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How I got started: Attack surface management

BS in IT alum Sara Lipala ’18 discusses her path in the cybersecurity field

Posted in: Department Alumni, Information Technology

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As the threat landscape multiplies in sophistication and complexity, new roles in cybersecurity are presenting themselves more frequently than ever before. For example, attack surface management.

These cybersecurity professionals are responsible for identifying, mapping and securing all external digital assets an organization owns or is connected to. This includes servers, domains, cloud assets and any other digital points that could be exploited by cyber criminals. Their role involves continuously monitoring these assets for vulnerabilities, misconfigurations or other potential security risks and implementing measures to mitigate these risks. They also work to reduce the organization’s overall attack surface by eliminating unnecessary access points and ensuring that all remaining ones are properly secured.

In this exclusive and informative Q&A, Security Intelligence spoke with Sara Lipala, lead technologist, attack surface management for Booz Allen Hamilton. Lipala is an accomplished cybersecurity professional with over five years of experience in the manufacturing and consulting industries, with a focus on vulnerability management, patch management and comprehensive attack surface management.

Read the Full Q&A