INTERPUBLIC GROUP
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“Every single person that owns a smartphone , tablet , smart watch , even a smart fridge , is under attack , every minute of every day ”
— Chris White , Deputy Chief Information Security Officer , Interpublic Group ( IPG )
“ There is a global war going on in cyberspace . There are criminal elements , state-sponsored elements – that classic idea of the kid in the hoodie in his mom ’ s basement doesn ’ t even scrape the surface .” Far from attempting to instill mass panic , White ’ s tone is one of reassurance . “ Inevitably people hear that and say ‘ well now I ’ m afraid to go outside ’, so to speak . What do we do now ? The answer is just to behave normally . There ’ s no sense in becoming a doomsday prepper , living in a bunker with the phone lines cut , because all the companies that make and support everything you do at home and for work , they understand that cybersecurity is critical to doing business . That ’ s why they have guys like me who are doing our absolute best to protect you .”
White ’ s career in cybersecurity started in the US Air Force , working as a signals intelligence operative around the dawn of the internet . Over the course of a 30 year career on the front lines of cybersecurity , he has developed a wide breadth of experience in security automation and telecommunications . He took on his current
DECEMBER 2019