified, he [or she] has no

reality,” she said.

success, because the time needs to be set from the top and is not there. Cybersecurity is not a priority

“When we have board meetings everyone gets a

for the board of directors. It is not a priority for the C

window of time, 40 minutes, 30 minutes, and then the

suite. It is not a priority for anyone.”

CISO gets about five minutes. And they are advised

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in advance: ‘We want to hear about the things we

There was, she said, one sure-fire remedy for this

are doing well. Don’t be a fear monger. This is not

state of affairs, but not one that any CISO would

relevant for us.’

welcome.

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F E AT U R E

“It takes a disaster before many companies give

“When I work with my clients we define a roadmap.

cyber security the priority it deserves. If you want

We prioritise projects and tasks and we cover the

to know the most secure companies, go and look

cost of having processes in place, having people and

to the ones that were hacked two months ago, because they will have the people, they will have the money, they will have everything else, but by then they have a damaged reputation and financial loss.”

QUANTIFYING APPROPRIATE CYBER SECURITY Whilst it might be difficult to

When we have board meetings everyone gets a window of time, 40 minutes, 30 minutes, and then the CISO gets about five minutes. And they are advised in advance: ‘We want to hear about the things wea re doing well. Don’t be a fear monger. This is not relevant for us.

get boards and the C suite to qualitatively assign the appropriate priority, and following that the resources, to cyber security, Calegare said a simple formula could

buying technology. From 0.3 to 0.5 per cent of their

be used: percentage of revenue, percentage of IT

annual revenue goes on cybersecurity.”

budget, or percentage of IT expenditure per employee. There were also, she said, ways to raise board and She cited figures from Deloitte that put the

leadership awareness of the risks associated with

appropriate cyber security budget at 0.34 – 0.48 per

inadequate investment in cyber security.

cent of annual revenue or 10.9 per cent of the annual IT budget.

“The Australian Cybersecurity Centre has specific material for executive leadership. If you call them they will even come in deliver presentations or provide webinars. And she suggested a book: The Secure Board. “If they’re going to invest their time in reading a book, this is a good one. I call it strategic reading that connects the points.”

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VANNESSA MCCAMLEY

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES WITH THE BRAIN IN MIND By Vannessa McCamley, Leadership and Performance Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Author and Keynote Speaker

Obstacles are part of life. They come in many forms:

Sometimes obstacles can be bypassed by a

a large tree blocking the road when you’re driving to

change of thought or action. Sometimes they will

your holiday destination; working remotely during a

slow progress until a workaround can be found.

global pandemic; losing incorrectly saved data files;

Sometimes they will reduce progress to a standstill

losing a big client or experiencing a health crisis.

until they can be removed or bypassed.

Sometimes obstacles appear insurmountable yet they must be overcome.

Have you noticed that the more we resist life’s obstacles the more stressed we feel? It seems so

The aim of this article is to explain brain-friendly

counterintuitive. Yet when things are beyond our

models of thinking and options that enable you to

control, we can control only the way we react to them.

overcome obstacles without draining your precious

Often we regret things that have already happened or

energy and time.

resist things that may happen and these responses keep us stuck, holding on to what might have been or

LET’S DEFINE AN OBSTACLE

what we wish would be.

The dictionary defines an obstacle as “something that stands in the way or that obstructs progress, a

Humans are time travellers. We can go back in time

hindrance, impediment, or obstruction.” Obstacles can

through memories and forward to imagined future

be conceptualised as interfering forces that impede

events. Our brain is a prediction machine that craves

the standard course of action and must be removed

certainty, and the best way to predict the future is to

or otherwise dealt with if one wishes to reach the

create it. How we perceive and label life’s experiences

desired end-state.

impacts how we store them in our brain’s filing system. Faced with the current overwhelming volume

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Obstacles come in many shapes: physical; social;

of information, fewer resources and reduced budgets,

mental. They can appear in a variety of settings (eg,

we tend to primarily use our short-term memory. This

organisational, private, clinical).

means we are typically not creating sufficient long-

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P E R S P E C T I V E S

term memories to draw upon for innovation, problem-

Emotions are like the weather: you get to decide each

solving and decision-making.

day whether you are bringing the sunshine, clouds, rain or lightning.

EMOTIONS ARE CONTAGIOUS Emotional contagion is the process by which an

Research indicates that leaders of high-performance

observable behavioural change in one person

workplaces and teams make their people laugh and

prompts the reflexive production of the same

smile three times more than those in low performing

behaviour by others in close proximity with the

workplaces. Leaders in high-performance workplaces

likely result of emotional convergence (Panksepp

create an environment where people feel more

and Lahvis, 2011). Our ability to regulate emotions

rewarded by being valued, proud and cheerful.

contributes to how we bounce back from obstacles, hardship, disappointments, uncertainty and unexpected change.

RESILIENCE STRATEGIES FOR OVERCOMING OBSTACLES When I worked for an IT security organisation the

How you show up every day and respond to life and

company offered clients a fantastic service called

work challenges affects those around you. You can

an incident response plan (I am sure this is familiar

affect the performance and productivity of those

to many of you). This is a set of instructions to help

around you if you’re in a bad mood or sending out

clients mitigate any potential IT security risks and

negative energy. The reverse is also true; if you are

breaches, and so reduce the chances of cybercrime,

happy, joyous, positive and calm you can lift the

data loss and service outages that threaten daily

performance and productivity of those around you.

work.

In our current frenetic world being calm is critical to creating ideas and solutions and making sound

We sometimes have great processes like this in place

decisions. I recommend not making important

for our professional lives, but not when dealing with

decisions when your emotions are heightened: it can

our day-to-day challenges. We don’t have a resilience

result in more challenges than you bargained for.

plan as we do for our response to a fire in the workplace.

A RESILIENCE PLAN APPROACH FOR WORK SITUATIONS This is for when things don’t go to plan, or when you’re dealing with the unknown. I recommend answering these questions in a calm state before an incident, obstacle or threat state manifests.

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Introducing the PIR Model to prime the brain for

idea may be the best option. For others allowing time

obstacles

to dig into long term memories to evaluate options is better. By creating a plan with evaluation options

Proactive protection – What can you do every day to

whilst calm, you are prepared when the storm or

prevent known and unknown issues from interfering

lightning hits.

with your plan, goal or intention? Examples: exercising, taking brain breaks, protecting your deep

Obstacles come in all shapes and sizes that every

thinking time, prioritising tasks, scheduling time in

human being must deal with regardless of who they

your diary for the unknown and reflecting on what is

are and where they come from. How you perceive

and isn’t working.

and approach an obstacle is key to the choices you make and the outcomes of your decisions. In my

Identify your threat and reward triggers. What is

experience it is not what happens to you that is most

in your circle of influence? What do you spend

important, it is how you respond.

significant time thinking about, even though you have no control or influence over the outcome? What can

ABOUT VANNESSA MCCAMLEY

you do to mitigate or reduce the risk?

Vannessa McCamley is a leadership and performance expert specialising in neuroscience

Incident response – Consider the steps, processes

practices that help individuals and businesses grow

and options at your disposal. Identify people who can

in meaningful ways whilst delivering measurable

provide advice on the obstacle or incident. Consider

results in healthy ways.

creating a communication plan that incorporates internal and external stakeholders. Check that your

She has a passion for helping

‘go-to’ people are happy to be on call and know how

people and businesses to

best to reach them.

overcome obstacles and enabling them to reach their

Tip - Have some draft communications prepared

strategic goals. She brings

ahead of time so all you need do is fill in the detail/

a strong background in IT

blanks of your particular challenge. What are some

security and more than 20

of the goal posts you can move closer? Feeling you

years of business experience

have accomplished even a small task will keep you

in working extensively with

motivated. Feeling ‘on purpose’ in your work is a key

individuals at all levels and

contributor to positive emotional wellbeing.

from several industries.

Remediation – What is your plan for applying the

She is the author of

key learnings and removing the issue, challenge or

REWIRE for SUCCESS – an easy guide

obstacle when you next face a similar challenge? Aim

to using neuroscience to improve choices for work,

not only to quarantine the problem but prevent it from

life and wellbeing.

recurring. It’s time to get off the roundabout of doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different outcome (the definition of insanity). When it comes to generating ideas, identifying options or finding solutions to problems our brain is like a filing cabinet. In busy situations, we tend to

www.linkedin.com/in/vannessa-mccamley/ linksuccess.com.au/contact-us/ linksuccess.com.au/rewire-for-success/

use the first drawer in the cabinet (our short-term memory) for our initial ideas, especially if we feel under pressure to deliver. For some people the first

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How to Create Your Circle of Influence With Helen Robinett A Hybrid Event @EY Melbourne Date and Time: 20 July 2022 at 5:30PM Venue (onsite with networking): EY Melbourne, 8 Exhibition St, Melbourne Available also virtually via ZOOM ABSTRACT Here’s where you get to really think about who is in your direct circle of influence in your life. It’s a bit of an audit. We take a look at who you currently have there, and we will also create a new desired circle of influence for you. This is all about getting you closer to your goal. By now you know that it is not so much about what you know in life but who you are connected to. That is what will have massive impact on your career success. It is easy to play nice and be connected with all the nice people. But they are not the ones to further your cause, are they? Let Helen take you on a journey of specifically who you need and how to assess them so that you are well placed to be influential!

ABOUT HELEN ROBINETT Helen is an expert in Reputation Management and a Super Connector. Founder of Get A Seat on a Board - a practical, hands-on step-by-step program specifically designed to help smart accomplished leaders manage their own reputation for the next stage of their career.

New pilot program launched to increase the number of Victorian women in cyber security THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN IN SECURITY NETWORK (AWSN) IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF A NEW INITIATIVE TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF WOMEN IN TECHNICAL CYBER SECURITY ROLES AND IN SECURITY LEADERSHIP ROLES ACROSS VICTORIA.

“Cyber security is a rapidly growing industry and we’re thrilled to support more women to take up new jobs and new careers in cyber. We’re investing in Victoria’s cyber security industry so businesses and other organisations can stay ahead of existing and emerging cyber attack tactics.” – Jaala Pulford, Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy.

“Diverse workforces are stronger workforces and our Cyber Strategy 2021 is supporting programs that deliver on diversity, bringing more women into crucial roles to build a more robust and representative cyber industry.” – Danny Pearson, Minister for Government Services.

“I hear about women in IT roles wanting to get into cyber. Many years ago, when I was in an IT helpdesk role, I got the opportunity to retrain networking and information security through my work. I think it’s great to be able to give back and provide these types of opportunities that offer more talented women pathways into this industry. We need more skilled professionals and what better way than to reskill those who already have years of work experience in another field.” – Jacqui Loustau, AWSN Executive Director and founder.

“As a woman, a lawyer, and a security professional with over 20 years of experience, I can vouch first-hand for the benefits of education. Victoria is known as the ‘Education State’ - having built an education system that produces excellence and reduces the impact of disadvantage. Personally, and as an executive of the AWSN, I am thrilled to be associated with the Victorian Government in this new initiative that will open career pathways and produce leaders in this essential field of study and practice.” - Helaine Leggat, AWSN Co-Chair

Twenty-six women will be selected to participate in

• Eight sessions of Women in Leadership Coaching.

these two pilot programs.

• Powerful presenter training.

AWSN is the nationally recognised association for women in security and these pilot programs will help address the predicted 18,000 national skills shortage* in the cyber security sector by attracting, retaining and developing women. The initiative is supported by the Victorian Government and is for women in IT and security who are interested in learning and building their confidence and skills in cyber security. The Women in Leadership pilot program is for security professionals wanting to step into a leadership position. This program includes: • An AWSN welcome session with face-to-face networking. • Four-day in-person ISACA Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) training. • ISACA CISM Certification.

• AWSN Women in Leadership Forums. • Mentoring.. • AWSN membership The Security Pathways pilot program is for IT or intelligence professionals looking to cross-skill and move into cyber security. This program includes: • An AWSN welcome session with face-to-face networking. • A two-day in-person specialised security workshop that provides hands-on training in structured analysis, threat intelligence and threat hunting. • Four days in-person Certified Systems Security Certified Professional (SSCP) training. • ISC2 SSCP certification. • A career advice and CV guidance session. • Access to the AWSN mentoring program and platform. • AWSN membership for one year.

TO FIND OUT MORE, PLEASE VISIT HTTPS://WWW.AWSN.ORG.AU/ FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

LITTLE BUTTERFLIES FLYING HIGH by Stuart Corner | Interview with Little Butterflies Team

The Tech Girls Movement Foundation has a vision:

It won the 2019 Junior Student category in the AIIA

to create a society in which girls confidently lead

NSW iAwards. Another app, AI Interpreter of Auslan,

in STEM entrepreneurship and contribute to their

won the 2021 AIIA NSW Education & Student Solution

community and the economy.

of the Year award. This gave the team its name: butterflies are deaf and ‘hear’ through their feet.

