Women in Security ― Changing the Face of Technology and Innovation

This volume examines core areas of development in security, emphasizing the pivotal contributions of women to the field’s evolution. The author first covers a broad spectrum of key topics, including how security is created, where innovation occurs, what the underpinnings are, and who supports it and how. After an overview of the field, female security professionals share their own stories of technology and innovation in security today; the foundation, where research is headed, and the emerging trends. Women currently make up a very small pocket of cyber security staffing – this book aims to increase the visibility of women in the field and their contributions and encourage other females to join the field. The contributors hold various roles from executive leadership, to engineers, analysts, and researchers.

Debra A Christofferson is a 20 year Fortune 500 veteran in information security management and leadership. She is a published author, experienced speaker and trainer, and cyber security consultant. Though her background is primarily in the private sector, she also has experience in statewide government cyber security. She holds the two gold standard security certifications in the field: Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Certified Information Security Manager (CISM). She is also a board leader for international associations that serve security professionals. She has published multiple articles on cybersecurity, such as a sample security risk management plan, security strategy framework, careers in technology, a CISSP brief, and was an editor of an internal technical newsletter for factory automation developer group at Intel. Her experience in speaking includes facilitating many panels for women in security and delivering talks as a subject matter expert at security conferences and events. In the two cyber security certifications she holds, she facilitated a certification exam prep workshop for the CISM, and she’s taught the CISSP workshop and study groups. She prepared and delivered a virtual series on the cloud security certification—the CCSK, and led study groups on privacy certification.