License to Thrive

"Online Security Rock Star"

Careers in technology run the spectrum from video game designer to blogger.  While we often don't think about the less glamorous careers such as who's protecting us from hackers, phishers and other online threats, companies like Mozilla have this top of mind for its Firefox internet browser.

Leading the security charge for Mozilla is Window Snyder, a security expert who currently is the head of security.  This is a formidable job as Mozilla has approximately an 18% share of the world's online browser market and between 28%-45% of the market in Europe.  Snyder has both a company and personal blog through which she helps others keep abreast of online security issues.  She also oversees Mozilla's unique approach to security issues through an effort called "open-source status," a program which allows users to read and make changes to Firefox's programming code.  Through the program, volunteers can test software before it is released and help identify possible security issues for the company.

Snyder has also co-written an online security guidebook entitled "Threat Modeling" to help companies and engineers tackle online security issues.