One way it seeks to achieve this is through its annual Techgirls competition in which girls from seven to 17

GOOGLE TRANSLATE FOR AUSLAN

are required to demonstrate “problem-solving through

They describe the AI Interpreter for Auslan as the

a social, business and technical lens, producing high-

Google Translate of Auslan. “It allows two [hearing

quality business plans, pitch videos and working app

impaired] individuals to have a conversation

prototypes.”

regardless of the language barriers. Currently, this does not exist, despite language translation programs

Highly commended in the Secondary School Regional

being available in almost every other language.

category in the 2021 Techgirls competition was

Using existing technologies of artificial intelligence

Little Butterflies, a team of four girls from the same

and machine learning the program will be taught to

family. The team’s entry was HackR, an online game

recognise hand gestures, body language and facial

designed to teach children cyber safety skills.

expressions to interpret the intended message. … Ultimately, we are combining several pre-existing

HackR is set in a world of whitehat and blackhat

technologies to enhance the life of deaf Auslan first

hackers in which the user plays the whitehat hacker

language users.”

helping people who have been hacked and teaching them how they can protect themselves from being

Talk to the Hand – My Buckets’ full “addresses the

hacked again.

issue of sensory processing disorder, a condition in which the brain has difficulty processing information

Little Butterflies’ team members — Amelia, Addison,

from our seven senses. … It aims to provide

Isabelle and Eden — have all been home-schooled in

individuals with a sensory diet approach that will

the Munday Family Home School. Amelia (17) and

minimise states of stress, ie their bucket overflowing,

Addison (13) are teenagers studying at university

and be a preventative measure to maintain an

(Yes, Addison is only 13 and already in the first year

individual’s optimal state.”

of a Bachelor of International Business Studies at the

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University of Adelaide). Isabelle (10) and Eden (9) are

They have entered HackR for the 2022 AIIA IAwards

still in primary school They formed Little Butterflies

and are now working on their next project for the

in 2017 and came up with their first app: Talk to the

2022 Techgirls competition. And there is more: they

Hand – My bucket’s Full.

are also competing in the First Lego League as TEAM

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Apollo and in the First Australia robotics competition

when they sign their children up for online accounts,”

as members of the Thunder Down Under team.

they say. “Unfortunately, we have had no luck getting any telecom companies to even reply to our emails or

They say their goal in developing HackR was to

return phone calls for us to pitch our idea.”

provide kids with online self-defence skills. “We realised a lot of the information available is aimed at

They used the code.org app lab to develop the

parents and teachers. While a lot of the information

working prototype of HackR and Adobe Illustrator

explained the threats and how they occurred, there

to develop its visual content. An early version was

was little about what skills we need to know to

road-tested on a cohort of 20 children and adults

prevent the risks.’

aged from six to 23 years. The also included a text-tospeech feature for children already using technology

HackR teaches children about creating safe

but with poor reading skills.

passwords, accessing safe websites, online information sharing, secure websites for online

Little Butterflies has also developed a workshop for

payments, what a cyberbully is and what to do in

children based on the app that can be run in schools

a cyber bully situation, social etiquette of online

or holiday programs. “Feedback from our first-holiday

communication, etc.

program run in April 2022 suggests the participants really enjoyed the learning and many said the app

Their goal is to have the app available through Google

games made it interesting to learn,” the team said.

Play and Apple Store by the end of 2022. They would

“They loved the challenge of being white hat hackers

like also to partner with state education departments

and beating the bad guys. Gamification of learning

to implement the program in schools as part of the

was the key.”

cyber awareness curriculum.

TELCO PARTNERS WANTED “We would also love to partner with telecom companies to have them provide the app to families

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www.facebook.com/FullS.T.E.A.M.Ahead.technology/

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CRAIG FORD Cyber Enthusiast, Ethical Hacker, Author of A hacker I am vol1 & vol2, Male Champion of Change Special Recognition award winner at 2021 Australian Women in Security Awards

C O L U M N

Failure to induce change I want to admit to something in this piece, something

We can examine the problem in-depth and, as an

that many of you, if you were being honest, would

industry, think about what we are doing, find a way

also admit to. I have been writing articles, books and

together to get the message across and drive change

doing podcast interviews for several years since I

in the companies and clients we all work with.

stepped forward to try and produce change in our industry. I wanted to tell it like it is, to share what I learn in the ditches every day, and to really encourage change from within.

I see many of you trying to spread the same message as I. We all want the same thing. We just need to figure out how best to show its importance, show that those who invest their time and effort will get

I think I have failed. I think we have all failed to produce real change.

a return. These people eschew the new shiny toys, the ones with all the fancy blinking lights that their

Why? Every day organisations are destroyed because of cyber incidents, many of which are preventable. Organisations are still not implementing basic security measures correctly. Backups are not being checked and maintained. Updates are not being installed promptly (if you have updates that were released more than 30 days

company just bought because they were flavour of the month but which no one understands or knows how to set up; the ones that swallowed half the annual budget. Let’s stop, start a dialogue with each other, map purchases to problems. If something does not solve a problem, don’t buy it, no matter how convincing the sales pitch. It’s simple really. Secondly — and I know it is boring and probably not what you want to fix or even focus on — let’s get the basics sorted. I really don’t want to be sitting here writing about failure again in 2023 (I promise you, I will if I need to, but I would prefer not to).

ago, you have an issue). Yes, I

www.linkedin.com/in/craig-ford-cybersecurity

know some things can’t be patched and some patching is risky, but where there is a will, there is a way. It is all a matter of priorities.

www.amazon.com/Craig-Ford/e/B07XNMMV8R www.facebook.com/pg/AHackerIam/ twitter.com/CraigFord_Cyber

I have been banging on about security basics for three or four years. Nothing has changed. That is a failure. Don’t get me wrong. I think we are doing a little better than we were, but security breaches still happen every day. However, we can learn from these failures. If the approach we are taking to security is not working we can step back and try something different.

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TECHNOLOGY PERSPECTIVES

OUTREACH IS PUTTING DIVERSITY AT THE HEART OF CYBERSECURITY’S CULTURE by David Braue

Targeted engagement is tapping the strengths of previously disenfranchised communities

recent university graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and majoring in language and culture, Jasmine Woolley had already developed a novel worldview long before she even contemplated

working in cybersecurity. Yet as she builds her career as a governance, risk

that Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have long used to work together on problem-solving. In cybersecurity as in remote villages, Woolley explained, “we need to adapt, leave our egos at the door, and work as a team” to collectively address the challenges that face the group.

and compliance security advisor with security firm Trustwave, Woolley believes many of the challenges

“There has been a socio-political order in pace for the

facing the cybersecurity industry resonate with

past 65,000 years, and throughout that time the value

attributes of the First Nations cultures that have

of relationships has been paramount,” she said.

honed ideas around resilience, security, and continuity for thousands of years.

Similarly, that mentality “is part of a robust, defendable, adaptable cyber security strategy… We

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“Australia uses conventional thinking to solve non-

respect the sovereignty and the rights of others, and

conventional problems,” she said in a recent address

we treat all with respect. We manage the diversity

to the AusCERT security conference in which she

between cultures and any conflicts and tensions that

highlighted the core elements of the ‘village mentality’

have previously occurred.”

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F E AT U R E

A range of other concepts have strong parallels

disadvantaged groups are still struggling to get a look

between the First Nations mindset and cybersecurity

in.

problem-solving, Woolley said, noting the value of ‘autonomous regard’ – in which problems are

The latest findings of the regular Digital Inclusion

solved by weighing and scaling all factors to develop

Index support her assertion, with 11% of Australia’s

solutions that benefit the whole – as well as ethical

population rated as being ‘highly excluded’ from

frameworks and concepts of moral wisdom and

Australia’s increasingly digital community, and a

adaptability.

persistent gap linked to education and affordability despite a steady national increase.

“It’s an ecosystem,” she said, “in which all of these concepts interrelate and interconnect. We need

Although Australians’ digital inclusion scores are

everything to function at optimal efficiency, or else our

increasing across the board, they decline noticeably

diplomatic standing and best interests can be placed

with age – highlighting the limited opportunities for

at risk.”

older Australians to participate in digital industries and communities.

REACHING ACROSS THE DIVIDE Woolley is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in

First Nations Australians suffer an equally

national security policy studies, with a major in cyber

problematic digital inclusion gap, with one in four

warfare and counterterrorism – and she believes that

homes still lacking access to suitable connectivity

while the industry is expanding its inclusion, many

despite evidence suggesting those who can get

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access to the Internet tend to warm rapidly to its

“We want to build diversity amongst women and

possibilities.

identify the challenges that women of colour face, looking at carers in tech and building their networks

“Unfortunately not all Australians have the same

to help them develop their skills into leadership,” she

access to digital technologies,” said AWS partner

said, noting that the AWS She Builds chapter she

solutions architect and head of Aboriginal affairs

founded has engaged with over 90,000 women since

Michael Hill, noting that this shortfall limits the ability

2018.

of groups like First Nations Australians “to benefit from the opportunities that come from that.” “One way we can work at this,” he said, “is to attract more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples into the growing tech sector to become the leaders of today and tomorrow…. It is in all of our sphere of influence, and

“Certifications and skills in this example (indiviuals on neurodiverse spectrum) are not relevant; we are harnessing a different thought process. If we can accept that as an industry, then let’s introduce cultural knowledge as well.” - Jasmine Woolley, Recent International Relations Graduate

our interests, to have a positive impact on digital inclusion.” “We want to encourage and build more awareness After years of relative indifference, the cybersecurity

and look at how we can become better female role

industry’s chronic skills shortage has driven

models for women across all skill levels,” Bonilla said,

cybersecurity industry organisations to actively

“and we want to debunk those preconceived notions

engage with marginalised groups that have new

on biases within the tech industry.”

perspectives – and, in many cases, well-established skills – to contribute to the cause of cybersecurity.

“We want to amplify their voices, and we hope that we can enable our future leaders of tomorrow and

First Nations-owned technology companies like

provide them with mentorship as well.”

Yirigaa, Willyama, Goanna Solutions and Baidam –

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which helped place Woolley with Trustwave – are

BUILDING A STRONGER CYBER DEFENCE

finding strong success in creating opportunities

Other underrepresented groups are also coming

for First Nations people who, many cybersecurity

into focus, thanks to the efforts of diversity-minded

managers are coming to realise, often bring new

entrepreneurs that have enjoyed significant success

cognitive perspectives and problem-solving thought

engaging with neurodivergent communities, military

processes frequently backed by the logical structures

veterans and other groups to increase the diversity of

of highly multilingual brains.

their employee bases.

Such capabilities can be found in a whole range of

The Australian Defence Force’s ADF Cyber Gap

cultural groups: having recognised that Latina women

Program, for example, provides extensive online

comprise just 2% of the IT sector, Kim Bonilla – AWS

learning to complement tertiary study as well as a

go-to-market growth lead for SaaS – set herself to

range of networking and mentorship opportunities to

increasing the representation of women of colour.

help participants step into a cybersecurity career.

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F E AT U R E

Just as many First Nations people’s cultural attributes provide new angles on cybersecurity challenges, so too have organisations warmed to the problemsolving, teamwork and other skills that ADF veterans develop during their tours of duty. That has made them hot property within the cybersecurity community, which has embraced the large pool of military veterans whose skill sets are often well aligned with those necessary for cybersecurity success. It’s a program that has traditionally been difficult to access: whereas 71% of companies in security firm Fortinet’s recent Global 2022 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report said they had programs in place to recruit new university graduates, for example, just 53% said the same about recruiting veterans. Such programs were only marginally more common in the recruitment of minorities (for which 61% of companies had formal structures in place) and women, for which 70% of companies have developed formal recruitment structures. Although those figures suggest more companies are working to engage minority groups, Fortinet – which

skills training to help veterans and neurodivergent

maintains its own veteran recruitment program

workers transition into cybersecurity careers.

through its Education Outreach training arm – notes that “hiring from these populations is a top-three

Woolley, for one, is inspired by the success of such

challenge for organisations… the challenge isn’t just

programs – and believes they show how well a

hiring more people but also building more capable

broader understanding of diverse mindsets can help

and more diverse teams.”

the industry capitalise on the natural talents of diverse cultures and occupations.

Corporate programs in large businesses like IBM, PwC, and Lockheed Martin are increasingly tapping

“As an industry,” she said, “we understand that some

veteran communities to fill out their cybersecurity

individuals on the neurodiverse spectrum are better

ranks, while independent organisations like Soldier

than others at solving complex coding problems,

On and WithYouWithMe are doubling down after

finding vulnerability problems embedded in code

enjoying significant success in rehoming veterans in

much more efficiently than those that are not on the

cybersecurity careers.

spectrum.”

WithYouWithMe, for its part, has provided jobs and

“Certifications and skills in this example are not

training to over 20,000 people and this year expanded

relevant; we are harnessing a different thought

globally on the back of a $34m contract with the UK

process. If we can accept that as an industry, then

Ministry of Defence that will see it delivering digital

let’s introduce cultural knowledge as well.”

