"100 per cent security doesn't exist"

“I have always been interested in computer science. My grandfather worked for IBM and as a kid I was amazed by the stuff he could do with his desktop computer. At high school, I did a computer science course taught by a nice professor who had his own company. He inspired met  to choose computer science as a bachelor study. There the security part came in naturally. I wanted to understand the weaknesses of my PC and solve them.” 

“The experience was fun. I feel lucky to get to know a lot of people. I joined the university football team in Twente. It was also interesting to see different types of teaching methods.  The education system in Italy is more traditional; it leans on well-known material and there are way more lectures. In the Netherlands, the classes were based on the latest research and discoveries. I liked that, but I also did a lot of research on my own as homework.”

“Big Data in Stockholm. I enjoyed it very much and made a lot of new friends. I am interested in Big Data because of its important role in today’s world. It rules society. That is reality. The  Summer School is a perfect occasion to learn something in a different field.“

“Very positive. I see that as an added value of EIT Digital. There are a lot of cybersecurity masters, but only a few provide additional learnings.  In the beginning, I was sceptical about the innovation and entrepreneurship classes. Why would I need that, I thought. But during the two years everything came together and made sense. For example, during the EIT Digital Summer School, we got to use a lot of things we learned. I always mention the innovation and entrepreneurship part in my resume and interviews because it is useful when it comes to finding a job. And it is much appreciated by employers.”

First, I learned a lot about how to interact with people and to present.  A second learning is that you should not have preconceptions of other people. Often you get an idea of someone at first glance. It is easy to keep that idea in your head. You should not. When you get to know people your first thoughts often don’t hold up. At EIT Digital, you get to know a lot of people with different backgrounds, countries of origin and cultures. So, you have to open up. Third, I learned that 100 per cent security does not exist. That insight came up during my studies. Even if you design the most secure server, hackers will exploit any flaw in it.”

“Cybersecurity will be and should be a top priority as we get more connected to the internet. In the future, everything will be connected, even clothes. Cybersecurity starts with people. An important part is an awareness that cybersecurity is a thing. Everyone needs basic knowledge of cybersecurity and needs to be taught how to properly use the internet.  Also, governments should better emphasise the relevance of cybersecurity. People should be more secure in the cyberworld. If in the future we are at the same level as we are now, we will be facing a huge problem. Already people get trapped into phishing emails and lose money and their identity. Cyber threats and criminality will only get worse. I think that as an employee of Deloitte I can also play a role in creating awareness about cybersecurity.”