Though Morgan Demboski’s journey into the tech industry wasn’t by design her tenure as a cyber threat intelligence analyst at Sophos has underscored the significance of our work in protecting customers.
Moving from a primarily strategic background, she shifted focus to tactical threat intelligence, honing in on behaviours and observables in cyberattacks.
As a member of the Sophos Managed Detection and Response (MDR) team, the global experts prioritize threat hunting and early attack detection. In the realm of cybersecurity, information sharing is paramount. Daily, Demboski analyses ransomware groups worldwide, such as the Akira ransomware, providing invaluable insights for our customers.
Tell us about what got you interested in technology, why did you choose the space and field of technology?
Though I did not intend to join the tech industry, now that I have been in it for several years, I realise how important my work is for our customers. Tactical threat intelligence focuses on the behaviours and observables (the actions, tools, and infrastructure) seen in an attack, as opposed to strategic threat intel that focuses on motivations, targeting, and attribution. My background prior to Sophos was primarily strategical, but I pivoted to tactical threat intel once I joined Sophos.
Could you share your journey in technology, the challenges you faced, and how did you overcome them?
I am a cyber threat intelligence analyst on the Sophos Managed Detection and Response (MDR) team, which is a global team of experts who focus on threat hunting and the early detection of cyberattacks. In cybersecurity, information sharing is critical to problem-solving and providing the best protection to defend against cybercriminals.
Tactical threat intelligence focuses on the behaviors and observables (the actions, tools, and infrastructure) seen in an attack, as opposed to strategic threat Intel that focuses on motivations, targeting, and attribution. My background prior to Sophos was primarily strategical, but I pivoted to tactical threat Intel once I joined Sophos.
Every day I’m analyzing ransomware groups globally to get information on their strategy and tactics. Recently, I wrote on Akira ransomware that I tracked for more than seven months. This kind of information is crucial for our customers.
What is your take on women in technology and how is the landscape changing? What can be done to ensure there are more women in tech roles?
There have been a lot of great strides in making the industry more inclusive for women, like women in cybersecurity and workshops tailored to women to teach more technical skills. I think continuing to expand those efforts definitely plays an important role in making the industry more accessible to women.
Sophos is proud to continuously work on projects to measure and address the gender pay gap by conducting thorough reviews and putting in place budget and processes to help close the gap. Our HR and leadership teams have checks and balances to help ensure this is a sustainable working practice.
What is the biggest obstacle that women in technology face?
The biggest obstacle women in technology face depends on the role they’re in but is likely the lack of representation and female role models in the industry. There’s definitely been a lot of strides in improving female representation but being in a role where your whole team is men, your boss is a man, your boss’s boss is a man, and all the roles up the ladder to the CEO are filled with men, it can seem like it is hard to break that pattern as a woman trying to move her way up.
What advice would you give women who are looking to get into the field of technology?
Don’t be intimidated if you’re the only woman in the room. When I first started in the industry, I often felt hesitant partially because I was the only woman on the team. We should not be judged on our gender, but expertise. The fact that there are less women in cybersecurity than in other tech sectors should not be a career obstacle, and in fact should be inspiring – together we can shift the culture and open doors for the next generation.
