Latin America has been growing in terms of cybersecurity and today we have more space for conversation on the subject.
“Our participation, worldwide, is still low but we are climbing,” says the Venezuelan expert on the subject.
Is cybersecurity a world that has a masculine face? What participation do women have in the exercise of information protection? THE WOMAN POST approached the vice president of Womcy, Latam Women in Cybersecurity, Lizbeth Plaza, to answer these and other questions.
When we talk about computer security, explains the expert, “we are referring to the protection of our information”, but it is pertinent to go further and delve into that infinite universe that is the Internet. “It usually happens – she comments – that when we link the Internet concept precisely to the protection of information, in our imaginations we see a sordid basement where there are a lot of men in front of their computers. We think this perhaps because for many years the high positions that have to do with cybersecurity in companies are occupied by representatives of the male gender”.
A woman works to open more places for female participation in these scenarios at the Latin American level: “We want women to have greater participation in terms of training and certification and equal job opportunities to occupy business positions in cybersecurity”.
Female vulnerability
Cybersecurity has to do with all mobile devices, and computers, consultation of social networks, and exchange of emails, to name just a few of the daily activities of millions of people and companies in the world. Lizbeth Plaza explains: “When we enter our digital spaces we use passwords, which implies that we must protect our information. This simple notion has to do with cybersecurity”.
Are women more vulnerable in these scenarios?
- What happens is that, in the presence of a cyber attacker, most of those who respond and fall into their traps are curious women and perhaps it is because we are more emotional while men are more pragmatic. It is not that cyberattacks are directed at women, it is that we fall more easily into traps and deceit.
To change this reality, WONCY, as a non-profit entity focused on Latino women in cybersecurity issues, directs its influence at schools, universities, and corporations to raise awareness about the protection of information and bet on increasing the number of women integrated into cybersecurity. The idea is to hit a target called gender equality through various programs: Geek Girls, Womcy Tech, Womcy Talks, Womcy Jobs, Womcy Mentoring, and Womcy Training Center.
According to Lizbeth Plaza, fortunately, “Latin America has been growing in terms of cybersecurity, and today we have more spaces for a conversation on the subject: Our participation worldwide is still low, but we are climbing”.
How do women interest in the subject access cybersecurity training?
- Womcy is an inclusive organization that directs its objectives to men and women through a “He for she” team that seeks to reinforce women’s power in cybersecurity through training and event participation. We know and we share it with mentors.
Lizbeth Plaza calls on women to lose their fear of technology: “We are sure of the word ‘no’, but if we take a step forward, we open ourselves to multiple opportunities that are there waiting for us”.
To achieve this, this empowered Venezuelan woman, in addition to her professional work at Womcy, develops a personal project on issues of leadership and female empowerment that can be consulted at @lizbethplaza_oficial.
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