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DIANA SELCK-PAULSSON

CHARL VAN DER WALT

WHY IS THE CURRENT THREAT OF CYBER EXTORTION SO PERSISTENT? by Diana Selck-Paulsson, Lead Security Researcher and Charl van der Walt, Global Head of Security Research at Orange Cyberdefense

Ransomware has featured frequently in the news in

Double extortion surfaces several issues. First, it

recent years. In a classic ransomware attack, threat

raises the question of whether the term ‘ransomware’

actors gain unauthorised access to an individual’s or

is still appropriate. We no longer always see malware

business organisation’s network. Files and systems

deployed in these attacks. Instead, several other

are encrypted and the availability of said files and

extortion techniques are applied, such as the threat of

systems is threatened. A ransom is demanded in

a denial of service (DoS) attack, the threat to sell the

exchange for the decryption key. This is a well-

victim’s data to competitors, or the threat to inform

understood and frequently-described form of crime.

local data regulation agencies about the breach. These techniques often serve the primary goal of

One thing has changed in this story. There has been

extorting payment, and some threat actor groups

a major evolution from a ‘classic’ ransomware attack.

have publicly announced they no longer see the

Since 2019 we have observed threat actors creating

need for encryption. Consequently, we prefer to call

a ‘website’ on the dark web, often referred to as a

this form of crime “cyber extortion” because it better

‘ransomware leak site’, where they post their victim’s

captures both the essence and the technical diversity

details and thus name and shame them. This is often

of the crime.

called ‘double extortion’. Money is extorted from victims not only to regain access to their files and

Secondly, we need to move away from looking at

systems but also to have their previously-stolen data

cyber extortion as a purely technical problem and

returned.

take a more high-level, multi-disciplinary approach that views cyber extortion as a phenomenon impacting not only individual networks but also

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P E R S P E C T I V E S

important services and functions of society. It is

and understanding the current cyber extortion threat

particularly useful to shift from a malware-focused

from a criminological point of view.

approach to a criminological approach that examines this, we hope to get a better understanding of how

APPLYING ROUTINE ACTIVITY THEORY TO CYBER EXTORTION

cyber extortion works, explore some ideas on why it’s

Routine Activity Theory requires three components to

so persistent and learn how we can disrupt it.

be present at the same time and in the same space

these phenomena as crimes of extortion. By doing

for a crime to be likely to occur. These components In criminology, there are many different approaches to

are:

the study of crime and patterns of crime. One, classic,

• A motivated offender

theoretical framework is the Routine Activity Theory

• A suitable victim

(RAT), developed in 1979 by researchers Cohen and

• Lack of a capable guardian

Felson at a time when cybercrime was not a problem. Cohen and Felson were trying to understand why crime rates were high when unemployment rates had decreased and levels of education had increased. They found changes in structural patterns of people’s daily routines were impacting crime patterns. More specifically, they found women were starting to participate in the labour market, leaving houses and property unprotected and attracting more offenders. At the

Figure 1: Routine Activity Theory applied to cyber extortion, Image: Security Navigator 2022

same time developments such as the growing number of small, lightweight electronic home appliances in the average household presented

If we apply this framework to the crime of cyber

thieves with something valuable and easy to steal.

extortion we see all the components are present, which helps us understand why this threat is so

These societal changes can be seen as an analogy

persistent. To begin with, we observe motivated

for the persistence of today’s cyber extortion threats.

offenders. The offenders in this form of crime can be:

First, cyberspace has grown exponentially and has been left largely unprotected. This is of course due

• the Initial Access Brokers (IAB) who gain

to the challenge of having ‘guardians’ everywhere at

unauthorised access and sell this access to

all times. Secondly, the digital assets being stolen

ransomware operators.

for extortion have the same characteristics as electronic home appliances had in the 1970s. They

• affiliates who help distribute malware and/or apply extortion techniques to their victims.

are small, without much weight and have a high value.

• the ransomware operators themselves who

Interestingly, Cohen and Felson considered a crime as

develop the code, coordinate the criminal

opportunistic, which again is a close parallel to cyber

organisation and maintain the leak sites and

extortion. In our research we observe cyber extortion

negotiation chats.

attacks to be opportunistic rather than targeted, making the RAT framework a perfect tool for studying

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The motivation for the majority of these players is

they cannot be everywhere at all times. In general,

financial gain.

therefore, we lack the capable guardianship needed to deter cyber extortion effectively.

The second component, a suitable victim, we can identify as any entity impacted by this threat, such as

Clearly, a motivated offender, a suitable victim and

a business.

the lack of a capable guardian can explain why cyber extortion is so successful and so persistent today.

Lastly, a capable guardian in this case could be an object or a person. In cyber this could mean firewalls,

So what can we do about it? The Routine Activity

IDS/IPS or other technical security controls, or it

Theory suggests that if we manage to disrupt one of

could mean people such as cyber security analysts

the three components the likelihood of crime to occur

monitoring a potential victim’s network.

decreases. Let’s consider some ideas and strategies for disrupting all three components. Bear in mind

The availability of these guardians, which influences

that disrupting one of these factors is sufficient to

the likelihood of a crime occurring, can vary greatly.

effectively disrupt cyber extortion.

Only those who are willing or able to invest in them may be able to prevent this form of crime. Even then

Let’s start with disrupting motivated offenders.

there are limitations. One limitation is that, while

We would have to address their motivation to

technical guardians such as hardware and software

earn money from their criminal activities. If victim

security controls have the potential to be effective,

organisations continue to pay cyber extortion groups

they can also introduce additional vulnerabilities

the motivation remains and the threat will persist.

by adding more technologies to a technological

One way to disrupt this pillar is to evolve the role of

problem. Social guardians such as security analysts

cyber insurers from potential ‘facilitators of ransom

have limitations of scale similar to law enforcement:

payments’, as they have been seen in the past, to

Figure 2: Disrupting Cyber Extortion through RAT, Image: Security Navigator 2022

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being enablers of security best practices. Additionally,

Accessibility: The less time the threat actor has in

we need to have a more collective focus on limiting

the victim’s network to discover and exfiltrate digital

the flow of funds to criminals through actions like

assets, the less data the attacker can steal and

sanctioning, which law enforcement and other

leverage for ransom.

regulators have attempted in the past. Lastly, we need to recognise that threat actors have spun their

Finally, we need to have more effective guardians

own narratives on their websites and in interviews

in place. We could look at adding more technical

to justify their criminal activities, describing these as

guardians such as detection and monitoring

‘conducting business’ and negotiating with ‘clients’.

systems but they introduce challenges and potential

In criminology, this technique is called ‘neutralisation’.

vulnerabilities that would increase the second

In order to demotivate offenders, we, therefore, need

component — the victim variable ‘vulnerability’.

to counter the language and narrative they use when justifying their different forms of crime, whether

An alternative approach that has not yet been

these be unauthorised access to networks, data

considered extensively is the power of community or

theft, deploying malicious software or extorting their

a community-led approach. Back in 1979 Cohen and

victims for money.

Felson argued that guardianship through a person such as law enforcement had already been widely

The second component we could try to decrease

studied, but there was a lack of social guardianship

is the attractiveness or suitability of the victim.

in the form of ordinary citizens going about their daily

To achieve this, we need to address five victim

routine in a way that could potentially disrupt crime.

attributes. We refer to these variables as ‘VVIVA’, and

Their example was a community-led approach such

they are as follows:

as a neighbourhood watch whose members could organise themselves, ‘watch’ the space and thus

Visibility: To reduce the likelihood of a business

deter crime. A community-led approach in cyberspace

becoming a victim its attack surface and thus

could be partnerships between the private and public

‘visibility’ to threat actors needs to be decreased. The

sector and could also include security providers,

less visible, the less likely is the business to be seen

law enforcement and government agencies as well

and thus compromised.

as academia to collectively help ‘guard’ a space that is otherwise largely unprotected and provides

Vulnerability: For a business to be less likely to be

opportunities for crime to occur.

victimised, security practices need to be in place that addresses known vulnerabilities before they are exploited by threat actors. The fewer vulnerabilities exist, the less likely the victim will be exploited and thus compromised. Inertia: To reduce the chances of a victim being compromised its data needs to be harder to steal. One way to do this is to add ‘weight’ and thus make it harder or noisier to steal data, eg by using encryption

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or honey tokens etc. The ‘heavier’ the data asset is, the harder it becomes to steal, and the less attractive it becomes to the threat actor. Value: The less value the digital asset holds for the victim (value does not mean financial value in this case), the less incentive the threat actor has to extort money for it.

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SAI HONIG

COMPUTERS LEARNING TO TRUST? WHAT IS ZERO TRUST ARCHITECTURE? (ZTA) by Sai Honig, CISSP, CCSP, Co-founder New Zealand Network for Women in Security

Have you ever had a system you trusted fail you in

Marsh described “a clarification of trust”. He also

some way? Your options may be to:

stated: “present a formalism for trust” and “[this] formalism is implementable: it can be embedded in

Never use that system again.

Revise the system.

Revise your own processes, continue to work

construct) can be mathematically modelled and

with the system and minimise disruption to your

implemented in a technological world. Computers

own processes.

can be taught how to trust.

an artificial agent, enabling the agent to make trustbased decisions.” In other words, trust (a human concept and

Option one may not be viable because you may be

Many of our systems operate on a “trust but verify”

required to use that system. Option two may not be

model. “When identity is verified, trust is assumed

viable because the system may not be available for

and access is granted.” Once access is granted,

you to revise.

trust is maintained and generally not verified again. However, in a world where digital identities can be

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You are then left with option three. Zero trust could

misused or misappropriated at any time and where

make that option more palatable.

environments are changing, can we continue to trust?

Zero trust is not a new concept. It was first described

This is where the concept of zero trust comes in.

by Stephen Paul Marsh in 1994 in his doctoral thesis.

According to NIST Special Publication 800-207 Zero

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Trust Architecture, “Zero trust assumes there is no

on a per-session basis”. This means access is to be

implicit trust granted to assets or user accounts

evaluated each and every time a session is initiated.

based solely on their physical or network location (ie,

Tenet 4 states access is “determined by the dynamic

local area networks versus the internet) or based on

policy and other behavioural and environmental

asset ownership (enterprise or personally owned).”

attributes.” This means policy changes are dynamic and based on changing behaviours and changing

The NIST publication also states: “Zero trust focuses

environment – not solely on predefined grants of

on protecting resources (assets, services, workflows,

access.

network accounts, etc), not network segments, as the network location is no longer seen as the prime

This architectural model does require monitoring and

component to the security posture of the resource.”

measuring of assets as stated in tenet 5. This means the “integrity and security posture” of each asset must

Cloud Security Alliance has portrayed NIST’s has

be known and revised in a changing environment.

seven tenets for Zero Trust architectures: These concepts of trusting nothing and evaluating While these tenets may be simple, implementing

each and every access attempt to each and every

them requires a shift in how access is evaluated

resource and constantly evaluating the environment

and determined. Tenet 3 states access is “granted

are not easy to implement completely, or immediately.

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Computing environments are changing from being

and ‘data’. This model expands traditional ideas of

solely on-premise to being hybrid and cloud-based.

what is to be protected, and how.

Devices are both corporate-owned and personally owned, as well as being located in physical corporate

Ultimately, zero trust is about how to trust. It is a

spaces and widely distributed in IoT environments.

change from the traditional approach of simply “trust

There are no boundaries for environments or for

but verify”. It can be thought of as constantly verifying

devices.

before trusting. It also requires an understanding that the perimeter is more porous and that identity varies.

Implementation of a zero-trust architecture must be

In the end, a full zero trust architecture may not be

considered with the needs of the enterprise in mind,

something you can implement but it may be possible

including compliance and regulatory requirements.

to implement some aspects of zero trust.

The best place to start is with an understanding of the organisation’s maturity with regard to zero trust.

For more information, check out Cloud Security Alliance Zero Trust Advancement Center https://

CISA has released a capability maturity model

cloudsecurityalliance.org/zt/. You can learn about

for zero trust and the Cloud Security Alliance has

tools and resources to learn more about zero trust

represented this model as five components (pillars)

and guide implementation.

of zero trust. The value of this model is that it broadens the concepts of ‘identity’, ‘device’, ‘networks’, ‘applications’

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PALLAVI PHUTANE

SECURE BY DESIGN By Pallavi Phutane, Senior Consultant at KPMG Canada Software, systems and technology are the backbone

development world to attack software supply

of every digital business and industry. To support

chains. The recent exploitation of a vulnerability in

digital businesses, software development processes

a popular open software Java logging library, Log4j,

have evolved from simply producing functional

is one example. Millions of software applications

software to taking an iterative approach that better

using Log4j were impacted, spreading alarm among

meets user needs and automating development and

organisations and businesses around the globe.

operations for faster lead times and optimal product delivery.

The Log4j exploitation served as a wake-up call for companies to take new security initiatives and

An increasing number of organisations are

strengthen their security. Given the magnitude and

recognising the benefits of Agile and DevOps

sophistication of cyber attacks, the need for secure

software development methodologies for

software development practices has never been

accelerating software delivery and business

greater. Embedding security into software early in

innovation. However, there are often few or

the development life cycle is critical to safeguard

zero security considerations at any step in

against sophisticated cyber attacks and maintain the

these processes. Only after a cyber attack has

confidentiality, integrity and availability of information

compromised vulnerable software do secure

and systems.

software development practices become a priority for many organisations.

