Security Innovation Partners with Women in Security and Privacy (WISP) for a Night of Fun & Education

WILMINGTON, Mass.–Security Innovation recently became a proud sponsor of Women in Security and Privacy (WISP), a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives that promotes the development, advancement, and inclusion of women in the Security and Privacy industry.

“Playing the CTF at the WISP meet-up was a wonderful opportunity to meet other women in our field, and it was a lot of fun!”

To officially launch the sponsorship, Security Innovation ran theirCMD+CTRL Web Hackathon, a fun and interactive “find the vulnerabilities” game that teaches the importance of effective website security and secure coding habits at last week’s WISP member meeting. Leveraging cheat sheets and other easy to understand tips, participants of all skill levels were able to learn how hackers break into websites in a fun and realistic environment. On-hand was our team of experts, including Nora Sandler, Security Innovation Engineer and Hackathon team member, to provide a guided training session before the game and friendly competition began.

In the guided simulation of ShadowBank, Security Innovation’s intentionally insecure banking website, WISP members were given the opportunity to:

Break into someone else’s account
Transfer and steal money
Add items to an online shopping cart and buy them for $0
Uncover hidden easter eggs

“Playing the CTF at the WISP meet-up was a wonderful opportunity to meet other women in our field, and it was a lot of fun!”said Marisa Fagan from Salesforce Trust, who was in attendance at Tuesday evening’s event. “We got to be creative, competitive, and even a little bit evil… All for a good cause, of course. I learned a lot about web app hacking that will make me better at my job.”

“It was rewarding to watch approximately 100 women learn the basics of becoming a hacker in a hands-on workshop environment. Personally, I learned a lot and had fun learning how to hack web apps,” said Elena V. Elkina, Chief Evangelist and Head of Marketing & Program Development at WISP. “On behalf of Women in Security and Privacy, I would like to thank the Security Innovation team for sponsoring and leading this WISP hackathon. Also, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Wikimedia Foundation for hosting the event and providing food and drink. Thank you Security Innovation and Wikimedia Foundation for supporting our mission — promoting the development, advancement, and inclusion of women in security and privacy.”

“Getting more women into the security industry is a difficult and complex challenge, however it is one that we can help to solve through inclusion, respect, and education,” said Joe Basirico, VP of Services at Security Innovation. “With the success of our Hackathon event at WISP, we are really looking forward to reaching out to more women’s tech organizations to teach about security and privacy.”

About Women in Security and Privacy (WISP)
Women in Security and Privacy is fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives that promotes the development, advancement, and inclusion of women in Security and Privacy. Our programming has been designed to help our membership better advance their careers, profiles, and community involvement. Our events consistently draw more than 100+ SF Bay Area women interested in privacy and security. It’s a great way to make connections with your peers. For more information, visit www.wisporg.com.

About Security Innovation
Since 2002, Security Innovation has been the trusted partner for cybersecurity risk analysis and mitigation for the world’s leading companies, including Microsoft, Sony, GM, Disney and Dell. Recognized as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Security Awareness Computer-Based Training for the second year in a row, Security Innovation is dedicated to securing and protecting sensitive data in the most challenging environments – automobiles, desktops, web applications, mobile devices and in the cloud. Security Innovation is privately held and headquartered in Wilmington, MA USA. For more information, visit www.securityinnovation.com.