Window Snyder facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Window Snyder
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| Born |
Mwende Window Snyder
1975 (age 49–50) |
| Occupation | Software security officer |
Mwende Window Snyder (born 1975), known as Window Snyder, is an American expert in computer security. She has held important security roles at major companies like Square, Inc., Apple, Fastly, Intel, and Mozilla Corporation. She also worked as a senior security strategist at Microsoft. She helped write Threat Modeling, a key book about making computer programs safe.
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About Window Snyder
Window Snyder was born in New Jersey in 1975. Her father was American, and her mother, Wayua Muasa, was from Kenya. She uses her middle name, Window, while her first name is mostly used by her family.
Early Life and Education
Window went to Choate Rosemary Hall and then to Boston College. She finished college in 1993. While studying computer science, she became very interested in cryptography (secret codes) and cybersecurity (protecting computers from attacks). In the 1990s, she worked with computer experts in Boston, creating her own tools and learning about big computer systems. In the computer world, she was known by the nickname Rosie the Riveter.
Career in Cybersecurity
Window Snyder became one of the first computer scientists to focus on cybersecurity. She worked to help companies and security researchers (sometimes called 'hackers') understand each other better.
Working at @stake and Microsoft
She joined a company called @stake as one of its first employees and became the director of security architecture. After leaving @stake in 2002, she worked at Microsoft. There, she helped create a new way to find and fix security problems in software. She also helped make sure that big updates like Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Server 2003 were secure.
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 safer.
Roles at Mozilla, Apple, and Beyond
In 2005, she left Microsoft and helped start Matasano Security, a company that offered security services. Later, she joined Mozilla in 2006.
In 2008, Window Snyder left Mozilla. On March 1, 2010, she started working at Apple Inc.. At Apple, she was in charge of making sure all Apple products were private and secure.
In 2015, she became the chief security officer at Fastly, a company that helps deliver online content quickly.
In July 2018, Window Snyder became the chief security officer and vice president for Platforms Security at Intel. She later left Intel and joined Square, Inc. in May 2019.
On April 22, 2021, Window Snyder announced she had started her own new company, Thistle Technologies. This company focuses on providing a "secure foundation for devices," meaning they help make electronic devices safe from cyber threats.
Public Speaking
Window Snyder often speaks at conferences and events about challenges in computer security. She has shared her knowledge at many places, including Techworld in Stockholm (May 2017), HITBSecConf in Amsterdam (April 2017), O'Reilly Security Conference (November 2017), RSA Conference (April 2018), and the Open Source Summit (August 2018).
She also talks about career paths for women in cybersecurity. For example, she gave a speech at the Women in Tech Symposium at the UC Berkeley campus on March 6, 2020, encouraging more women to join the field.
