See Yourself in Cyber this Cybersecurity Awareness Month: Interview With Mina Khatun

In the penultimate installment of our special Cybersecurity Awareness Month interviews, we sit down with one of CSA’s newest recruits, Mina Khatun.

Mina follows in the footsteps of her colleagues, Ciaren Jones and Janhavi Deshpande, in giving us an insight into the people behind cyber risk management. She talks to us about her love of sport and what made her pursue a cybersecurity career.

This Cybersecurity Awareness Month celebrates the people aspect of the industry and focuses on the growth of the sector and the individuals that work within it. The campaign theme is ‘See Yourself in Cyber’, and at CSA, we’re taking the time to speak with members of our team to learn more about their own personal journeys within the sector.

Mina, please could you give a brief overview of your role at SureCloud?

I’m currently a Cybersecurity Consultant within the risk team. I’m relatively new to the role, as I only joined CSA three months ago. My focus is working with clients on their Third Party Risk Management (TPRM) objectives and ISO 27001 compliance certification. The next step is to gain more experience in GDPR and card payment security compliance (PCI-DSS).

What was your path to working in the cybersecurity sector?

I studied for a Masters in Forensic Information Technology, and once I’d completed the course, I got a job as an analyst. In that role, one of my main areas of focus was maintaining the company’s ISO 27001 compliance certification. However, I wore many hats and gained valuable experience in multiple areas of IT, including cybersecurity and cyber risk management. My interest developed from there, and when the opportunity to join CSA came up, I knew it was the right move for me.

What’s the best thing about working in cybersecurity?

That’s a difficult question to answer as there is so much to talk about. However, I would say that the cyber landscape is constantly evolving, and there’s never time to stand still, which is great. I’m always learning and often surprised by just how vast the subject is.

You come into work knowing every day will be different, and there’s always a new challenge to tackle, which I particularly enjoy.

What’s your best piece of advice or insight to share for Cybersecurity Awareness Month?

My best piece of advice would definitely concern passwords. It’s a much-talked-about subject,

but you’d be astonished at how easy it is to crack a user’s password during testing.

If you’re creating a new password or renewing an old one, ask yourself the question: am I confident this is a strong password? If you have the slightest doubt, change it.

Similarly, don’t store a list of passwords on desktop applications because if a hacker breaches your laptop, they have access to everything on it, from sensitive company data to your bank details. Finally, and perhaps the most obvious point, don’t use the same password for every application or device.

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself that people may not know.

I’m passionate about sports and try to take up a different one each summer. It’s a great way of meeting new people, keeping fit, and developing my teamwork skills.