Oorja Rungta grew up in Indore in India and still lives there but hopes to find work elsewhere when she graduates. She is in the final year of study for a Btech in computer science, specialising in cybersecurity and digital forensics. OORJA RUNGTA Final year student studying BTech in Computer Science, Indore, India
Suppose you met an old friend from your last year at school who, knowing nothing about cybersecurity or what you do, asks you what you are doing. How do you answer them to ‘sell’ them on the idea of a career in cybersecurity?
in a country saturated with software developers, people find my career choice to be a novel field of study. I am often treated with curiosity and get a lot of questions about what cybersecurity professionals actually do.
professional is to help secure organisations from
Who, or what would you say has had the biggest influence on your cybersecurity career journey to date, and why?
threats in the virtual world. I would say I am basically
I would say the seniors at my university have been a
a heroic warrior, albeit in a virtual world. I would also
massive influence on my cybersecurity career journey.
explain how cybersecurity is a dynamic field that is
They helped me find my footing, guided me on how
constantly changing and where you learn something
to study the domain and on the different options I
new every day. It never gets boring.
have in cybersecurity. They shared training resources
I would explain that my job as a cybersecurity
and took time to clarify my doubts. They developed
How does the reality of cybersecurity as you experience it today sit with your understanding when you first thought about studying it?
a sense of community in the university so we always
Like most sci-fi fans, cybersecurity for me involved
domain. You would often find me using my spare
cool lines of scrolling green code that led to a hack,
time to discuss cybersecurity-related topics with my
and companies trying to prevent that. On a more
seniors. These discussions gave me deeper insights
technical side, I understood my antivirus software
into the field and encouraged my curiosity.
had somebody we could approach in case of doubts or questions. This allowed me to freely explore the
was helping me defend my device from malicious
fish with nothing of value, I would never catch an
What do you see has having been the most memorable and/or significant event in your cybersecurity journey to date, and why?
attacker’s attention and would never be breached.
I think winning the Women in Cybersecurity (WiCys)
software like viruses. My knowledge was pretty much limited to this. I had a mindset that, as a small
training scholarship as one of 900 plus applicants
122
After gaining a better understanding of the value of
worldwide was one of the most memorable events
data and how attacks actually work I realised the
in my cybersecurity career. The scholarship program
importance of personal security. Massive breaches
helped me greatly widen my horizons and allowed
that compromise the data of small fry like me occur
me to take my knowledge in cybersecurity to the
every day and this data is sold for very high prices.
next level. Besides the obvious benefits, winning the
Since understanding the value of my data I have
scholarship was definitely an acknowledgement of my
learnt to protect it as meticulously as I protect any of
potential to be a cybersecurity professional and gave
my other assets.
me a massive confidence boost.
What was the reaction from parents, peers or career advisors to your decision to get into cyber? Did you face any opposition, if so how did you feel about this?
The cybersecurity industry abounds with certifications from multiple organisations. Have you gained, or do you plan to gain, any of these, if so which ones, and why?
I generally receive a very positive response when I tell
I have three industry certifications from Global
people I am pursuing a career in cybersecurity. In fact,
Information Assurance Certification (GIAC). Preparing
W O M E N I N S E C U R I T Y M A G A Z I N E
N O V E M B E R • D E C E M B E R 2022