dna special: Cyber security arena: Women yet to log in big time - Daily News & Analysis

Saumya Vishnoi, cyber security expert. One does not expect to find gender insensitivity in a field as progressive as cyber security. But as Saumya Vishnoi, a 25-year-old cyber security expert, puts it, being a girl in the field comes with a fair amount of prejudice. However, Vishnoi, a computer science engineer, has vowed to take down this prejudice and make a mark through her work. "Women cyber security experts are rare – barely 1% or probably even less than that of the total hackers in the country are women," said Vishnoi on the sidelines of The Hackers Conference here. Tired of people taking her gender into account instead of her work, she recounted countless examples of people telling her: "Oh! You are a girl; you will only be given day work." "But, the field of cyber security fascinates me. Owing to my passion, I have been sticking around to what I love to do. And, as soon as my work or my team's work starts, gender issues cease to exist," said Vishnoi, who works in a firm that provides cyber security solutions to companies. Interestingly, Saumya says that most of the prejudice comes from her peers and seniors in the hacking community; many feel that a young girl will not be able to operate in the dark environs where work takes place. "It's not their fault entirely as generally there are not enough girls in the field. But things can surely change if one is committed enough," added Vishnoi. Sadly, it is not just her peers that Vishnoi has face. "I had a little tough time convincing my parents to allow me to pursue hacking. But, they  completely support me now," she said.   However, among the gathering of international hackers, cyber-crime and security experts and government policymakers at the conference, Vishnoi was not the only unique example. There was also a 13-year-old bespectacled boy, who was trying to learn the tricks of the trade from the experts. "I started learning hacking two years ago when I attended a workshop. Since then, I have been studying this myself," says Akshat Singal, who studies in Modern School Barakhamba. He credits his parents for supporting him in continuing his interest in the field. Singal and Vishnoi were among a group of over 150 experts gathered here for the second edition of The Hackers Conference where experts showcased new cyber security solutions. They also discussed new threats, besides working on the steps needed to beef up the country's cyber security infrastructure. Using a dummy smartphone application, an expert duo even showed how individual and national security can be compromised by those controlling that application. via Technology - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHyohd3w-52iWoSs6l-DrOgr1FvSg&url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/1879928/report-dna-special-cyber-security-arena-women-yet-to-log-in-big-time

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