What inspires you in your current role? Knowing what I do has a direct impact on safeguarding our organization as well as our customers and partners through collaboration and information sharing. 

What do you enjoy most about your company or role? Everyday I’m learning as the threat landscape changes and our adversaries and threats constantly evolve. Cyber threat intelligence is definitely not boring! 

How did your journey into cybersecurity begin—was it a twist, a calling, or a leap of faith? I went to Wentworth Institute of Technology that required internships to graduate. My second internship just so happen to be with the IT Security Team at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. They offered me my first job out of college, which kickstarted my career in cybersecurity. I consider myself lucky, the IT Security Team did all aspects of cybersecurity, fostered an environment of learning, and had a strong representation of women. I was given many opportunities to learn and provided the mentorship that helped me find my passion within the field. 

What do you like most about cybersecurity? That cybersecurity is like solving a puzzle and you need all different aspects of an organization to come together as a team to be successful at completing it. 

This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #AccelerateAction. What does that mean to you? For me #AccelerateAction means we need to be faster at facilitating women’s success especially in cybersecurity. We need to look at how can we setup the future generations of women to be interested and successful in cybersecurity while also empowering women already in the field to advance. 

If you could give your younger self a piece of career advice, what would it be? Take every opportunity to go to events, conferences, and join professional groups. Building your own network will be essential within Cyber Threat Intelligence not only for your career but also when it comes to collaborating with others in the field.

LinkedIn: Mikiala Malabon