Demonstrating a continued commitment to helping improve our nation’s cybersecurity, last month Visa teamed up with San Jose State University and the Bay Area Council to host a cybersecurity “boot camp.”
The goal of the week-long camp is to give students who have career aspirations in the growing field of cybersecurity the unique opportunity to receive hands-on training and instruction on how to detect a cyber crime through simulated attacks. Visa’s head of global information security, Gary Warzala (pictured below), participated in an executive roundtable at the camp, which culminated in a Capture the Flag cyber competition which Gary attended.
As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, cybersecurity is becoming an important topic of discussion — nationally and internationally — at the highest levels. Visa has been a leader in efforts to raise awareness about this important issue. For example, last year we hosted our third biennial Security Summit in Washington, D.C., bringing thought leaders from government and the private sector to discuss timely security topics relevant to electronic payments. Last year’s Summit featured the first live data breach simulation, moderated by former CIA and NSA director Gen. Michael V. Hayden, which offered a glimpse into how a compromised entity works with Visa, government, and financial institutions to protect consumers’ sensitive payment information and minimize fraud. We hosted a second breach simulation in Asia this spring as well.
To date, the payments industry has done more than any other to defend itself from cyber crime. The cornerstone of the industry’s security standards is known as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards. But standards can’t stand still. We need expert resources to improve and implement them in the face of increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. And those resources are in increasingly short supply. That’s why it’s crucial for government and companies to work together to ramp up recruitment and training in this critical field and why “boot camps” such as the one hosted by San Jose State University are so important if we hope to have enough skilled cyber security professionals to meet the nation’s needs.
As the national dialogue over how best to defend against cyber threats continues, Visa will continue to be an active participant in this discussion. We believe that increasing cooperation between business and government, along with ensuring we have the brightest minds and most effective tools available, are essential fronts in the battle against cyber crime.
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Posted by: Ellen Richey, Chief Enterprise Risk Officer on September 13, 2012 at 2:00 pm
