Women in the world of cybersecurity
Season 3 Episode 2
Transcript
Juan José Ríos
Although men outnumber women in the cybersecurity field by a ratio of 3:1, more and more women are entering the field and aspiring to leadership positions with higher levels of education and more certifications than their male counterparts. Female cybersecurity workers are gaining a stronger foothold in the profession compared to their male counterparts. A higher percentage of female cybersecurity professionals reach positions such as chief technology officer. 7% of women vs. 2% of men. Vice President IT 9% vs. 5% IT Director. 18% vs. 14% and executive level 28% vs. 19%. According to the findings of the 2018 Cybersecurity WorldForce Studio Report, the figures show that women are forging a path to leadership.
They are generally more educated and younger, while 44% of men in cybersecurity have a graduate degree. The number of women is 52%. Nearly half of the female cybersecurity professionals surveyed are millennials - 45% compared to 33% of men. In contrast, Generation X men make up a larger percentage of the workforce. We are talking about 44% than women at 25%. According to the survey, women working in cybersecurity now account for around a quarter, 24% of the total. This is significantly higher than in 2017, when only 11% of the study's respondents were women. Now I'm going to introduce our guests today. Thank you for joining us. Yoalyng Aguirre is a civil and industrial engineer with MBA studies and more than 15 years of experience in the telephony, banking and financial sector. She is currently working as Regional Manager of the Southern Cone of Customer in Plus TI, ensuring the proper use of its products for the various solutions for compliance and money laundering, fraud prevention and cybercrime.
Yoalyng is a member of WOMCY: Women in Cyber Security Latin America, today we are joined by Yoalyng and Martha from Santiago de Chile. Welcome to the Secure Financial World for this special edition on the role of women in the world of cybersecurity and fraud prevention. Yoalyng, I want to start with you, what do you think about this boom or shall we say, trend of having more women in the world of cybersecurity and cyber security?
Yoalyng Aguirre
Hello Juan José. Well, first of all, I am happy to be a woman and to be sharing this space today and this topic that is undoubtedly on the rise with Marta. My opinion is that women have a more transversal view of issues and define everything we do. We are a bit more critical and we not only see the technical aspects, but we become more of an interlocutor with the functional aspects for a better understanding of these issues. We generate this link, which is undoubtedly something that favours us. It is also important to be clear that cybersecurity is a process, not a product. By this I mean that it is something continuous and that women are undoubtedly becoming more and more curious in this discovery and in this dedication to what we are experiencing and what will continue in the future. That is my opinion, Juan José, about this boom we are experiencing and this trend in computer security and cybersecurity.
Martha Leuro
Good morning to all of you. It is a pleasure for me to share this podcast with Yoalyng today and thank you very much for the invitation. Well, what can I say, there is currently a shortage of cybersecurity professionals here. Very recent studies carried out by the OAS revealed a shortage of around 600,000 professionals for Latin America in the world. This figure is expected to reach 2,700,000 professionals by 2021, which is why it is important to immediately lower the barriers to entry in this field. And this would be achieved through the diversity that is so fashionable. But this diversity should be in all fields, for example, greater educational opportunities so that qualified people with different studies, not only with previous technical training, could access these types of positions. This would open up space for other types of professionals, diversity also, why not in race. There is a recent study in the United States, Juan José and Yoalyng, in which they make an analysis and show that the number of people of African descent, for example, is between 3-5% and obviously, and not least, gender diversity does not allow us here to see women filling these positions on a daily basis.
This also reminds me that a recent study of security certifications shows how women have gained space in this type of disciplines. For example, in Latin America about 40% of all cybersecurity professionals are already women, which is very gratifying for me to see how women are growing in this field that naturally, going back to physical security, was conceived for a man's world, because it is very much related to force, not physical security, it is very much related to force. And that is why 12% of security was in the hands of the Armed Forces, 12% of whom were men. This has also changed a lot. To put it another way, private security in buildings, companies and shopping centres used to be exclusively for men, but more and more women are taking on this role. We women have really gained a lot of prominence because we have prepared ourselves for it. It is a subject that we are passionate about, because we find cybersecurity a way to help others and I think this has made a difference.
Juan José Ríos
Indeed, Marta. But I would also like to ask you, Yoalyng, how women have brought value in the area of cybersecurity?
