Valmiki Mukherjee ('06 M.S.), chief security architect of Cognizant's Security Products business for North America, is a globally recognized expert in cyber and cloud security domains. As a trusted advisor to a number of the top F-500 C-Level executives, Mukherjee is considered an original thought leader in cyber peace and in 2014 established the Cyber Future Foundation, a global think tank of cybersecurity and policy experts.
He also co-founded and serves as chair of the Cloud Security Alliance of North Texas. Mukherjee offers the following tips to help keep information secure:
- Practice "information hygiene" by taking responsibility for your personal and financial information, and protect the digital assets available to you.
- Keep your laptop, tablet and phone secure by making sure the devices and their software are patched and have the latest security updates.
- Protect online profiles in social media. Cybercriminals prowl digital "avatars" for personal and financial information. Never share information such as your Social Security number, date or place of birth or mother's maiden name.
- When signing up for a service online or in person at a store, share only the information that is required.
- Beware of phishing, an email that looks like it has come from a familiar business asking for your information. Check for message headers to ensure that the email did originate from the business it claims.
