- Hey, there.

Did you know that there are people whose job it is to keep us and companies safe online?

They are cybersecurity professionals.

And today, we are going to meet with some great women who work this exciting field and ask them how they got there.

- We'll also learn about how we can stay safe online and how we can take those skills into our career.

Let's take a look at cybersecurity in this episode of Future of Me.

- [Narrator] Funding for this program is provided by the AT&T Foundation, the DTE Energy Foundation, ITC Holdings, Promess, and by viewers like you.

Thank you.

(upbeat music) - Hi.

Today, we are working with our friends at Digital Divas, an organization working to help girls and women interested in STEM, science, technology, engineering, and math.

We're gonna meet with some women who work in the field of cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing fields.

- That's right.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, the government agency, that tracks information about job and career growth predicts that cybersecurity jobs will grow by 33% over the next eight years.

That is faster growth than most other careers.

- Cybersecurity experts work on computer networks and systems to help protect users from attacks online and help companies, governments, and other organizations to keep important and top secret information safe.

- Cybersecurity experts work in all sorts of industries.

Healthcare, military, and government, social media companies, software and application developers.

And many companies use cybersecurity experts to keep their employees and information accessible to those who need it and locked away for those who don't.

- But did you know that even pizza needs to be safe online?

It's true.

Let's go meet with Liz Beattie at Domino's Pizza.

She's going to tell us about how they keep our sauce and cheese safe on the web.

(upbeat music) - My name is Liz Beattie and my job title is SOC Level 2 Security Analyst.

Cybersecurity is the practice of securing digital and cyber environment, so your network connectivity, your internet.

I mean, cybersecurity is really anywhere.

If you use something digital, you can apply cybersecurity to it.

So your home computer, your work computer, your cell phone, your tablets, anything really.

For businesses like ours and really any business that conducts their day to day affairs on technology, anything that's technology-related can be accessed by people who probably don't belong there.

So many businesses rely heavily on technology, especially E-commerce, platforms like ours, that securing that is essential in order for your business to continue to grow and do well.

(upbeat music) So an average workday for us, it comes from a lot of different directions.

I mean, there's a lot of different things that we research in the course of a day.

Some of it is related to our own internal customers.

Some of it is investigating suspicious activity that might be coming from external sources, interacting with our level one team to investigate anything that they find particularly interesting or maybe worrisome that they want a second set of eyes on or a more detailed evaluation of.

The fun thing about cybersecurity is there isn't really a typical problem.

There just isn't.

There's so many different opportunities for things that require attention and investigation.

You might run into folks reporting emails that they find suspicious or activity on their computers or on the network that just doesn't seem right and they want our attention on.

There's so many different things that you can see in the space day to day that there really isn't a day to day, almost.

(upbeat music) I got into computers because I liked playing computer games.

So I liked building computers.

I liked technology.

I liked problem solving.

I liked the hands on aspect of getting into that.

So when I went out of high school, I got into a program that was offered at a local technical school at the time.

And I went through a network engineering and administration program, and that was an 18-month course.

I came out of it with a handful of certifications.

And then I got my first job a few months later in the IT department of a law firm downtown.

A couple of years ago, I had begun kind of evaluating my career path.

And I'd really been interested in cybersecurity for quite a while.

And just hadn't really had the right kind of timing or maybe just the right moment hadn't struck.

But I started doing some more dedicated research into the field.

I started picking up webinars, and this was kind of right around the beginning of COVID.

So there was a little more opportunity to look into programs that would help make that move.

And I found a scholarship program offered by an organization called Women in Cybersecurity and their abbreviation is WiCyS.

And they were offering a scholarship program with Google and SANS to help train women in cybersecurity.

And that is how I actually managed to get the training that landed me this particular position.

I've always been inquisitive and curious by nature and cybersecurity really gives you the ability to dig into unique and interesting problems.

So for me, having the opportunity to kind of chase up things that maybe somebody's having difficulty figuring out, or a new or unique problem to kind of solve or something interesting to find, just having that opportunity to learn and do new things is really cool and always present in this field.

I did tend to get into a lot of exploratory type things.

I've always had a very inquisitive nature, I guess we'll say.