Yoalyng Aguirre
Look, Juan José, in your introduction you talked a bit about statistics, numbers and the position of women in cybercrime in recent years. At the end of last year there was a list compiled by the editors of Cybercrime Magazine, which is the cybercrime magazine, where they detailed that there are now more than 50 women's associations and groups in cybersecurity. This undoubtedly promotes the advancement of the field. Not only do we realise that there are women interested in this topic and organisations, but it is a common focus. It is the courage of these women that has been present in expanding their personal and professional networks. They carry out activities on the topic to reach more and more people. They also help develop technical skills and publish job opportunities, with their main goal being to increase the presence of women in the area of security and cybersecurity. Equally, I think what many of these organisations are doing is encouraging girls and teenagers to explore career opportunities in the cybersecurity field and to study careers.
So I think that without a doubt, with the rise of this partnership, we see that women bring a lot of value in this area.
Juan José Ríos
Thank you very much. Hello Martha. Martha Leuro, you are part of the family. But I also want to ask you and Yoalyng, what do you think about whether women have to prove twice as much as men to have their opinion taken into account when it comes to technical careers like cybersecurity? What can you tell me?
Martha Leuro
Personally, I don't think so. I worked in an important multinational bank based in my country, Colombia, about three years ago and I was in that position for four years. I have no technical background, however, I was a reference within the bank and in the country itself. Moreover, I can share with you that during that time, in the same position in the other countries where the bank had a presence, such as Uruguay, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, we were all women. In the case of Paraguay, the United States, Spain and Turkey, men were in charge, which ratifies the presence of gender in Latin America. I was very surprised to see the percentage of women in cyber security in the United States, which is only 21%. And there are scholarships for women who wish to enter this world to do so at little or no cost to their education. In Europe it is 23%, in Asia and the Pacific it is 30%. So, it is definitely gratifying for me to see that Latin America is leading the way in the incursion of women in cybersecurity issues.
Juan José Ríos
Martha, security is a space occupied by women breaking paradigms that are practically disappearing. But, well, we all know that the results of information leaks, for example, end up being sold on the dark web, making millions of information records available to those who want to commit crimes in this area. How strong is the impact of these information leaks on fraud? But I also want to ask you Marta, what percentage do you estimate is materialised in banking fraud?
Martha Leuro
Well, they are very strong, not only for bank fraud, but for any kind of organisation. The worst thing is that these leaks normally occur in organisations other than banks. We saw the case of Facebook, for example, but it is in the banking sector where they are monetised, so in the end people often associate these information leaks with occurring in the financial system, which is not necessarily the case. What happens is that if it is the bank, if it is the financial system that handles the case, then obviously that is the final objective of the criminal. The research data compiled by the Ponemon Institute is that increasingly we have an increase, for example, in the total cost of diffraction of 10% compared 20 versus 2021 1.07 million dollars difference2021 cost, where obviously this is being attributed to everything that had to do with remote work. Data breach costs increased from $3,860,000 to $4,240,000. The highest average cost in the history of what was taken overall from this Ponemon Institute report and the financial sector is obviously leading the way in these costs.
Now, how much do they charge on the web for selling the data? Well, the prices vary a lot from a few cents of a dollar, which is the cheapest, such as access to email or even the whole package of information. To give an example, I would like to quote some figures I found here:
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Key in email pays you 11 cents.
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If it's the PayPal key, for example, it's $55 and on a full day for one person it's $1000.
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Entity document number, $77
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Credit card number and codes, $77
And then, on the other hand, the average cost per record, i.e. per capita for organisations, has risen from the data breach of $146 in 2020 to $161 in 2021. So that's a 14.2% point increase, which is high profit for those who buy the data to monetise it. And this also allows those who steal the data and offer it over the web to guarantee demand.
There is an economic principle at work here: where there is demand, there is supply.
Juan José Ríos
Thank you, Martha. Well, let's continue to address this issue, but now from another perspective. The world's eyes are on Europe with the situation in Ukraine. And on that subject, Yoalyng, what is happening in Ukraine at the moment is regrettable. Added to this is an element that did not exist 30 years ago, and that is what the military considers to be a fifth domain: cyberspace, where the new wars are also being fought.
Could you comment on the role of cybersecurity in Ukraine's war with Russia?
