CyberWire Daily - Encore: Rosa Smothers: Secure the planet. [Intelligence] [Career Notes]

Episode Date: June 16, 2024

Senior VP of Cyber Operations at KnowBe4, Rosa Smothers, talks about her career as an early cybersecurity professional in what she describes as the Wild, Wild West to her path through government intelligence work. Rosa shares how she always knew she wanted to be involved with computers and how being a big Star Trek nerd and fan particularly of Spock and Uhura helped shape her direction. Following 9/11, Rosa wanted to work for the government and pursue the bad guys and she did just that completing her bachelor's degree and starting in the Defense Intelligence Agency as a cyber threat analyst focusing on extremist groups. She joined the CIA and worked on things you see in the movies, things that are science fictionesque. Rosa recommends talking with people to get your feet wet to find your passion. We thank Rosa for sharing her story with us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You're listening to the Cyber Wire Network, powered by N2K. and VPNs, yet breaches continue to rise by an 18% year-over-year increase in ransomware attacks and a $75 million record payout in 2024. These traditional security tools expand your attack surface with public-facing IPs that are exploited by bad actors more easily than ever with AI tools. It's time to rethink your security. Thank you. Hi, my name is Rosa Smothers. I'm a cybersecurity expert. My background is over a decade in the intelligence community, primarily with the CIA, working as a cyber threat analyst and technical intelligence officer. Well, I always knew I wanted to be involved with computers. And I think, quite frankly,

as a lifelong Star Trek nerd, you know, my two favorite characters were Spock and Uhura. So that kind of, in a funny sort of way, I think left an impression on my young mind about the direction to take my life. Well, I started out in college and I was very good already with computers. And so I, I just got my two-year associate's degree and started into the workforce and was making very good money because at that time, there was not an abundance of cybersecurity professionals out there. So it was kind of the wild, wild west. And then 9-11 happened, and I wanted to go work for the government and pursue the bad guys, pursue Al-Qaeda. And I knew I needed a college degree in order to be able to apply for a position in the intelligence community. So at that point, I left the private sector, did my junior and senior year in about a year's time.

And I met a recruiter from the Defense Intelligence Agency at a job fair. And he pursued me for a position at DIA. And I started out there as a cyber threat analyst, focusing on extremist groups, primarily al-Qaeda. So I was at DIA for a couple of years. I learned the ropes of the intelligence community. That was a good start point for me. And during that process, I worked closely with my CIA colleagues. And, you know, after a time in working and collaborating together, they said, you know, we'd love for you to come join us at CIA.

And I said, well, I would love to join you at CIA. So that was pretty much it. It all took my life in a very different direction, but one that I'm grateful for the uniqueness of the experience. I'm grateful for the uniqueness of the experience. Working at the agency afforded me the ability to work with a level of cutting edge technology that much, if not most of the private sector is still considering or beginning to work on. Things that you do see in the movies. or beginning to work on things that you do see in the movies.

I usually say, you know, think of something that's fairly realistic but somewhat science fiction-esque, and I may have been involved with something like that. I was in D.C. for, I think, 14 years total, and a lot of that was overseas. And quite frankly, a lot of it was, I think, 14 years total. And a lot of that was overseas. And quite frankly, a lot of it was, you know, that lifestyle can be exhausting because it's a constant sense of paranoia. You have a constant awareness of our adversaries are pursuing you. So I left the area, moved closer to my family, took a couple months off just to learn how to live like a normal human being. And I was in the Tampa area and Stu Showerman discovered I was local and called upon me to join Know Before to work as their, you know, senior vice president of cyber operations. So it was an offer I just couldn't refuse.

The favorite part for me is the advocacy aspect of it. I am a big believer in what the company's mission is, and it's basically secure the planet. Social engineering is the easiest way into a network. There's a business case for it, but there's also a, just from a data privacy perspective for our citizens, it's also a huge issue as well. When I speak to students that are about to graduate from college,

I always recommend to them that there are so many disciplines within technology writ large, and even within cybersecurity specifically, you don't know until you really talk with people and get your feet wet, so to speak, where your passion and interest lies. So I think it's important to get that feedback from people. A lot of the times it's also noting where business is going. And sometimes you have to take it upon yourself to self-train and seek what certifications are available that you can pursue

individually that gives you those credentials to take the next step. Your business needs AI solutions that are not only ambitious, but also practical and adaptable. Thank you. Secure AI agents connect, prepare, and automate your data workflows, helping you gain insights, receive alerts, and act with ease through guided apps tailored to your role. Data is hard. Domo is easy. Learn more at ai.domo.com. That's ai.domo.com.