So figuring out how things worked, a lot of things that I read growing up were science fiction and fantasy.

There was a bit of a technology aspect to that of a futuristic kind of bent that getting into this field now kind of just felt like getting in touch with some of those more futuristic things that interested me so much when I was younger.

(upbeat music) There's a lot of different characteristics that potentially fall into that, but a willingness and a desire and a passion to learn because this field is always changing.

It's always growing.

Nothing stays the same.

So you've gotta be committed to learning 'cause you will be learning every day of your life for the rest of your life in this field.

A passion for digging into things, curiosity, just that drive to get to the bottom of something, a willingness to go down the rabbit hole to follow a problem till you find the solution.

People who enjoy digging into stuff and solving hard to resolve problems.

In terms of technical skills, I mean, there's definitely technical skills required, but more times than not, that can be taught either through some of the programs I mentioned or a lot of it tends to be job-specific.

I mean, there are basics that any type of program can teach you, but really kind of getting into the field as it were teaches you the most.

(upbeat music) The interesting thing about cybersecurity is there are so many different resources out in the environment and there are absolutely wonderful programs in the security field that are offered by a lot of different organizations.

I mean, regular universities offer cybersecurity degrees.

There are organizations like SANS, which is a global education provider for cybersecurity.

There's lots of different places like Udemy and Black Hills Information Security and just lots of different, even free resources, that you can find out on the internet to teach yourself if you really wanna get into this field and learn what's required to do it.

There are organizations designed specifically to help encourage and bring women into the field and train them.

And some of the most amazing people I have seen making progress in this field are all women.

There are some phenomenal security talent out there.

We have some in our own organization and I am so pleased to be able to work with these ladies on a day to day basis 'cause they teach me new things every day that make me a better security practitioner.

So for anybody who thinks that gender is a bar, it absolutely is not.

We are smashing those walls down daily and continue to do so.

(upbeat music) - It seems like we spend all of our lives online.

Many of my classes are virtual or have some sort of online component.

I talk to my friends online.

I play video games and stream movies and videos online.

And of course, all of my social media accounts.

My family even has a shared photo album in the cloud that we used to share our favorite family photos.

- Part of living online is learning to stay safe online.

I've logged to so many accounts and websites.

It can be really hard to keep track of it.

I also get messages from people all the time, and sometimes it can be hard to know the person I'm talking to is one of my friends or a hacker trying to get my information.

- Our next guest is CK.

CK is a cybersecurity professional keeping companies safe from cyber predators.

She even has her own YouTube channel where she posts videos about online safety.

- Hi, I'm CK.

I am a cybersecurity professional, and I want to talk today about staying safe online.

Let's begin with what is cyberspace.

Whatever has to do with the internet is cyberspace.

We utilize the internet to convey messages and remain associated with our loved ones.

We use the internet for various other purposes like attending online classes, playing computer games, downloading music and watching TV shows and films.

Adults do things like banking, online shopping, and other significant regular activities.

Understanding the risks on the web and making a move to safeguard ourselves is the initial phase in making the internet a safer place.

Digital hunters or cyber predators are individuals who search online for others to utilize, control, or damage them in some way.

Cyber bullying is the electronic posting of cowardly messages about an individual.

What can you do to stop cyber predators and bullies?

Pause for a moment before you post or say anything on the web.

Just like in real life, online also, you should treat everyone compassionately and with respect.

Take a stand for yourself.

Raise your voice against something which is uncomfortable to you.

On the off chance that you see something improper, let the site know and tell a grown up you trust.

(upbeat music) Data fraud is the unlawful utilization of another person's own data to take cash, credit, or demean the person.

Identity theft is when someone uses your personal information to pretend to be you online.

They can use this information to try to steal money or use your identity to hurt others.

Here are some tips to prevent identity theft.

Let your guardians know if, at any point, you get an email that requests your data.

Sometimes, the messages will look very official as if they're coming from your club or your school.

Yet, they could be a stunt to get your data.

Make solid passwords.

Keep your passwords secret and do not share them with anyone.

Think before you click.

Do not open messages from people you do not know.

And do not click on links unless you know where they'll take you.

And lastly, use and check your security settings on the social media networking accounts.

(upbeat music) Let's talk about some general online safety tips.