Yoalyng Aguirre
This is a real issue that we are living today, where we have seen a lot of information passing through. And this issue to begin with, the war over the occupation of Ukraine by the Russian government, has unleashed a parallel war in cyberspace. This war has unleashed a number of cyber-attacks and started before the war itself. It had been reflected in blocking and invading various government sites to demoralise and disinform, to give one example. But on the other hand, malware has been found that can erase large amounts of data unnoticed. This is leading to new attacks that are not even known about yet, and as a result, this undoubtedly promotes the demand for more professionals in the area of cybersecurity, with new profiles and skills. Because there are many professionals today who are updating cybersecurity policies, who are precisely looking at everything in the face of war and strengthening those high threats that have impacted not only Russia and Ukraine, but globally. And not only those two countries, but all of us have been affected, and with this we realise that as a consequence this whole issue of information security and cybersecurity is going to become even more valuable, because these are daily spaces that are opening up.
So what we are still seeing and living is to continue to train these cybersecurity teams and to be able to control these suspicious behaviours. So, well, this is an issue that we are living and the war is something that has impacted all of us on these issues.
Juan José Ríos
What would you say to young women who are just coming out and looking for a future and who, due to lack of knowledge, or because of a slash, suddenly discard a career in the world of IT security, cybersecurity or simply don't even have an idea that this area could be their future?
Yoalyng Aguirre
That is a very good question and I hope that this message reaches many women who are listening to us today. And to those women I would say to take risks, to put aside fear and paradigms in this world of cybersecurity. Technical skills are learned, the first thing is attitude. I would tell them to be encouraged to enter this world, which for me is exciting and it is what is taking the most strength in the short, medium and long term because I believe that security, cybersecurity and software development companies need profiles from different fields and not only from computer engineering, because it is not only convenient but necessary. I, for example, am an industrial engineer, but since I graduated I have been passionate about technology, the changes, the updates, the rapid progress in this area. And I know many women who have studied other careers and who today are working as consultants in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, security management, support and a host of other areas in this field.
And the most important thing is that they enjoy what they do and, above all, what they learn. And as Martha also said at the time, there are many professionals missing in this, in this area, and in truth, with time, more professionals will come forward, because this is what we are experiencing and what will continue to unfold in the short, medium and long term.
Juan José Ríos
Perfect. Now Yoalyng and Martha, we would love to hear your comments, your final conclusions regarding the role of women in the world of cybersecurity and fraud prevention.
Martha Leuro
I would say to women mainly, but in fact to all those who are looking for training in a discipline that will guarantee them employability, that they should not hesitate to think about cybersecurity. The demand for such profiles worldwide is very high and for all levels. From cybersecurity analyst to experts and management positions, they are in demand in the market in general for everything. I would tell them that through cybersecurity they can help society, people, countries and governments to have a more secure financial world. We should all be aware of what it is and what it is for and how to protect ourselves from threats, whether it is a government, a large, medium or small organisation, or an ordinary human being. I think it is an issue that is worth calling financial health. Because after every attack and every cyber-attack the criminal is looking for our money. So this is a very good option. It is a very nice discipline. From my own experience, no prior technical knowledge is required, but you do have to prepare yourself; we do have to prepare ourselves to be able to serve in this, in this, in this world, in this discipline. Thank you very much.
Juan José Ríos
Yoalyng, go ahead with your final comments.
Yoalyng Aguirre
Thank you Juan José. Well, to complement a bit what Martha says. First of all, I would like to congratulate all the women who have taken risks and taken a gamble in this area by being persevering. There is no doubt that we are in an area of digital transformation where there is a need for many professionals who are dedicated to the subject. Men play an important role in this area and it has always been said but my intention is not to belittle. On the contrary, I believe that strengthening the role of women in these fields often gives prevalence to issues that men do not necessarily see. Therefore, it is a very valuable complement. In addition, we can say that with the digital evolution, more and more women are using technology. We can see this because most of them use smartphones to perform daily tasks through applications, so their interest in this field has increased and those of us who are mothers encourage our daughters to use them at home. And well, to close my participation, we must continue to promote and motivate women to participate professionally in this area and remember that it is not a matter of gender, but of dedication, perseverance and commitment.
Juan José Ríos
Thank you very much to you. However, I want to add this: the empowered woman makes an impact, and we have already seen that in this podcast. She not only has the professional skills to design her own path, but also the attitude to spread her empowerment at all levels. It is even important to emphasise that in the world of cybersecurity and fraud prevention, women can undoubtedly become a benchmark in this space too. They are always committed to innovation. Thanks to all of you at that table listening to us in this secure financial world. This is a production of Plus Technologies general producer Giovanni Castellanos and the host, Juan José Ríos. Until next time and thank you for participating in this dialogue.