A typical product development cycle includes requirements, design, development, testing and

Poorly designed, maintained and configured software

maintenance. A secure by design approach, also

is one of the main avenues through which cyber

known as a “shift-left” approach, means embedding

criminals gain access to systems and data. Such

security at the early stages of software development,

software often contains decade-old vulnerabilities

when requirements are being formalised rather than

still being exploited by cybercriminals to distribute

considering security as an afterthought, with the aim

malware such as ransomware and to conduct other

being to minimise the avenues available for cyber

cyber attacks. Enterprises fail to apply vendors’

attack. It is often much less expensive to implement

security patches for known vulnerabilities making

a secure workflow process than to suffer the cost of

their software susceptible to a multitude of attacks

data breaches and penalties for non-compliance.

and breaches. So, how to become secure by design? A good first

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Cybercriminals are also exploiting the popularity

step is documenting security best practices and

of open-source software (OSS) in the software

guidelines as part of a secure software development

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policy. Such a policy should define security requirements and guidelines for every stage of the software development lifecycle, as outlined below. Planning and requirements gathering: roles and responsibilities, change management, development tools, security training and awareness, compliance requirements, privacy assessment. Design: threat modelling, patch management, vulnerability

Framework (SSDF) can be used as references to

management, data security requirements such

develop and structure the secure development policy.

as encryption, security architecture including

Reviewing this document at least annually will keep

infrastructure security requirements, inventory of

software development aligned with well-established

third-party and open-source components.

secure development frameworks and help developers stay up to date with the latest software vulnerabilities

Development and deployment: secure coding

and security controls.

guidelines, unit testing, static application security testing (SAST) requirements and scanning tools,

Software development is the enabler of digital

vulnerability scanning.

transformation, and the quality and security of software products are critical to successful

Testing: dynamic application security testing (DAST)

transformation. The increased adoption of digital

tools and techniques, functional testing, internal

transformation and emerging technologies such

penetration testing.

as blockchain, cloud computing, machine learning and IoT are changing the security threat landscape

Release and maintenance: bug bounty programs,

significantly. Cyber attacks are becoming increasingly

external pen testing, security assessments.

complex and unpredictable. Cloud-based application development and blockchain development are no

Security requirements may vary based on factors

longer future possibilities but things businesses have

such as the development methodology being used,

started to embrace to stay competitive and deliver

product type (purpose-built, internal, commercial

value to customers. Cyber security is an important

off-the-shelf), infrastructure and development

part of the SDLC and a secure by design approach

technologies. A secure by design approach facilitates

helps reduce cost by detecting security issues early

increased cross-functional collaboration by creating a

in the development process and minimising the risk

software development methodology best suited to an

of cyber attacks. Implementing a “shift-left” approach

organisation’s needs for efficient and secure software

that integrates security early in the development

delivery. Prebuilt secure development frameworks and

process is essential if the software is to be secure

guidelines, such as secure coding practices developed

against new threats resulting from the unprecedented

by the Open Web Application Security Project

speed at which the cyber threat landscape is evolving.

(OWASP) or the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Secure Software Development

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UNCOVERING THE INVISIBLE WORLD OF ICS CYBERSECURITY by Stuart Corner

Lesley Carhart Director of ICS Cybersecurity Incident Response

an actuator. In an industrial facility, these process loops are much more complex. There are multiple, interacting loops and therefore much greater potential for damage and disaster. They have evolved into supervisory control and data acquisition

Have you ever walked into an automatic revolving

(SCADA) systems which Wikipedia describes as “a

door? You would not be alone. Many people have

control system architecture comprising computers,

had unintended encounters with this particular piece

networked data communications and graphical user

of technology, either through inattention, error or

interfaces for high-level supervision of machines and

machine malfunction.

processes.”

An automatic revolving door is an everyday example

TACKLING THE COMPLEXITY OF SCADA

of something now widespread and embedded in

Today, Carhart said, SCADA is “super complex”. It

industries of all kinds: technology that uses a variety

involves controlling multiple process loops, getting

of external sensors to control its operation and,

feedback from them and coordinating their efforts,

importantly, prevent it from injuring people who

perhaps over a very large geographic area. “There’s

interact with it.

a bunch of sub-processes with different devices, different sensors, different actuators and they have to

Like any such technology, it can be vulnerable to

work together,” she said. “So that means a bunch of

cyber-attacks. Automatic revolving doors are unlikely

protocols and things.”

to be top of any cyber criminal’s target list, but as something many people use frequently, they provided

At this point, Carhart introduced the Purdue Model,

a good foundation for Lesley Carhart, Director of

formally the Purdue Enterprise Reference Architecture

Incident Response for North America at industrial

(PERA). It is a structural model for industrial control

cyber security company Dragos, in her AusCert 2022

system (ICS) security, developed in the 1990s by

keynote presentation Uncovering the Invisible World of

Theodore J Williams and members of the Purdue

ICS [industrial control system] Cybersecurity.

University Consortium for computer integrated manufacturing. It defines the different levels of

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Every such system, Carhart said, represents a

critical infrastructure used in production lines and

process loop comprising a sensor, a controller and

how to secure them.

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F E AT U R E

According to this description, PERA was ahead of

another? Have you established in advance out-of-

its time and, implemented correctly, could have

band communications, document sharing, resource

addressed many of the cyber security headaches

sharing, etc? How are you going to call one another in

faced by organisations employing ICS today. It

a call tree etc if something goes wrong?

specifies the need for an air gap between industrial control systems (ICS) or operational technology (OT)

“How do you even do OT forensics; we’re talking about

and IT systems.

PLCs and things? What are you going to do if you have a potentially compromised PLC? And you need

MEET THE PURDUE MODEL

to know if the firmware has been tampered with? Who

Anyone responsible for the security of ICS is likely

are you going to call?

familiar with the Purdue model and the major security headaches created by interconnected ICS and IT.

A DIFFERENT WORLD OF FORENSICS

Carhart’s message was that everyone with a role in

It was, she said, “a different world of forensics,” and

an organisation’s cyber security needs to know about

“there’s a bunch of different concerns that go into the

it.

OT incident response planning,” highlighting issues likely not to be considered by the average IT security

“I’m here to tell you that you do probably have

specialist.

industrial control systems in your environment. They’re all over the place. Not just in manufacturing,

“How are you going to cut things off in an emergency,

not just in transportation,” she said.

if ransomware is spreading through your ICS environment? And there are safety concerns and

“We do a lot of ICS research on trains and aircraft, but

requirements. You’re talking about hazardous

also things like your building automation and control.

environments. Do you need PPE? Do you need to be

We respond to a lot of incidents in data centres

wearing a hard hat?

around the world where there’s been an intrusion on the fire suppression system, or the heating and

“You need to know what data you have available to do

cooling. We are surrounded by industrial control and

analysis and monitoring and incident response in your

the Internet of Things, devices that control these

OT environment. How long is it retained? You might

process loops. And they do important things that we

know this well for your enterprise environment but

often don’t notice until they fail.”

we’re talking about an entirely different environment with entirely different concerns.”

Carhart argued few organisations are ready to handle such failures. “I’ve seen it go catastrophically wrong a

To help IT security people answer these questions

ton of different times,” she said, rattling off a long list

Carhart recommended the US Department of Energy’s

of questions that need to be answered.

Cybersecurity Capability Maturity (C2M2) Model, a self-survey that enables an organisation to rate itself

“When is an OT incident declared? What are your

on the maturity of the cyber security implementation

declaration thresholds? Who will do what when?

and management practices associated with its IT

How do you involve both your cyber security people

and OT assets and the environments in which they

and your OT people? They both must be part of

operate.

this response effort. How will they contact one

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NEHA DHYANI

AN EFFECTIVE APPROACH TO TRANSFORM A LEGACY SOC INTO A MODERN SOC By Neha Dhyani, Cyber Security Leader (CISSP, CCSP, CISM, MITRE ATT&CK Certified Defender) Senior Security Consultant at Nokia Solutions & Networks

The latest Verizon Business 2022 Data Breach

lasting more than 200 days at $US4.87 million. So

Investigations Report (DBIR) indicates enterprises

every second counts.

are mostly compromised using four techniques: stolen credentials, phishing, exploiting vulnerabilities

Challenges such as a large number of false positives,

and botnets. All four are pervasive throughout the

huge alert volumes and poor investigation workflows

DBIR and it is evident no organisation is safe without

combined with the adoption of hybrid and multi-cloud

a plan to handle each of them. Needless to say,

architectures and the proliferation of devices and

security threats are evolving faster than security tools

endpoints can overwhelm an SOC team struggling to

and technologies so it is essential to strengthen an

identify, manage and remediate critical threats.

organisation’s security posture and transform its security operation centre (SOC).

Listed below are essential steps towards modernising and transforming an SOC.

According to IBM’s cost of data breach report 2021, it and contain a data breach, more than seven months

AUDIT YOUR ENVIRONMENT TO ESTABLISH HOLISTIC AND CENTRALISED VISIBILITY.

to detect a malicious attack and another 81 days to

You cannot secure what you cannot see. This is why

contain it. The report put the average cost of a breach

a lack of visibility into the attack surface is the top

takes organisations, on average, 287 days to identify

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needs protecting: critical ‘crown jewels’, customer

AUGMENT THREAT INTELLIGENCE WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MACHINE LEARNING.

personal information, etc. By identifying as much as

The most important weapon in a threat hunter’s

possible, whether software or physical assets, an

arsenal is threat intelligence. Another key component

organisation can better prioritise protection of high-

of a modern SOC transformation is to ensure security

value and high-risk data.

teams are leveraging machine learning to its full

reason for SOC ineffectiveness. Thus the first step for an organisation is to identify precisely what most

potential to augment and complement humans in Having complete visibility across network

security. Advanced analytics and AI can significantly

infrastructure and operational environments,

reduce the number of time teams spend processing

including the cloud — from both within and outside

massive amounts of data in the enterprise to come

of the organisation — is the first step to ensuring

up with critical security insights. Machine learning

effective security of critical infrastructure and

aids in speeding investigations and removing blind

information against internal and external threats.

spots in the enterprise by automatically detecting

Once an organisation has a clear understanding

anomalous patterns across multiple data sources

of what is being protected, a logical next step is to

and automatically providing alerts with context. This

identify solutions that can help ensure maximum

auto enrichment improves operational efficiency and

protection.

frees analysts to apply their expert knowledge to intelligently detect attacks, perform alert triage and

LEVERAGING THE POWER OF AUTOMATED WORKFLOWS.

move to investigation quickly and decisively.

Automating elements of the SOC workflow significantly reduces the noise created by too many

OPTIMISE THE SOC TEAM TO ACHIEVE MAXIMUM EFFICACY.

alerts and frees the SOC team to apply its skills and

Beyond investing in security solutions and tools, the

experience to actively investigate and hunt threats.

most important factor in any successful SOC will

It also helps reduce burnout by relieving analysts of

remain the human element. While machine learning

tedious and repetitive work. Giving analysts the right

and automation will certainly improve outcomes like

set of SOC tools like security information and event

response times, accuracy and remediation overall—

management (SIEM) enables them to quickly test

especially for low-level, repetitive tasks—continuously

investigation hypotheses and deliver key benefits.

training and retaining security personnel, threat

For example, if an alert fires and an analyst sees a

hunters and architects need to be baked into SOC

malicious domain has been accessed the analyst

transformation strategy. By optimising this human

can, with a single click, immediately become a threat

element, organisations can be more efficient at

hunter and search for that indicator of compromise

securing the business.

(IOC) across all data sources. The analyst can then automatically integrate their findings into the

An organisation following this approach will transform

investigation. This streamlined workflow boosts

its SOC into a modern SOC and enable its SOC team

analyst productivity makes their work more fulfilling,

to detect, investigate and respond to threats with a

and dramatically reduces alert fatigue. Finally, you

higher degree of confidence.

can leverage the capabilities of security orchestration, automation and response (SOAR) solution to further

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automate the management of, and response to, threats. To get the maximum benefit from SOAR,

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it’s critical to ensure its integration with the SIEM solution and with other security tools in place.

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BROCK RODERICK

THE EVOLUTION OF INVESTMENT SCAMS by Brock Roderick, Creator of Education Arcade

Putting lipstick on the investment scam pig

QWERTYIOUP. This was reported to have been the

A rug pull in this context occurs when a scammer

phrase Ray Tomlinson typed into his keyboard when

uses blockchain technology to fraudulently raise

he sent the world’s very first email message back in

money for personal gain. This type of scam is

1971. You may be wondering what the phrase means

nothing new, but the magnifying power of social

or why it was all in capitals. We may never know.

media enables it to grow very rapidly and generate a large return in a short time. This in turn enables

Not too long after the ground-breaking, world-

the fraudster to cash out early. Also, by requesting

changing technology that was ‘email’ made its debut,

payment in cryptocurrency, the fraudster reduces the

scammers realised it presented an opportunity to

likelihood they will be caught. In 2021 alone a variety

move away from paper-based fraud and scale up at

of rug pulls raked in $2.8 billion, or nearly 40 per cent

speed. Fast forward 50 years and we can confidently

of all cryptocurrency scam revenue.

say their scaling operation was successful. In response, an entire industry has been created to

Something must be done, and threats like these are

protect people from cyber-attacks and email scams

reasons I created Education Arcade. The mission of

with tools that specifically identify and block these

Education Arcade is to create safe online spaces for

threats. Most businesses train their employees to

people. I felt we could do something to help educate

recognise these threats by simulating malicious

and protect the public from these short-lived, high

scam emails.

impact investment scams. Having seen the success of phishing email simulations we decided to make

With blockchain technology hitting the mainstream

our own NFT rug pull simulation to show people how

over the past five years we have seen history

to identify these new-age investment scams. Here is

repeating itself and scammers adapting to the new

an abridged version of how we made the world’s first

opportunities this technology offers. Instead of falling

NFT rug pull simulator.

for a scam ‘investment opportunity’ in an email, people are being drawn into the world of non-fungible

STEP 1: LET’S PARTICIPATE!

tokens (NFTs) and an investment scam known as an

To really understand all aspects of this scam I

‘NFT rug pull’.

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embedded myself in communities of NFT traders and scammers on Twitter, Discord and Instagram. To build an end-to-end picture I needed to learn the terminology, tools and marketplaces and, most importantly, observe the behaviour of players in the community. I had thousands of interactions with people, used art generation and NFT minting tools, dodged hundreds of direct scam attempts and critically reviewed hundreds of upcoming NFT investment projects. When I finally left the space I felt sad and disappointed, primarily because the two things I absolutely love—art and games—were being

Education Arcade’s NFT Rug Pull Simulator

abused repeatedly by these investment scams.

STEP 2: LET’S SIMULATE!

