Haicheur Ichrak Amani is in her second year of study for a master’s degree in cybersecurity at Université des Sciences et de la Technologie ‘Houari Boumédiène’ in her native Algeria after graduating with a Bachelor of Computer Science, Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications from the same university. HAICHEUR ICHRAK AMANI She is also a Microsoft Learn Student Ambassador, one of a global group of campus leaders helping fellow students create robust technical communities and develop technical and career skills for the future.
Suppose you met an old friend from your last year at school who, knowing nothing about cybersecurity or what you do, asks you what you are doing. How do you answer them to ‘sell’ them on the idea of a career in cybersecurity?
What do you see has having been the most memorable and/or significant event in your cybersecurity journey to date, and why?
Cybersecurity is the application of technologies, processes and controls to protect systems, networks,
In addition to your studies, what employment experience do you have in cybersecurity?
programs, devices and data from cyber attacks. It
I have done three internships in different firms.
Being able to achieve my goals and progress in this career. from knowing nothing to an intermediate level.
aims to reduce the risk of cyber attacks and protect against the unauthorised exploitation of systems, networks and technologies. A career in cybersecurity has several paths depending on the interests, goals and experience.
The cybersecurity industry abounds with certifications from multiple organisations. Have you gained, or do you plan to gain any of these, if so which ones, and why? I am planning to gain many certifications, including
How does the reality of cybersecurity as you experience it today fit with your understanding when you first thought about studying it?
Certified Ethical Hacker, CEH v12 from the EC-Council and Offensive Security Experienced Penetration (OSEP) from Offensive Security.
I first thought that cybersecurity is really complicated and hard to learn, but with time I started to learn more about it and the more I learnt, the more I enjoyed. I became passionate about the field and ended up choosing it as a career.
We hear all the time that the world of cybersecurity is changing rapidly, particularly with the rate of threat evolution. Do you feel your course is doing a good job of being current?
What cybersecurity role would most like to be hired into when you graduate, and why?
Cybersecurity requires continuous learning. A
The role I would most like to be hired for is a red
by taking courses to checking cybersecurity news.
teamer because I like offensive security more than
That is why learning cybersecurity is challenging.
cybersecurity student should always keep up to date
defensive security.
What was the reaction from parents, peers or career advisors to your decision to get into cyber? Did you face any opposition, if so, how did you feel about this?
What aspect of your studies excites you the most? Learning new concepts and skills and trying to exploit new vulnerabilities.
Some of my peers advised me to choose it and others
Have you ever felt disadvantaged or discriminated against by being a woman in cyber, if so, please provide details?
said it would be hard. I felt confused, but I ended up
It is true there are more men than women in this field,
choosing it because I am passionate about it.
but I always felt respected and never disadvantaged
My parents were not from the field so they could not advise me, but they always supported my choices.
or discriminated against by my peers. We were evaluated based on our skills not gender.
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W O M E N I N S E C U R I T Y M A G A Z I N E
N O V E M B E R • D E C E M B E R 2022
