What do I have in common with attendees of the Democratic National Convention? We both got to see P!NK and her daughter Willow live this week. But what does Pink have to do with cybersecurity? In searching for some connective tissue that would give me the opportunity to brag about seeing one of my favorite female artists this week, I stumbled upon a company called Pink Programming, a Swedish nonprofit working toward gender equality in tech.
Pink Programming is not alone in this effort. One headline this week revealed that MAD20, a provider of cybersecurity training on MITRE ATT&CK, donated $50,000 of training and certification to Women in Security and Privacy, commonly known as WISP.
Additionally, the National Center for Excellence for Cyber Security in Critical Infrastructure hosted a forum at Marshall University this week emphasizing the role that universities play in directing more women into cybersecurity roles. According to Herald Dispatch, Marshall University President, Brad D. Smith, said, “We are being the example that we seek. We are showcasing women in cybersecurity.” Herald Dispatch also noted that 31% of students enrolled in Marshall University’s cybersecurity program are women.
I’ll also give a shout out to WNBA’s beloved Angel Reese, who joined forces with, The Net, a mental health network for women in sports who are eager to put an end to cyberbullying. According to The Net, “87% of female athletes have experienced online abuse in the past year.” So, they’ve built an AI tool to block hate speech and toxic comments on social media feeds. The campaign features Reese asking fans to join her in blocking hate speech and instead post positivity. The tool is currently in beta testing with Chicago Sky players.
To learn more about cybersecurity in the age of social media, visit our Library. Now let’s take a look at what else made industry headlines this week.
Aug. 23: YouTube released an AI tool to help users recover their account after they’ve been hacked.
Aug. 23: Oil giant Halliburton was hit by a cyberattack that is now disrupting their computer systems.
Aug. 22: Google and Australia’s National Science Agency are collaborating to build cyber protection for Australia’s infrastructure.
Aug. 22: Crypto scammers hacked into McDonald’s Instagram account to promote a Grimace meme coin and allegedly made $700 million off the marking stunt.
Aug. 21: A Kentucky man has been sentenced to jail after copping to a cyber intrusion into a government death registry system to fake his own death to avoid paying child support.
Aug. 20: Cybersecurity researchers discovered thousands of Oracle NetSuite sites at risk of exposing customer information.
Aug. 19: Flint, Michigan, is still recovering from a ransomware attack this month that knocked down some of its online services offline.
Aug. 19: Record-breaking ransom payments of $459.8 million have been reported in the first half of 2024.