Tell us a little bit about yourself. What does your job at Telefónica involve?
I work in the Cybersecurity Operations department at Telefónica Tech. I belong to the Identity Management team, which is in charge of implementing projects for both public and private clients.
As such, my role within the team is very varied. I am a Project Manager, technical implementer, part of billing and I also provide support with team coordination.
As a Project Manager, I am in charge of the complete management of the projects. All this involves continuous meetings with the client and the technical team, organisation with both parties and, above all, a lot of patience so that the project comes out in the best possible way.
When it’s my turn to be technical, we prepare the service so that the client can protect their identities correctly and with the maximum guarantees.
Outside the scope of clients, I am always attentive to the invoicing of finished projects, to the needs of colleagues, to welcoming new ones, defining new products… As you can see, I do a thousand things at once.
What is cybersecurity and what is it for?
Cybersecurity helps us protect all our resources, both in the cloud and on our premises. Cyberattacks are increasingly common, millions of leaked passwords are used every day to access our most private resources or even when accessing public WiFi networks they end up entering our devices.
Why is it so important?
Cybersecurity and good practices nip the likelihood of suffering a cyberattack in the bud. Here are some examples of types of cybersecurity:
- Network security: use private WiFi with a strong password, so that no one can connect to your network and access the information on your devices.
- Information security: saving our personal documents in encrypted or password-protected folders.
- Management: implementing strong passwords and second factors of authentication to ensure that only you can access your accounts.
What are the main cyber threats out there?
One of the most common and most recurrent lately is phishing or cyber-scams. In this case, the attacker has not yet obtained your personal information, but by impersonating well-known companies and brands they manage to collect your data.
The theft of credentials and their illicit use is also one of the most common, with the tendency to use passwords that are very easy to guess.
What cybersecurity measures are most effective?
Some of them have already been mentioned. Without a doubt, one of the ones I recommend the most is implementing second authentication factors in all accounts that allow it. Without realising it, we have a lot of personal information spread across all our social networks and it is vital to protect it.
What professional profile should someone working in cybersecurity have?
What is most valued in this field, in addition to specialised technical knowledge, are what are known as ‘soft skills’. Having social, communication and leadership skills is increasingly important in interviews.
Who do you nominate from Telefónica for this interview that you consider excellent at their job?
I nominate my colleague Clara Vélez, who is currently doing an internship with the Talentum programme and I’m sure she has some very interesting things to tell you about it.