‘Rainbow Rug Pull’ tokens that directed people

To simulate I decided to emulate, and the best place

through to the scam simulator, and the educational

to find something to emulate was NFT Calendar,

material on the Education Arcade website.

a website commonly used by NFT rug pullers to promote their scams. I picked the most scammy

To reach the vulnerable people most in need of

looking project I could find, called ‘Embers’, and

training in spam awareness we identified those

created an over-the-top, exaggerated version

active in the NFT marketplaces, social media and

of its webpage. I decided to call my simulation

community groups. We ‘airdropped’ one of our tokens

the ‘Rainbow Rug Pull Warriors Club’ and made

containing a link to our website and we monitored

each claim wilder and more unbelievable than its

their interactions with our educational resources. This

predecessor.

was a unique and by far the most interesting, way in which we provided free security awareness education

Peppered throughout the simulation is a trusted

to people.

character, affectionately named Eddie, who analyses each claim, explains the scam tactics used to hook

Using a range of methods our NFT investment scam

people, and provides some helpful guidance on how

education reached over 200,000 people, and with

to think critically.

24 per cent of engagements to date being positive we hope Rainbow Rug Pull will continue to make a

I was ready to launch our simulator when an

difference to the personal security of people in these

interesting piece of news hit my inbox. The creators

online spaces.

of the NFT project ‘Embers’ had been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering for repeated NFT scams. We had picked the right project to emulate!

STEP 3: LET’S EDUCATE! It was paramount to get this website in front of people new to the NFT marketplace. These are the

www.linkedin.com/in/brock-roderick-17a92a108/

www.linkedin.com/company/education-arcade

www.educationarcade.co.nz/

people unknowingly stepping into a scam minefield. Using what I had learned, I created a range of

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MEGHAN JACQUOT

INTELLIGENCE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN SECURITY By Meghan Jacquot, Cyber Threat Intelligence Professional

There’s data everywhere and the amount of data

SBOMs will help with software asset management,

will only continue to increase. Cyber security

but organisations have technical assets other than

professionals can easily become overwhelmed with

software. Another crucial component of asset

alert fatigue and at times some professionals can be

management is a deep understanding of how an

uncertain about how to prioritise their findings.

organisation’s network works: what is connected to what, what protocols are used, where the endpoints

That is why cyber threat intelligence (CTI) is crucial.

are and what they comprise. Additionally, there

In our world of data, where data is sometimes

should be plans for dealing with end-of-life of data,

referred to as liquid currency, understanding the

systems and software, both in-house and third-party.

context of data in this flood of information can help

Once those pieces are in place an organisation can

drive decisions.

move to the next step.

GETTING STARTED WITH INTELLIGENCE: ASSET MANAGEMENT

VULNERABILITY MANAGEMENT There will always be new vulnerabilities and as a

How does an organisation go about building CTI into

security team becomes more robust it will need

its existing cyber practices? It is difficult to protect

a vulnerability management program. 2021 was

a system when that system is a mystery. So one of

identified by Google’s Project Zero as the year with

the first steps is to determine what that organisation

the most zero-day vulnerabilities found in the wild. A

has within its network, to establish a software bill of

vulnerability management program should include

materials (SBOM) and keep this up to date. The US

ways to prioritise new vulnerabilities including those

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

newly disclosed, zero-days and previously known, but

(CISA) defines an SBOM as: “a nested inventory, a list

updated and actively exploited vulnerabilities. Most

of ingredients that make up software components.”

vulnerability management programs are unable to

CISA provides resources for establishing an SBOM

patch 100 per cent of disclosed vulnerabilities and

program.

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often it is not possible to patch immediately because comparative studies need to be undertaken. Patching a vulnerability could break other systems in a network, so a patch must be tested and verified, and patch applications must be prioritised. This can be achieved using systems like the ratings from the National Vulnerability Database (NVD), incorporating

Figure 1: Google’s Project Zero graph of zero-days by year (Source: Project Zero)

criticality levels and analysing the complexity of an exploit. Additionally, having the above-mentioned knowledge of software and networks will help to assign priorities to patches.

Threat modelling can be a powerful way to apply intelligence. The diamond model of threat modelling is frequently used to model threat actor activity. It

DATA LOSS PREVENTION

can identify adversaries, infrastructure, capabilities

After establishing an asset management program and

and victims. Diamond models can be stand-alone or

a vulnerability program a team needs to verify how

multiple models can be combined to demonstrate the

it protects data. There might already be a data loss

lateral movement of threat actors and collaborative

prevention (DLP) program but using threat modelling

associations between groups. Additionally, if there

to test the program can help identify vulnerabilities or

is an information operation approach instead of an

single points of failure. ISACA provides details about

intrusion approach, misinformation, disinformation

DLP programs and how to start one. Hopefully, your

and bad information can be analysed.

organisation never experiences a ransomware attack, an attack that leads to downtime, or a malware wiper

To close out, as a cyber security program matures

attack. However, these attacks do happen and will

adding in threat intelligence can aid prioritisation and

continue, so it is critical to have practiced plans for

actionable outcomes and provide relief from alert

data recovery.

fatigue.

LAYERING IN INTELLIGENCE

As any program grows and iterates there will be a

Intelligence can be layered in at any of the above

need for resources. Therefore, here are a variety of

levels. Intelligence can help an organisation analyse

CTI resources.

its assets, prioritise vulnerabilities and validate DLP plans. Intelligence helps layer in context when

www.linkedin.com/in/meghan-jacquot-carpe-diem/

cyber security professionals analyse all the data. The intelligence system can be provided with alerts,

twitter.com/CarpeDiemT3ch

intelligence reports, information sharing and analysis centres (ISACs), industry sector comparisons,

www.youtube.com/c/CarpeDiemT3ch

malware analysis/reverse engineering, hunting packages with YARA, STIX, and Sigma rules, etc.

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MADHURI NANDI

THINK RIGHTSHIFT LEFTDEVSECOPS by Madhuri Nandi, IT Security Manager at Till Payments | Creator of - ITSA

is an approach to software development that makes

DEVSECOPS SLOWS DOWN THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

security a shared responsibility throughout the

This is not true. Consider the following scenario: you

software development lifecycle. Properly applied,

have produced a product and you, or your security

DevSecOps will result in software with robust

team, has received an email detailing its security

security.

weaknesses and your development team has no

DevSecOps (development, security and operations)

idea how to mitigate these. You will have to discuss Traditionally security checks have always been made

the problem with your risk teams or search for ways

in the final stages of the software development

to implement compensation controls to reduce risk

life cycle (SDLC). Security was deemed to be less

levels to match your risk appetite.

important than other stages. But when security teams detect any issues at this final stage, it can be

DEVSECOPS DOES NOT SUIT AGILE WORKING

almost impossible for developers to remediate them.

Many companies have discovered that agile working

So, security became merely a patch fix or a search for

methods are more efficient because they allow teams

other means of dealing with the problem.

to engage and contribute during sprints rather than waiting for feedback at the end. DevSecOps is a great

150

But why has DevSecOps not taken off as it should?

complement to agile working methods. When you

There are a few reasons: naive DevOps thinking, a

include security in every level of your development

lack of real agile working practices, senior leadership

you will get immediate feedback on what needs to

teams focusing on faster application releases, and

be improved. This helps teams break siloed working

having security as an afterthought.

habits and increases collaboration and production.

When security is considered throughout the

DEVSECOPS IS EXPENSIVE

development process the resulting software is

Implementing proper security is never an

secure. So, adopting a DevSecOps approach

unnecessary expense. You must protect your most

is an excellent idea. However, there are several

valuable assets from attack. DevSecOps aids in

misconceptions about DevSecOps.

the identiﬁcation of security issues, better enabling

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the necessary protection against threats to be implemented. Traditional organisations’ views of security as a checkbox, combined with the myths mentioned above have slowed the adoption of DevSecOps. So, how is this reluctance to be overcome? A team approach is required.

PLANNING The journey should always begin with a top management level strategy for implementing DevSecOps. Some of the questions to be discussed are: How many separate teams will have to work together at the same time? How do we ensure the right people are responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed (RACI)? How do we create process maps? How do we set benchmarks? What are our criteria for success?

AUTOMATION Automation is essential. Automation plays a critical role at every stage of the DevSecOps process in lowering risk exposure and overhead expenses and reducing the time needed to resolve issues.

INDIVIDUALS Finding the right skill set is always a challenge for senior leadership. It helps to have a good mix of different levels of experience combined with finetuned procedures and the right resources that enable people to perform at their highest efficiency.

TECHNOLOGY Even teams with the right skill set and strategy would achieve very little if they did not have the technology necessary to support them.

DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH Always assess your progress and achievements with analytics. This helps with administration and helps employees understand what they have accomplished and how they are progressing.

www.linkedin.com/in/madhurinandi/ www.itsecurityawareness.com/

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Connecting - Supporting - Inspiring

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR AMAZING SPONSORS FOR THEIR GENEROSITY AND FOR HELPING US TO CONNECT, SUPPORT AND INSPIRE OUR MEMBERS

For further sponsorship opportunities in 2022, please get in touch: awsn.org.au/support-us/sponsors/

STUDENT IN SECURITY SPOTLIGHT

Olivia Conlon recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Cyber Security and Criminology from Deakin University in Melbourne after four years of study, two of which were completed online during COVID. She grew up in the Western Suburbs of Melbourne.

OLIVIA CONLON

Cyber Security and Criminology Graduate at Deakin University

What first piqued your interest in security?

criminal justice system as it relates to cybercrime,

I first heard about cyber security and considered it

such as the intricacies of policing the ‘dark web’

a possible career choice from a career councillor outside my high school. Nearing the end of high school, I felt my career options were limited and I was

across national and transnational jurisdictions. Overall, I found the courses studied helped me

searching for something that excited me.

develop my ability to think critically about topics and

My visit to the career councillor involved a long survey

now apply those critical thinking skills in my everyday

where I explained my interests and my personality

life.

issues I had not previously been exposed to. And I

type. At the end of the session, she suggested I look into cyber security. Following that suggestion, I did my own research into studying cyber security and what a cyber security career might look like. The information I gathered from reading and watching “Day in my Life as a Cyber Security Professional” videos on YouTube convinced me it was a profession I would be interested in pursuing. It was most important for me to find a career path

• most challenging or unsatisfying about your course? I found some of my more technical classes quite intimidating especially when I was the only woman in the laboratory. I would avoid asking for help and usually try to fix any problems I came across on my own. I gained a sense of accomplishment when I was able to do so.

As technology progresses and becomes more

What is your approach to studying (time management, etc)? Any tips for other students?

intertwined with everyday life, cyber security will have

I kept a planner to help me organise my time and

in a field that would be ever-changing and would provide me with opportunities for continuous learning.

to evolve. I was interested in being part of this.

Can you briefly summarise your security career to date: how did you get into your current study program? I applied for a double degree in Cyber Security and Criminology at Deakin University during high school and was offered a place after my year 12 exams. I currently work remotely from my home in Melbourne

prepare things ahead of the dates they were due. The demands from university, my part-time job and my personal life often left me feeling overwhelmed and meant I had to prioritise what was most important to me. Having everything written out helped me from feeling overwhelmed by approaching deadlines. Another important thing I realised in the latter half of my degree course was the importance of maintaining

at a cyber security start-up company based in Sydney.

a balance between study and my social life, and not

What did you find:

being interviewed for an internship in my third year

feeling guilty about going out with my friends. When I was asked what I liked to do outside of studying

• most rewarding or fulfilling about your course?

and working. I found this the most difficult question of the interview and from that point on I made sure I

I enjoyed the flexibility in some of my subjects where

maintained a good work/study/life balance.

I could choose my own research topics, especially criminology. For example being able to research the

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What subject(s) do you find most interesting and/or do you expect to be most helpful?

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I liked the subjects where the teachers made an effort

For me, it is important to work in an organisation

to make the lessons interactive and encouraged a

where I am surrounded by other passionate and

“learn by doing” approach. For example, in one of my

motivated people who inspire me to keep learning

digital forensic subjects, an assignment required me

and to bring value to my role in the team.

to find and analyse ‘evidence’ in a virtual machine, create a report and present the findings to a panel.

How do you gain general information about the security industry?

Subjects such as this allowed me to visualise myself in a particular role and determine if that path in cyber

• From your university?

security would be something I could explore.

• From friends and colleagues? • From mentor(s)?

If you could spend a day with a security expert to learn about their role, what role would you choose?

LinkedIn has proved to be a great tool to keep up

I would choose someone who works in a digital

people’s career paths and the many different jobs

forensics role in the Australian Federal Police (AFP).

available in the industry.

I would be interested in their methodologies and how they deal mentally with such an important and demanding job. Also, I would like to learn how they separate themselves from that role when they are at

• Online sources? with cyber security professionals, by looking at other

At my current company, I am lucky enough to be surrounded by co-workers who have experience in various roles and I am always learning through their

home.

stories, tips and our internal ‘Industry News’ Slack

What involvement do you have in security outside your course?

I also like to search for online sources I can relate

During my fourth year, I completed an internship with

to such as ‘Stereotype Breakers’ which is a Discord

a cyber security startup, Avertro, and was offered a position as a junior cyber security analyst, which I hold today. Since finishing my degrees, I have completed some short courses on LinkedIn and security forums in areas I find interesting, such as

channel.

community for women in STEM around the world. I have been comforted hearing discussions on topics such as imposter syndrome and other people’s stories, especially those of women who have years of experience or are just starting out in industries that

governance risk and compliance (GRC) and Python.

are usually male-dominated.

What are your aspirations when you graduate?

What are your longer-term — five or 10 year — career aspirations?