Try not to speak with outsiders on the web and never consent to meet face to face.

Tell a parent, educator, or a grown up you trust if any unknown person tries to get in touch with you in an online chat, through email or text messages.

Try not to participate in online contests, join clubs or offer your information under any circumstance unless your parents or guardian say it's okay.

Your name, address, age, telephone number, birthday, email address, where you go to class, passwords, et cetera is your private information and should not share without checking the validity of the source asking for that.

Beware of offers that are too good to be true.

Online stance like giving away free stuff are intended to get you to surrender personal information.

Check with your parents or guardians before downloading any application and always check the privacy settings.

Connect to a secure internet connection.

Disconnect your devices from the internet when you're not using them.

And make sure your devices are not set to automatically connect to any public wifi.

(upbeat music) Let's talk about how we can make strong passwords and keep them safe.

Your password should be 10 characters long.

Include uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

You should avoid using any words in the dictionary and do not use any personal information like your birthday, phone number, or your address.

Let's make a password together.

Take a base word.

Use something around you, a song, lyric, or a phrase of your own.

I'm going to pick ice cream is cold.

Okay.

Now, let's capitalize some of those letters.

I'm going to capitalize the beginning of each word.

Ice cream - I.

Cream - C. Is - I again.

And cold - C. Now, let's replace some of the letters with numbers or special characters.

A's can be replaced with @ symbol.

O's can become zeros.

S could be replaced with dollar sign, and the I's can be replaced with ones.

Now we remove all of the spaces and here is a password.

This is a strong password.

Now, once you have a strong password, you have got to keep it safe.

Don't use the same password for all your accounts.

Try to memorize your password.

Change your password every three to six months.

And don't use the "remember password" feature on any web application.

Also, if it is offered, always use two factor authentication.

There is unlimited growth opportunities in cybersecurity, both from career as well as learning perspectives.

This is a challenging journey for those willing to push themselves forward every single day.

If keeping yourself safe online is interesting and fun for you, maybe you'd be great at cybersecurity.

(upbeat music) - According to a 2018 report by ISC Squared, women represent roughly 24% of the cybersecurity workforce, but that number is growing.

In 2013, it was around 11%.

- The study also found that women make up a high percentage of leadership roles related to cybersecurity.

Many women working in cybersecurity have advanced degrees, but that isn't the only path to a career in cybersecurity.

- Next, we're going to see my interview with Loretta Sanford.

She tells me about how her early interest in technology led to a career as a cybersecurity expert for one of the biggest cybersecurity companies in the United States.

Hi Loretta, my name's May.

I hear it you're a cybersecurity professional.

What is it that you do?

- Hi May, nice question.

Yes, I am a cybersecurity professional and I do work for a major cybersecurity firm.

I work in the software engineering department at this point doing IMA functions, which also helps me maintain auditing and the security functions we needed for the cyber side of our cloud applications.

IMA is identity access management.

It's really about access.

You have to be able to get into a place.

You have to have the right access to get in.

You have to have the right credentials to get in.

- Wow, that sounds really interesting.

What got you excited about cybersecurity?

- I became interested in cybersecurity when I was working for a software company and one of my managers was an ethical hacker.

And we had to create a team to help pass some SOC audifications that we didn't even have.

So I became part of her team, and she started from the ground up teaching about five of us how to hack, penetrate, so that we could pass these auditing for this company.

So an audit is like a function that tells the government that you've met these standards.

So an audit of a company allows you to have better credentials for the company as a whole.

It tells a government or a business, okay?

That you are complying to certain standards.

You're keeping the right networks.

You're keeping things upgraded.

You're paying attention to the procedures and policies that they've set up as a big entity.

And that helps.

That helps you move along.

It helps you get different kinds of accreditations.

It helps the government say, okay, yeah, I wanna do business with someone who is keeping things in line in check.

- What did you need to do to start your career in cybersecurity?

Did you have to go to college?

- Okay, how I got started in cybersecurity, I happened to be in a typing class in ninth grade and I could type really fast.

And I also was helping all the other kids because my mother had taught me shorthand.

So I was able to do shorthand and type.

And my teacher said, hey, do you know about this joint vocational school?

