A Chat with Laura Whitt-Winyard, Chief Information Security Officer at Cybersecurity Company: Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes believes that when people and organisations are free from threats, they are free to thrive. It all started in 2008 with one person who needed help with a malware infection, and a community coming together to find solutions. In that moment in time a product was born for all people, with a mission to rid the world of malware. Today, that mission has expanded to provide safer online access to all.

Malwarebytes provides consumers and organisations with device protection, privacy, and prevention through effective, intuitive, and inclusive solutions in the home, on-the-go, at work, or on campus. Our robust and tech effective products are accessible to people from all walks of life, from grandparents to geeks.
 
 

 

What do you think makes this company unique?

 
The company is fortunate to have a world-class team of threat researchers and security experts, who each enable us to protect millions of customers and combat existing and never-before-seen threats using artificial intelligence and machine learning to catch new threats rapidly.

Leadership at the company all have their own set of accolades – for instance, I’m a fellow at the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology, where I contributed to the Solarium Commission’s report on cybersecurity, as well as being an International Advisory Board Member and Women in technology Board member at HMG Strategy.

We’re also dedicated to using our own technology within the company and have implemented initiatives including red teaming and a bug bounty program to ensure we’re constantly looking out for potential threats.
 

 

How has the company evolved over the last couple of years?

 
The company is constantly evolving – it seems like the IT landscape is becoming more dynamic every day in line with growing and expanding vulnerabilities in the form of ransomware and malware attacks. Staying abreast of the different sides of the business is crucial, and we’re always reviewing the best way to protect our customers.

For example, we prioritise processes such as defining a minimum-security baseline and performing threat modelling on a consistent basis.
 

What can we hope to see from Malwarebytes in the future?

 
We’re continuously researching new and innovative techniques and strategies on threat detection, prevention, and remediation as well as ensuring that we stay abreast of the latest attack vectors. In terms of numbers, we currently detect or block over 95 million threats every day, and we expect this figure to continue to grow.

Sustainability will also remain a priority. When companies adopt cybersecurity as part of their ESG efforts and protect their customers from cyber threats effectively, it will reduce the amount of computing power, time and energy needed to be spent on addressing breaches of security. It’s a crucial step that business can take to protect our planet.