Window Snyder facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Window Snyder
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Mwende Window Snyder
1975 (age 49–50) |
| Occupation | Software security officer |
Window Snyder, born in 1975, is an American expert in computer security. She has worked as a top security officer for big companies like Apple, Intel, and Square. She also helped make things safer at Microsoft. She even helped write a book called Threat Modeling, which teaches how to keep computer programs safe from online dangers.
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About Window Snyder
Window Snyder was born in New Jersey. Her father is American, and her mother, Wayua Muasa, was born in Kenya. She uses her middle name, Window, for most people. Only her family calls her by her first name.
She went to Choate Rosemary Hall school and then to Boston College. While studying computer science, she became very interested in cryptography (secret codes) and cybersecurity (keeping computers safe). In the 1990s, she worked with computer experts in Boston, learning how to build her own tools and use big computer systems. In the computer world, she was known by the nickname Rosie the Riveter.
Early Career in Cybersecurity
Window Snyder became one of the first computer scientists to focus on cybersecurity. She worked to connect companies with security researchers, who are sometimes called 'hackers'.
She joined a company called @stake as one of its first employees. She became the director of security architecture there before leaving in 2002.
After that, she worked at Microsoft. She helped create a system called the Security Design Lifecycle (SDL). This system helps make sure software is safe from the very beginning. She also helped develop a new way to find and fix security problems in software. She was in charge of security for important updates like Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2003.
Window Snyder also started the Blue Hat Microsoft Hacker Conference. This event brought together Microsoft engineers and hackers to talk about how to make Microsoft's software more secure.
Working at Top Tech Companies
After leaving Microsoft in 2005, she helped start a security company called Matasano Security. Later, this company was bought by another group. In 2006, she joined Mozilla, the company behind the Firefox web browser.
In 2010, Window Snyder started working at Apple Inc.. There, she was a product manager, making sure all Apple products were private and secure for users.
In 2015, she became the chief security officer at Fastly, a company that helps deliver online content quickly and safely.
In 2018, she joined Intel as their chief security officer for the Platforms Security Division. She later left Intel and joined Square, Inc. in 2019. Square is a company that helps businesses with payments.
In 2021, Window Snyder announced she had started her own new company, Thistle Technologies. This company focuses on making devices more secure.
Public Speaking and Influence
Window Snyder often speaks at conferences and events about computer security. She shares her knowledge about new threats and how to protect against them.
For example, in 2017, she spoke at events in Stockholm, Amsterdam, and the O'Reilly Security Conference. In 2018, she spoke at the RSA Conference and the Open Source Summit.
She also talks about careers for women in cybersecurity. In 2020, she gave a speech at the Women in Tech Symposium at the UC Berkeley campus. She encourages more women to join the field of computer security.