And I happened to know about the joint vocational school because my uncle was the principal there, but I'd never been to one.

And so she gave me an application about, for a programming class and I didn't think anything of it.

And I happened to get in.

So my junior and senior year, I went to a joint vocational school where I learned programming.

And from there, the area I lived in, there was like no real jobs.

And my aunts lived in DC.

So I moved to DC and I went to a technical school there.

I went to a place called Yorktown Business Institute where I also picked up the programming and we started doing computer work.

And then from there, I started working.

And from there, I was a computer operator.

I was doing programming work and I've had some cool jobs.

I've worked for NASA.

I've worked for Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

And then during my jobs, if there was something that I was in an area where I need to learn more, I would go take a college class.

I would go get another certification to help me advance my myself in that position or what I need alone, like networking.

You always need to know more stuff about networking.

- What are IT certifications?

- The IT certification is saying to an employer or to someone you're working with that you've taken the extra steps to advance yourself.

Not only does it give you experience, it also gives you different types of knowledge.

There's boot camps, there's also online classes.

And in those, they give you the steps to say, hey, this person has the knowledge to spin up a server to be an ethical hacker.

And you take a huge test at the end.

That also tells them, okay, not only did you take the class, you interpreted what was in the class and you moved it and you passed the test.

And then you go on like a registry.

Some people go on a registry.

And for bigger ones like hacking, vulnerability, networking, and some people get jobs from there.

And you also meet people in those classes.

It helps with networking.

Really big networking about what different companies are doing, what they're learning.

Because sometimes in those classes, I was able to take back to my job.

Hey, this particular tool is better than what we have.

We need to get this.

We need to try that.

So that networking is really big when you do your IT certifications and take those classes.

- For someone like me in high school, what should I do to get ready for a job in cybersecurity?

- If you can't type, (laughs) you need to at least know where the keys are where you're not looking.

If you're trying to figure out how to type and figure out what's going on the class and figure out where you need to put things, it's not good.

So a typing class is like the first thing.

And once you have that kind of knowledge, then you're steps ahead.

- Who helped you on your career path?

Did you have any teachers or mentors?

- I had a bunch of people during my career path to help me advance at work.

And even at home, my aunts were librarians.

Couple aunts were lawyers.

Like I said, my mom taught me how to take shorthand.

So there were a lot of people that helped there.

In school, like I said, the lady who put me in the typing class.

I only took that typing class because I had to have an extra curriculum because I played basketball.

And I didn't even know I would like it.

- When you started your career, were there many women in your profession?

- When I started my career, there was not a lot of women in my profession.

There weren't a lot of women.

Now, there were a lot of teachers.

I had a lot of good teachers in this area.

Some of the teachers of the classes and certifications I took are women, but not many in like my teams.

So I would be the only person, the only person of color for years.

I mean, it wasn't until like the last 20 years, 10 or 15 years where it wasn't.

The one boss I had, she was an ethical hacker.

That was the first woman boss I had that knew about security.

But now, there is more.

And a lot of us, we're nerds.

There are a lot of women nerds.

They just don't wanna show it.

And now we're not scared to.

We're okay to walk in and say, yeah, I'm a nerd.

I've got a whole cybersecurity thing sitting in my backyard and I'm hacking from the basement.

We're okay with that now.

That doesn't scare us.

- What skills have helped you the most in your career?

- Well, I've always been interested in computers for sure.

And I have different types of troubleshooting skills even before, because like I said, I play sports.

I was used to team mentality.

So that comes into play.

- Thanks very much, Loretta.

I learned so much.

- That's glad to hear, May.

I hope I did enhance your knowledge of being a cybersecurity professional.

And let me know if you want a job.

(laughs) (upbeat music) - Cybersecurity is a growing field.

If you are interested in technology and problem solving, it might be a great career for you.

- We met some great people who are doing a lot of work to keep the online world safe.

We also learned how we can keep ourselves safe online.

- If you are interested in cybersecurity, you start by taking a computer class at your school or local community center.

And of course there are plenty of resources online.

Just be sure to stay safe.

- [Narrator] Funding for this program is provided by the AT&T Foundation, the DTE Energy Foundation, ITC Holdings, Promess, and by viewers like you.

Thank you.

(upbeat music)