GO PHISH
WE ‘ GO PHISHING ’ WITH JAMEEKA GREEN AARON , CISO OF AUTH0 , WHO TELLS US ABOUT LIFE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE OFFICE .
wWhat would you describe as your most memorable achievement in the cybersecurity industry ?
The most memorable was watching Orion EFT 1 launch and land . It was a full circle moment for me . My team worked closely with the engineers who
wrote the code for Orion and scanned a few million lines of code to ensure the software onboard Orion was secure . Orion launched from Cape Canaveral and landed in the Pacific Ocean and was retrieved by the USS Anchorage LPD- 23 . Having spent nine years serving on amphibious ships in the US , I knew that those sailors were as proud as I was that day . It was really a special moment .
What first made you think of a career in cybersecurity ?
Cybersecurity wasn ’ t really a thing when I was starting out in my career , so my journey here has been somewhat organic .
I came into technology via the US Navy , in a rating called a Radioman ( RM ) – which is now legacy . A female recruiter , who was also a Radioman , inspired me to follow in her footsteps as she said that I reminded her of herself . From there , I transitioned into IT and began working on Naval Networks before entering the SOC in San Diego . Once there , I knew that cybersecurity was my calling and have been in the field ever since .
What do you think is the current hot cybersecurity talking point ?
There are so many to choose from , but Customer Identity and Access Management ( CIAM ) is both important and exciting as we find ourselves at the intersection of convenience , security and privacy .
For any consumer-facing company , delivering a great user experience is critical . When trying to achieve a stellar UX , privacy and security no longer have to be considered acceptable collateral damage . In this space , innovation is fast , often making use of so many capabilities in one product – such as passwordless registration , integration of social profiles and progressive profiling for powerful insights – all of which greatly enhance the overall customer experience .
How do you deal with stress and unwind outside the office ?
I do a couple of things . The first is setting boundaries for myself . I love my job and my work , it doesn ’ t feel like work , which is why I am diligent about ensuring that I log off and decompress by a certain time .
The Auth0 team has already nicknamed me the ‘ Where ’ s Waldo ’ of the group . I have wanderlust and I travel often . When I ’ m not in the office , I ’ m at the airport heading to my next adventure .
If you could go back and change one career decision , what would it be ?
If you ’ d asked me before I turned 40 , I would have had a long list of things I would have done differently . Now , I wouldn ’ t change a thing . Every decision , both good and challenging , led me to this moment . I recognise the value of each of my career decisions and understand that the role I have today as CISO is the culmination of all those decisions .
What do you currently identify as the major areas of investment in the cybersecurity industry ?
Security is still too often seen as an afterthought by businesses . This leads to all sorts of challenges ; companies are not implementing the right technologies in a secure manner to successfully fend against attacks . We should be investing in as-a-Service ’. Understanding what your team does well and leveraging software , infrastructure , or identity as-a-Service is not only a good investment , it is a www . intelligentciso . com
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