• What roles(s) would you like to take? During my study, I developed an interest in cyber security management and I am lucky enough to be involved in this with my current job, providing a tool to help security teams track and report on their cyber resilience to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Over the next 10 years I would like to gain as much experience as possible in as many areas of security as I can with the aim of gaining a good foundation in cyber security, and then aspire to specialise in an area that takes my interest. www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-conlon-1975121a4

• What kind of organisation would you most like to work for?

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Dilara Cetiner is in the final year of a Bachelor of Forensic Science majoring in Digital Forensics at the University of Technology Sydney. She spent her pre-teen years in Melbourne, but her high school years were spent in Sydney, where she lives today with her family.

DILARA CETINER

Digital Forensics Student at the University of Technology Sydney

What first piqued your interest in security?

fall into place too quickly. You can get involved in the security industry through online learning platforms

I have always wanted to provide security in some

that are mostly free, and there’s a wide community of

manner. I had aspirations of becoming a police officer

like-minded people who can lend you a hand. I went

when I was a child. I became interested in cyber

from science to IT. It’s possible if you want it.

security when I was exposed to attacks surfacing online, ie the data breaches. I lost track of how many passwords I had to keep changing!

Were you doing something else before you started studying security?

Can you briefly summarise your security career to date: how did you get into your current study program? I am still studying full-time and have been for the last five years, almost three of those years have been

I was studying crime scene investigation as my major

spent on my aspirational security career. Nothing too

for my Forensic Science degree. I truly believed I

glamorous, I just went straight from HSC to university

would become a lab technician or a forensic scientist.

and transferred to security before I graduated with a

I changed my mind when my degree was nearing its

science degree.

last year of study. It was a bold move, and I wasn’t sure if it was too late for me to switch my major to digital forensics. Thankfully, my request was

To what extent have (a) the course and (b) the institution met your expectations?

approved. I spent the next two years studying cyber security, network and programming fundamentals,

• What do you like most?

and anything IT. It was a complete 180-degree shift

• What would you like to see done differently?

from science, but it was a welcome change. I wanted a career that would keep me adapting to the trends,

My course has met all my expectations. I do wish my

and cyber security does just that.

university had offered a bachelor’s degree in cyber security when I was still fresh-faced, but my university

Technology is ever-evolving and, as scary as that

provides this degree. So least the younger portion of

is, it’s also extremely exciting. I think of all the

my generation now has access to such a degree from

opportunities open to us now, and the opportunities

a stellar university. I am undertaking many relevant

that will come. Cyber security is an industry that will

projects and gaining practical experience I know I will

push you to grow instead of remaining stagnant.

use in the real world.

My previous study brought me many skills I remain

I love the intelligent and enthusiastic teachers, the

thankful for. Forensic science is all about teamwork

practical experiences and the resources/tools I have

and time management. Those are vital skills I carried

access to. However, I would like to see course content

with me into cyber security in my digital forensics

updated bi-yearly because cyber security is evolving

major.

rapidly.

I advise anyone who wants to make a leap into the

What do you find

security industry to just barrel into it as soon as they’re ready. Don’t feel disheartened if things don’t

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• most rewarding or fulfilling about your course?

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• most challenging or unsatisfying about your course?

S P O T L I G H T

and once someone becomes a specialist they find it quite difficult to go back to being a generalist. So I am comfortable playing in all fields until I’m ready to

I find the learning experience, the mentoring and the

choose one.

personal connections with like-minded students to be the most rewarding aspects. I find the assumption that students have prior knowledge of computers and

What involvement do you have in security outside your course?

programming to be challenging. Subjects classified as being for beginners had projects requiring high-

I am a member of several cyber and information

level coding skills prior to such skills being taught.

security organisations and I joined AWSN because I wanted to be part of a community that helps propel

What is your approach to studying (time management, etc)? Any tips for other students?

women into security roles. I have also joined the Australian Defence Force Cyber Gap Program of 2022, which is a great training and

Make sure you continue to have a life. Don’t burn

networking opportunity for budding cyber security

yourself out. Manage your projects with strict

experts. I encourage anyone interested in the

schedules you set yourself. Do NOT skimp on weekly

Defence Force or in cyber training to apply if they are

exercises that do not seem to be worthwhile. Every

about to enter their penultimate year of university.

exercise contributes to the grade you receive. Study for at least two hours a day outside classes, and

What are your aspirations when you graduate?

maintain study notes. Gather all the resources you can from university and your subject documents so

I definitely would love a stable, government position.

you have a collection of training materials, manuals

I have a keen interest in government bodies: the

etc you can use in the real world.

Australian Federal Police, the Australian Defence Force and others.

What subject(s) do you find most interesting and/or do you expect to be most useful?

What are your longer-term - five or 10-year career aspirations?

Investigative subjects are the most interesting by far. They involve exploring a network, a hard drive, an IT

In five years I want to be still growing and learning.

infrastructure and much more. Those teaching how to use red team tools are especially useful.

In ten years I aim to be a cyber security team leader or manager. I hold high expectations for myself and I

If you could spend a day with a security expert to learn about their role, what role would you choose?

want to make myself and my family proud. www.linkedin.com/in/dilara-b-cetiner/

I would choose a generalist cyber security analyst role because at present I find it hard to decide which sub-sector of cyber security will be the best fit for me. One of my favourite professors said cyber security experts are either generalists or specialists

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Sharini Arulkumaran grew up in Sydney and is in the fourth year of studying for a Bachelor of Security Studies with a Bachelor of Laws at Macquarie University. She will graduate at the end of 2023

SHARINI ARULKUMARAN

Aspiring Security Professional, Bachelor of Security Studies and currently studying a Graduate Diploma of Fraud and Financial Crime

What first piqued your interest in security?

I think the most fulfilling thing about my course is the simple fact that I am excited about my future

Procedural TV shows sparked my interest in law

in a world where so many people are jaded or

enforcement and its related fields. After doing a lot of

dissatisfied. It is fulfilling to know I am privileged to

research I discovered the Security Studies degree at

undertake a course of study that interests me and

Macquarie and after reading about the units included

will allow me to make a positive impact.

in the degree, I knew it to be what I wanted to study at university.

• most challenging or unsatisfying about your course?

Were you doing something else before you started studying security?

I was hoping to gain more practical experience from the course. While it is mandatory to complete one

I went straight from high school to study security and

professional and community engagement unit for

law at university.

my degree, I would love to have more interaction with various industry partners because it is hard to gain

To what extent have (a) the course and (b) the institution met your expectations?

work experience in security. I think it is important for every tertiary student to get a glimpse of what the future could look like after university.

• What do you like most? • What is your approach to studying (time The compulsory units cover a wide cross-section

management, etc)? Any tips for other students?

of subjects and give you an insight into the various sectors of security. This is very helpful because most

I think it is important to know yourself and your

of us are being exposed to security studies for the

habits. Do you study best alone or with friends? Are

first time and we get a glimpse of possible future

you more productive at a certain time of day? Do you

career paths.

know your limits and what causes you stress?

• What would you like to see done differently?

Personally, I like a change of scenery when studying for consecutive extended periods. I find studying

I would like to see more creative assignments being

outside or anywhere with good sunlight encourages

prescribed. Essays and critical analyses are crucial

me and adds a sense of calm to stressful periods.

to developing written communication skills but I

When it comes to assignments, I have a standard

think more creative assignments would enhance

structure I follow that streamlines the process.

our learning experience and provide a more realistic

I conduct all the necessary research, collate the

reflection of activities conducted in the workforce.

pertinent information and then categorise it as necessary for the task at hand. After developing a

What do you find

scaffold from my categorisation system, I write the assignment and make minor changes if necessary.

• most rewarding or fulfilling about your course?

However, it is important to find what works for you so you get into a rhythm that allows you to balance all your commitments. I also recommend surrounding

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yourself with supportive friends and colleagues so

I would like to take roles that expose me to the

you can assist each other when things get hectic.

diverse careers I could pursue. I would take roles that are not solely behind a computer and that teach me

What subject(s) do you find most interesting and/or do you expect to be most useful?

new skills, particularly forensic skills. My ideal employer/organisation would recognise

My favourite units so far have been:

the importance of empowering women and would not restrict their professional growth or limit the

• Terrorism in the 21st Century

opportunities available to them. In the early stages

• Intelligence and Counter-Intelligence

of my career, I would like to work for an organisation

• Cyber Security in Practice

that invests in recent graduates and does not hold unreasonable expectations but rather recognises us

If you could spend a day with a security expert to learn about their role, what role would you choose? I would choose a role that combines both

as ‘the new kids on the block’ even when we have an undergraduate degree.

How do you gain general information about the security industry?

investigative and analytical activities because I am interested to see what daily tasks make up such a role and would like to know which components I would enjoy most.

• Career fairs conducted by university/student societies • LinkedIn • Guest lecturers

What involvement do you have in security outside your course? I have completed an intelligence foundation course

• Friends who have graduated

What are your longer-term - five or 10 year career aspirations?

and look forward to doing more personal study as I gain a better understanding of what professional

Ideally, five years from when I graduate I will have

career I would like.

a fair understanding of the ins and outs of the security industry so I can direct my career in the

I also have two upcoming internships, one as a legal

best way. I hope to have a position I truly enjoy in

intern at a renowned cyber security company and the

an environment that is supportive, stimulating and

other as a vacationer on the risk advisory team of a

purposeful.

Big Four firm. www.linkedin.com/in/sharini-arulkumaran-425797213

What are your aspirations when you graduate? • What roles(s) would you like to take? • What kind of organisation would you most like to work for?

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Malwa Bajwa is studying for a Bachelor of Security Studies and a Masters in Cybersecurity and Intelligence at Macquarie University and expects to graduate in 2025. She is of Pakistani heritage but was born and grew up in Sydney.

MALWA BAJWA

Cybersecurity and Intelligence Masters student at Macquarie University

What first piqued your interest in security?

What do you find

I became interested in this course because of what I

• most rewarding or fulfilling about your course?

had read in the news over the years, and as a result of my personal experience. Civilisation is facing a

The security studies course offers broad career

variety of global security threats: terrorism; political

opportunities in a range of fields, for example, to

instability; cybercrime and climate change. As a

work as a cyber security analyst or in an intelligence

security studies student, my goal is to learn about

agency. It also offers a variety of internships that

the security dangers governments, international

enable you to gain work exposure in an interesting

organisations and businesses face throughout the

field and make you an attractive candidate to

world so I have the capability to secure networks,

employers.

protect information and avoid cyber-attacks and foreign threats. Security studies provide a fantastic opportunity for me to hone my ability to understand

• most challenging or unsatisfying about your course?

what makes people feel safe or unsafe and how these dangers might be addressed and avoided in

The heavy workload made it difficult to keep track of

the future.

what was happening in the world at large: in politics, war or anything else.

To what extent have (a) the course and (b) the institution met your expectations? • What do you like most?

What is your approach to studying (time management, etc)? Any tips for other students?

The security studies degree and Macquarie University

To study effectively and meet deadlines I always

have exceeded my expectations to a large extent.

prepared my study timetable in advance. I created a

The course is taught by numerous industry leaders. It

to-do list in which I set myself tasks for each day: to

has helped me have an open mind about my subject

complete lectures, prepare for tutorials, or work on

and allowed me to look at security from a variety

assets to ensure they were finished on time.

of angles, including international security concerns about military power, interstate war and terrorism.

Working on these tasks every day gave me time

Studying at an open and varied university has also

for other priorities outside of the university, such

given me the opportunity to develop an open mind on

as reading material and completing small courses

future security endeavours.

online to help boost my skills and capacity for a future role such as a data analyst. To achieve

• What would you like to see done differently?

success and ensure all your priorities and goals are met it’s important to create a routine and follow a

The security studies degree offers many benefits, but

timetable.

I would like to see the course providing opportunities to develop skills, for example by offering workshops to help prepare students for future roles, rather than focussing heavily on theory.

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If you could spend a day with a security expert to learn about their role, what role would you choose?

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S T U D E N T

S E C U R I T Y

S P O T L I G H T

I would choose a threat intelligence officer because

instability created by disputes between Palestine and

they are genuine specialists who make the majority

Israel. Exploring these sources helps me gain insight

of our security decisions. It’s fascinating to work in

into the security issues these disputes raise and I use

this niche because the threat landscape is constantly

the information to enhance my own understanding

changing. By understanding their strategies and

of threats, recommendations and likely or dangerous

gaining insight into their role I would be able to take a

outcomes.

proactive approach to security.

What are your aspirations when you graduate? - What role(s) would you like to take?

What are your longer-term - five or 10 year career aspirations? My long term career aspiration is to secure a cyber

I would most like to obtain a role as a cyber security

security threat analyst role at an intelligence agency

analyst, risk analyst or intelligence analyst.

or at a Sydney Airport so I can apply my learning and training and further hone my managerial skills.

• What kind of organisation would you most like to work for?

After a few years, I plan to grow into an executive position, overseeing a department. With my strong entrepreneurial spirit and management experience,

After I graduate I want to work for a company that

I am looking to attain my goals in the next 12 to 15

gives employees flexibility and pays them well

years. I believe it will take me some time to get there

in accordance with the value they provide to the

and will not be easy.

company. Working for a small to medium business would be ideal to begin with, and then I would hope to work my way up over time.

How do you gain general information about the security industry?

www.linkedin.com/in/malwa-bajwa-3ba87b211

instagram.com _malwa.b_

• From your university? The security studies department has a Twitter account dedicated to the course where it regularly provides updates about opportunities and events along with insights into security issues and challenges. Following this account helps me ensure I am on the same page as my colleagues and tutors. • Online sources? I usually explore recent news articles or journals online. Recently I’ve been really into the Middle East

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161

Paola Bianca Palomo is in the first semester of a Master of Cyber Security course at RMIT University. She grew up in the Philippines.

