Social engineering, in the context of information security, refers to the use of psychological manipulation to trick people into divulging sensitive information (information gathering) or performing actions (fraud, unauthorized system access.) Rosa will discuss these types of approaches and ways to be a “human firewall” for UCSF and your digital life.

Rosa L. Smothers has over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity. She is currently senior vice president of cyber operations at KnowBe4, where she is responsible for leading KnowBe4’s Federal Practice efforts, including providing cybersecurity advisory services to civilian and military agencies within the U.S. federal government. Ms. Smothers is also responsible for providing analysis for KnowBe4’s cybersecurity research and cyber threat intelligence efforts. Having served for over a decade in the Central Intelligence Agency, Ms. Smothers is a highly decorated national security professional with extensive experience leading the planning and execution of cyber operations against terrorist and nation-state targets as well as the adoption of cutting-edge computer technology. She served as a cybersecurity analyst and technical intelligence officer in the Center for Cyber Intelligence and the Counter Terrorism Mission Center and on multiple overseas tours, to include extensive service in Iraq. She holds a B.A. in Information Studies and an M.S. in Computer Network Security. Ms. Smothers is a mentor to women and young people in cybersecurity and is a member of Women in Defense and Infragard.

Part of the UC Cybersecurity Month Celebration