PAOLA BIANCA PALOMO

Master of Cybersecurity student at RMIT University

What first piqued your interest in security?

take certifications because these are the key to getting the right skills.

I have family and friends who experienced hacking and social engineering attacks that tainted their reputations. I wanted to study security, so I could prevent these from happening, not only to my family

Can you briefly summarise your security career to date: how did you get into your current study program?

and friends but on a larger scale. I also think there are very few women in security, and I want to be one of

Because I did not have prior work experience in

them. I want to be someone breaking the norm, and

security, my security career started by looking for

I want people to know women can also do jobs in

courses offered by RMIT. I selected cyber security

security and excel in them.

because it interested me the most. After that, I applied for the STEM scholarship provided by the university.

Were you doing something else before you started studying security? If so, what made you transition to the security industry?

To what extent have (a) the course and (b) the institution met your expectations?

I was already in information technology and became

The course opened my mind to real-life security

interested in security when my family and friends

scenarios and exposed me to experienced people and

experienced some security issues. Also, with the

organisations. The university has provided me with

growing reliance of our everyday activities on

opportunities to explore and learn.

information technology, I felt a need to learn about security.

• What do you like most?

Are there any skills you have carried from your previous roles/studies?

I like it when we do coding, when we explore penetration testing and when we do device configurations.

I would say being a critical thinker and good problem solver because security requires excellent analysis to

• What would you like to see done differently?

be implemented correctly. I had hoped they would provide us with more hands-

What advice would you give to someone thinking of entering this industry from a different background?

on configurations.

What do you find • most rewarding or fulfilling about your course?

Skills and knowledge are things we learn and acquire over time. If you are passionate about being in

The most rewarding part is when I get high marks on

security, do not let anything stop you. Your gender,

assignments because it proves I’ve learned what they

prior experience and background do not matter, your

taught me.

skills do. We can be who we want to be or where we want to be if we persevere. Three things people always say in this industry are: learn, practice, and

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• most challenging or unsatisfying about your course?

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S T U D E N T

S E C U R I T Y

The assignments are also the most challenging part because they are complex and require a deep

S P O T L I G H T

• What kind of organisation would you most like to work for?

understanding and application of the theories taught. I want to work in an organisation that provides

What is your approach to studying (time management, etc.)? Any tips for other students?

services to people. I will probably apply for a role in

Time management is something you need to excel

How do you gain general information about the security industry?

in to be a good student, especially when you are also

the government or a large organisation because I know they significantly impact people’s lives.

working. One thing I would suggest is to start early; making incremental progress helps prevent you from

Mostly from university and online sources. I like

becoming exhausted.

to read a lot, and the internet provides a lot of information that is helpful when you want to learn

What subject(s) do you find most interesting, and/or do you expect to be most helpful?

about security. The hacker news is useful if you want

The subject related to coding and case studies in

What are your longer-term - five or ten year career aspirations?

cyber security is interesting. They teach us things

the latest news in cyber security.

we can apply in our daily lives and when we join the industry.

I want to be someone who inspires others to be in security or nurtures their passion for security,

If you could spend a day with a security expert to learn about their role, what role would you choose?

especially young women. I hope by that time, I am in a supervisory or managerial position and can share my knowledge and expertise with others.

I would choose the role of a penetration tester or a cyber security engineer. I like these roles, and I want to know the responsibilities people do in these jobs.

www.linkedin.com/in/paola-bianca-palomo-39a3b5127

What involvement do you have in security outside your course? I currently do some informal study on Microsoft Azure and Cisco CCNA certifications. I am also a member of AISA.

What are your aspirations when you graduate? • What roles(s) would you like to take? I want to be a penetration tester or a cyber security engineer.

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163

LISA ROTHFIELD-KIRSCHNER Author of How We Got Cyber Smart | Amazon Bestseller

Making a difference in security Twins Olivia and Jack love spending time with

Olivia and Jack always love speaking with

their grandparents, chatting and showing

Amanda-Jane because she has purple hair

them all the fun things they learn at school.

and wears brightly coloured socks with

Their grandparents recently moved to a new

oversized polka dots, knows everything about

home far away and they don’t get to visit

computers and is always helpful when they

as often. Luckily, Olivia and Jack received

get stuck. Amanda-Jane was keen to help

a tablet from their grandparents for their

Olivia and Jack’s grandparents and said,

birthday last month and have been using

“Let’s go for a drive and see if we can help fix

it nearly every day to video chat with their

their computer.”

grandparents. It’s a great way to stay in touch and enables them to have regular catchups when they cannot meet often in person. Grandpa usually tells funny jokes and grandma loves showing off her next baking sensation they will all be able to enjoy on their next visit. Cookies - yummy! Olivia and Jack were getting ready for their usual video call with their grandparents when suddenly their mum’s phone rang. Their grandparents called to say their computer was running very slowly and they could not log into the video app to chat. Their mum tried to troubleshoot over the phone, but the problem seemed very tricky and they needed

grandparents’ house on a mission to fix their computer. They were pleased to see Olivia and Jack in person but grandpa was worried about missing important emails and grandma missed being able to speak to her overseas friends. Amanda-Jane asked grandma and grandpa questions to try and find out what had happened to their computer. They had not noticed anything unusual. However, it turned out grandpa had clicked on a link in an email he thought was from Olivia and Jack, asking him and grandma to buy them a gift card for

to call on a cybercriminal expert.

their birthday.

Olivia and Jack knew cybercrime to be a big

Grandpa said the link appeared safe and did

problem that could cause people to lose money, privacy and identity. Could this have happened to their grandparents’ computer? They were afraid their grandparents had become victims of cybercrime. Olivia and Jack’s mum decided to call her friend from work, Amanda-Jane, a cybercrime specialist to see if she could help. 164

Their mum drove them all to their

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

not look unusual, so he clicked on it. But when he entered his email username and password he got an error message. Ever since then, he had been unable to access his email and the computer had been running very slow. Amanda-Jane suspected a cybercriminal had sent them a fraudulent email to trick

28.06.2022

them into providing their username and password and thought the link might also have included malware. Grandpa told her he and grandma used the same password for everything because it was easy to remember. With the stolen credentials the criminal had changed the email password and taken over their email account. Amanda-Jane initiated a scan of their computer using antivirus software that looks for malicious applications. The scan

the video apps were safe and had security controls in place so grandma and grandpa could chat with Olivia and Jack.

showed apps had been installed to steal their

Grandma and grandpa were so happy

passwords, steal all the information on their

Amanda-Jane had fixed everything, to have

computer and break into their bank accounts!

learnt how important it is to be sceptical

Olivia and Jack’s mum were distraught.

of emails and links and to have multifactor

Amanda-Jane is here to help!

authentication on their apps and devices.

After the scan, Amanda-Jane installed security software to remove the viruses, scan continuously for malicious apps and protect the computer from them. After ensuring the computer was free from malware she helped grandma and grandpa change the passwords to all their accounts, set up multifactor authentication and regain access to their emails. She also suggested they use a password manager so they could assign unique passwords to all their accounts and not worry about forgetting them. This made grandpa very happy. She then made sure

28.06.2022

Amanda-Jane also gave them a copy of her book Unmasking the Hacker: Demystifying Cybercrime to read and learn more about how to stay safe on the internet. Lisa Rothfield-Kirschner www.linkedin.com/company/how-we-got-cyber-smart/

www.facebook.com/howwegotcybersmart

twitter.com/howwegotcybers1

Amanda-Jane Turner www.demystifycyber.com.au/

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165

Recom mend ed by F amily zone

How We Got Cyber Smart addresses cyber safety, cyber bullying and online safety for elementary school-aged children.

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WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE CONTRIBUTORS 01

1. AMANDA-JANE TURNER Author of the Demystifying Cybercrime series and Women in Tech books Conference Speaker and Cybercrime specialist

2. BEX NITERT 03

Director, Digital Forensics & Incident Response @ ParaFlare | Supporting Women in Security @ AWSN

3. TASH BETTRIDGE Customer Success Account Manager (CSAM) at Microsoft

4. ZOE EDMEADES 05

Co-Owner and Managing Director, The Security Company (International) Limited

5. SARAH IANNANTUONO APAC Cyber Security Strategy and Program Lead at SEEK

6. GEORGEINA WHELAN AM, CSC AND BAR Commissioner at ACT Emergency Services Agency

7. SONOMI MIYAZAKI Senior Information Security Consultant and Team Leader at Westpac

8. DOMIZIANA FOTI Security Analyst | GRC at BIP

9. MICHELLE RIBEIRO Executive Conference Producer at Corinium Global Intelligence

10.LESLEY HONEYMAN Director of Cyber Security Operations at Cyber Security NSW

11. SHAMANE TAN Chief Growth Officer at Sekuro

12. GINA MIHAJLOVSKA Cyber Security Manager at EY

13. PRANJALI KARVE 13

Cybersecurity Intern at Telstra| Bachelor of Cybersecurity student at Deakin University

14. SOPHIA PACE Head of Community and Brand at Avertro

15. LUKASZ GOGOLKIEWICZ Head of Corporate Security at SEEK

16. DANIELLE ROSENFELD LOVELL Consultant Security Testing and Assurance at CyberCX

17. NICOLLE EMBRA 17

Cyber Safety Expert, The Cyber Safety Tech Mum

18. DEEPA BRADLEY Global Transformation Executive - Cybersecurity Specialist

19. ADAM HALLYBURTON IT Security Program Project Manager

20. HASHIM KHAN Digital, CyberSecurity and Agile Enthusiast

21. SIMON CARABETTA Cyber Communications Specialist

22. MARISE ALPHONSO Information Security Lead at Infoxchange

23. KAVIKA SINGHAL Western Sydney University, Final Year Student

24. EMILY GOODMAN 23

Cyber Security Consultant at EY

25. MICHELLE GATSI Cyber Security Consultant at EY

26. SHINESA CAMBRIC 25

Principal Product Manager, Microsoft Intelligent Protections - Emerging Identity at Microsoft

27. JAY HIRA Director of Cyber Transformation at EY

28. KAYELENE KERR Body Safety, Cyber Safety and Pornography Education Specialist |Child Safety Advocate | Founder eSafeKids

29. SHANNA DALY

WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE CONTRIBUTORS 29

Cyber Security, Incident Response, Digital Forensics. Advisor, Speaker, Streamer, & Master of Shenanigans

30. NIVI NEWAR Head of Cyber Security Strategy & Governance at UNSW

31. KAREN STEPHENS 31

CEO and co-founder of BCyber

32. VERONIKA LAPUSHNIANU International Business Communications Trainer, Founder of GroupEtiq

33. ANGELINA LIU Account Executive at Barracuda

34. ASOU AMINNEZHAD Security Evangelist

35. RINA MADLANI Cloud Advocate

36. MEL MIGRINO Chairman and President, Women in Security Alliance Philippines and Group CISO, Meralco

37. VIRGINIA CALEGARE Founding Director - CISOaaS - DPOaaS - CISSP - LGPD Expert, ISO27001 LI & LA - SABSA - CCNA SecOps I & II

38. VANNESSA MCCAMLEY Leadership and Performance Consultant, Coach, Facilitator, Author and Keynote Speaker

39. CRAIG FORD

Cyber Enthusiast, Ethical Hacker, Author of A hacker I am vol1 & vol2, Male Champion of Change Special Recognition award winner at 2021 Australian Women in Security Awards

40. DIANA SELCK-PAULSSON Lead Security Researcher

41. CHARL VAN DER WALT Lead Security Researcher at Orange Cyberdefense

42. SAI HONIG CISSP, CCSP, Co-founder -New Zealand Network for Women in Security

43. PALLAVI PHUTANE Senior Consultant at KPMG Canada

44. LESLEY CARHART Director of ICS Cybersecurity Incident Response

45. NEHA DHYANI Cyber Security Leader (CISSP, CCSP, CISM, MITRE ATT&CK Certified Defender) Senior Security Consultant at Nokia Solutions & Networks

46. BROCK RODERICK Creator of Education Arcade

47. MEGHAN JACQUOT Cyber Threat Intelligence Professional

48. MADHURI NANDI IT Security Manager at Till Payments | Creator of - ITSA

49. OLIVIA CONLON 49

Cyber Security and Criminology Graduate at Deakin University

50. DILARA CETINER Digital Forensics Student at the University of Technology Sydney

51. SHARINI ARULKUMARAN 51

Aspiring Security Professional, Bachelor of Security Studies and currently studying a Graduate Diploma of Fraud and Financial Crime

52. MALWA BAJWA Cybersecurity and Intelligence Masters student at Macquarie University

53. PAOLA BIANCO PALOMO Master of Cybersecurity student at RMIT University

54. LISA ROTHFIELD-KIRSCHNER Author of How We Got Cyber Smart | Amazon Bestseller

THE LEARNING HUB

CYBRARY Collaborate in an open-source environment, revolutionising the cyber security educational experience. They offer more than 150 free courses on cryptography, secure coding, advanced penetration testing, etc. They have courses tailored to your skill set, regardless of your experience level.

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CYBERDEFENDERS CyberDefenders is a training platform focused on the defensive side of cybersecurity, aiming to provide a place for blue teams to practice, validate the skills they have, and acquire the ones they need.

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TECHEXAMS BY INFOSEC If you’re looking to study for a specific tech certification, TechExams.net’s free certification preparation community is a great place to start. Members can offer insightful perspectives on the process and direct you to resources that were not previously on your list.

VISIT HERE

BLUE TEAM RESOURCES It can be hard for individual security professionals to stay current on all of these changes. That’s why there are so many great resources out there designed specifically for people working in this field, especially in SOC. Get the best out of the free resources available on this website.

VISIT HERE

CODE WITH GOOGLE Code with Google is a free resource provided by Google to make sure everyone has access to the collaborative, coding, and technical skills that can unlock opportunities in the classroom and beyond. Their aim is to help educators give their students confidence in CS, advance their skills, and prepare them for the future.

VISIT HERE

ELASTIC Build your enterprise search, observability, security, and Stack skills with Elastic’s on-demand training for free. Their self-paced courses include expertly designed materials, engaging demos, hands-on lab exercises, and access to Elastic experts to help you build and retain new skills.

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FEATURING FREE SECURITY TRAINING RESOURCES THAT ARE AIMED AT INCREASING SECURITY AWARENESS AND HELPING PEOPLE BUILD AND UPSKILL THEIR SECURITY SKILLS.

CYBER ACES

HACKTHISSITE.ORG

PENTESTERLAB

SANS Cyber Aces Online is a course that teaches the core concepts needed to assess and protect information security systems for free! The course material is updated regularly to keep pace with changes in technology and threat landscape. It’s available as open courseware so learners can take it anytime and anywhere.

HackThisSite.org is a free, safe and legal training ground for hackers to test and expand their ethical hacking skills. This site is more than just another hacker wargames site. They’re a living, breathing community devoted to learning and sharing ethical hacking knowledge, technical hobbies, programming expertise, with many active projects in development.

PentesterLab is a free resource for getting started with web penetration testing or pen-testing in general. It provides information about potential web security flaws, their behaviour, and methods for exploiting them. More importantly, it aids in the development of a hacker-like mindset.

VISIT HERE

EVOLVE ACADEMY Cybersecurity is the fastest growing IT sector and the talent shortage continues to widen. The free Cybersecurity Fundamentals course available at Evolve Academy can help you gain hands-on technical skills to lay the foundation for a challenging and rewarding cybersecurity career.

VISIT HERE 28.06.2022

VISIT HERE

CULTURE OF CYBERSECURITY This site constitutes free downloadable kids activities to help families learn basic cybersecurity concepts. Their initiatives are aimed to expose K-12 students to cybersecurity education and possible career paths and aims to engage young learners to educate them on cybersecurity to keep them cyber safe.

VISIT HERE

CENTER FOR DEVELOPMENT OF SECURITY EXCELLENCE Center for Development of Security Excellence has tons of free security awareness resources for learners including games, posters, shorts, videos, and webinars.

VISIT HERE WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

173

TURN IT UP

TALK PYTHON TO ME

FORENSIC LENS

CAVEAT

By Michael Kennedy

By KPMG Australia

By CyberWire, Inc.

Talk Python to Me is a weekly podcast hosted by developer Michael Kennedy. They dive deep into the popular packages and software developers, data scientists, and incredible hobbyists doing amazing things with Python.

Join Dean Mitchell, KPMG’s forensics specialist and host of Forensic Lens, as he discusses the intriguing world of fraud, deception, and corporate crime and what drives white-collar criminals to deception.

Listen to thought-provoking conversations on surveillance, digital privacy, and cybersecurity law and policy in the information age. Each week, the hosts break down the headlines, legal cases, and policy battles that matter most.

CLICK TO LISTEN

THE SECUREWORLD SESSIONS

THE ART OF INCLUSION

By SecureWorld

By Diversity Council Australia

Cybersecurity weekly podcast series featuring industry thought leaders discussing security solutions, best practices, threat intel, and more.

Brought to you by Diversity Council Australia, you’ll hear stories from fascinating people of all stripes, with reflection from experts and policy makers, who’ll help you master The Art of Inclusion.

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WOMEN ON THE MOVE By Behind Closed doors Women On The Move shares remarkable stories from women who have achieved significant milestones in their professional careers. These inspirational women explain the highs and lows, the devastating failures and incredible successes, and the invaluable benefit that comes from developing a support network to guide you on your business journey.

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WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

DARK MODE WITH BEN & GABE

By KPMG Australia

By Gabe Marzano and Ben Sullivan

Join host Whitney Fitzsimmons as she discusses a range of topics such as science, sport, leadership, current affairs, and culture with global change-makers on issues and ideas that affect businesses, communities, societies, and the world.

The Creating Synergy Podcast brings Technology, Cyber Security and Universal Mega Trends shaping the future of humanity. They discuss various topics, trends and themes relevant to the global population and invite incredibly insightful guest speakers to share their perspectives!

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THE DIVERSITY GAP By Bethaney Wilkinson The Diversity Gap is for everyday people who want to pair their good intentions for diversity with true cultural change. Through thoughtful conversation and authentic storytelling, the host will inspire and equip you to create the kind of culture you say you want: one where all people are seen, heard, respected, and given what they need to thrive.

CLICK TO LISTEN 28.06.2022

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CYENTIA PODCAST By Cyentia Institute: Cybersecurity and Data Science Join hosts Jay and Wade as they discuss topics with those working to find incredible insights, tell awesome data-driven stories and are willing to share their work with the larger community.

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CYBER SECURITY HEROES

THE CYBRARY PODCAST

By IRONSCALES

By Cybrary Inc

Cybersecurity Heroes is an IRONSCALES podcast for security professionals to share and learn from one another, in order to become more resilient.

Discussing topics ranging from DevSecOps and Ransomware attacks to diversity and the retention of talent the Cybrary Podcast covers it all. Stay up to date with recent discussions and insight from current vendors and instructors from Cybrary.

CLICK TO LISTEN

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175

OFF THE SHELF

LESSONS LEARNED: SHORT STORIES OF CONTINUITY AND RESILIENCE Author // Michele L. Turner Continuity and Resilience- two words that could track to the same destination albeit, varied in arrival time. According to MerriamWebster, the definition of Continuity is: uninterrupted connection, succession, or union. Using this same resource, the definition of Resilience is: an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change. While an uninterrupted life, free of misfortune may sound wonderful, it is in the challenge, in the change, that we learn the greatest lessons. This book has been written with 51 years of personal life experiences, and an overlay of close to 30 years of professional subject matter expertise in managing the continuance of business operations across the globe, come rain...or shine. Both aspects have resulted in significant lessons learned... stories of continuity and resilience.

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97 THINGS EVERY INFORMATION SECURITY PROFESSIONAL SHOULD KNOW: COLLECTIVE WISDOM FROM THE EXPERTS Author // Christina Morillo Whether you’re searching for new or additional opportunities, information security can be vast and overwhelming. In this practical guide, author Christina Morillo introduces technical knowledge from a diverse range of experts in the infosec field. Through 97 concise and useful tips, you’ll learn how to expand your skills and solve common issues by working through everyday security problems. You’ll also receive valuable guidance from professionals on how to navigate your career within this industry. How do you get buy-in from the C-suite for your security program? How do you establish an incident and disaster response plan? This practical book takes you through actionable advice on a wide variety of infosec topics, including thoughtprovoking questions that drive the direction of the field.

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CYBERSECURITY EXPOSED: THE CYBER HOUSE RULES Author // Raef Meeuwisse Mind the gap...between the actual level of cybersecurity and the amount required to protect you. Ever wondered what exactly is going so badly wrong in society that the fastest booming industry in the world is cybercrime? Psychology meets technology as this book explores how the rapid progression of technology is luring us all forwards at a pace that outstrips the human comfort zone. This book exposes the reasons that many organizations decide it is cheaper, easier and less painful in the short term to leave their security broken. Is security fixable? Or are we destined to remain at the mercy of cyber criminals? We take a look at the cyber house rules, a set of principles that lead to what makes cybersecurity effective or, if not addressed, leaves large gaps that cyber criminals, rogue insiders and other hostile parties can take advantage of. What is causing the frequency and magnitude of digital disruption to increase? Is there a set of principles organizations can apply to prevent mega breaches?

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CYBER SECURITY & ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEMS: STAY AHEAD OF THE TECHNOLOGY CURVE Author // Y.K. Wong, PhD With the fast growth in information technologies, as well as an increasing number of mobile and wireless devices and services, the need to address vulnerabilities has been highly prioritized by many large corporations, as well as small and medium companies. The value of financial data in an accounting information system is extremely high. Thus, cybersecurity has become a critical concern in managing accounting information systems. Accounting information systems (AIS) aim to support all accounting functions and activities, including financial reporting, auditing, taxation, and management accounting. The AIS is a core knowledge area for accounting professionals and is a critical requirement for accounting practice. This book provides the essential knowledge for the accounting professional to stay ahead of the technology curve. This includes the accounting information system’s characteristics, accounting cycles, and accounting processes; reviews different types of information system designs and architectures; and discusses cyber security, vulnerabilities, cyber crime, cyberattacks, and defence strategies.

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CYBERSECURITY LEADERSHIP DEMYSTIFIED: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO BECOMING A WORLD-CLASS MODERN CYBERSECURITY LEADER AND GLOBAL CISO Author // Dr. Erdal Ozkaya (Author), Melih Abdulhayoglu (Foreword) This book is for busy cybersecurity leaders and executives looking to gain deep insights into the domains important for becoming a competent cybersecurity leader. The book begins by introducing you to the CISO’s role, where you’ll learn key definitions, explore the responsibilities involved, and understand how you can become an efficient CISO. In order to be a good leader, you’ll need a good team. This book guides you in building your dream team by familiarising you with HR management, documentation, and stakeholder onboarding. Despite taking all that care, you might still fall prey to cyber attacks; this book will show you how to quickly respond to an incident to help your organisation minimise losses, decrease vulnerabilities, and rebuild services and processes. Finally, you’ll explore other key CISO skills that’ll help you communicate at both senior and operational levels.

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CYBERSECURITY CAREER GUIDE Author // Alyssa Miller Kickstart a career in cybersecurity by adapting your existing technical and non-technical skills. Author Alyssa Miller has spent fifteen years in cybersecurity leadership and talent development and shares her unique perspective in this revealing industry guide. Cybersecurity Career Guide shows you how to turn your existing technical skills into an awesome career in information security. In this practical guide, you’ll explore popular cybersecurity jobs, from penetration testing to running a Security Operations Center. Actionable advice, self-analysis exercises, and concrete techniques for building skills in your chosen career path ensure you’re always taking concrete steps towards getting hired. Cybersecurity Career Guide unlocks your pathway to becoming a great security practitioner. You’ll learn how to reliably enter the security field and quickly grow into your new career, following clear, practical advice that’s based on research and interviews with hundreds of hiring managers. Practical self-analysis exercises identify gaps in your resume, what makes you valuable to an employer, and what you want out of your career in cyber. You’ll assess the benefits of all major professional qualifications, and get practical advice on relationship building with mentors.

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177

SURFING THE NET

ESAFEKIDS BLOG By Kayelene Kerr Founded by Kayelene Kerr, eSafeKids’ blog provides resources to teach children about social and emotional intelligence, respectful relationships, diversity, resilience, empathy, gender equality, consent, body safety, protective behaviours, cyber safety, digital wellness, media literacy, puberty and pornography.

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CIPHER BLOG By Cipher In the CIPHER blog, you will find helpful information security articles, trends in cybersecurity, and insight on threats and cyber attacks.

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CYBER SECURITY BLOG - CYBERSPHERE By Cyphere The web is full of information, whether it is the relevant information needed to learn, or to unlearn is a challenge of our times. This blog provides insights into good practices, and relevant content that is practical, targeted at action and keeps readers up-to-date with the latest security practices and tips, and tricks.

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AVAST BLOG By Avast Get the latest in security news, threat research, tips & advice, business security, diversity and inclusion, covid-19 scams, privacy and much more.

READ BLOG 28.06.2022

NETOGRAPHY BLOG

INFOSECTRAIN BLOG

PURPLE BLOG

By Netography

By InfosecTrain

By The Purple Book Community

Netography Blog discusses all things cloud and cyber security from zero trust, to how to make a move in the cloud space, trends, future solutions, strengthening defence, atomised network and so much more.

InfosecTrain Blog features important and informative information security blogs from the industry’s top leaders. They feature a variety of topics including cloud security, data privacy, data science, information security, networks, training, project management, ransomware, etc.

Discover informational insights, and trends and stay on top of security topics including protecting data, risk management, software security, cloud security, DevSecOps, zero trust, and much more.

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SKILLCRUSH BLOG

WOMENTECH BLOG

JULIA EVANS

By Skillcrush

By Women Tech Network

By Julia Evans

Skillcrush posts on career, culture, digital skills, and tech 101. They have a multitude of posts for women in tech, ranging from career growth strategies to the latest tech buzz to book recommendations. They believe that technology does not have to be difficult and that technology can be used by anyone.

Discover the most recent community news, as well as notable women in technology, and much more! Women in Tech Network is a community that promotes gender diversity in technology by connecting talented and skilled professionals with top companies and leading startups that value diversity, inclusion, and strive to cultivate a culture of belonging.

Julia Evans is a Montreal-based software developer. This blog covers everything from programming to being curious and asking questions to demonstrating how traditional “hard” and “scary” topics are actually accessible, interesting, and fun (TCP! / Kernel hacking! / Traceroute! / gzip! / databases! / SSL!).

READ BLOG 28.06.2022

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READ BLOG WOMEN IN SECURITY MAGAZINE

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womeninsecurityawards.com.au

THE 2022 WOMEN IN SECURITY AWARDS

Don’t miss the largest security awards of the year!

womeninsecurityawards.co.nz

Want to be part of it? Register your interest today by contacting aby@source2create.com.au