Online security has become crucial in today’s increasingly interconnected society where practically everything is done online.
Winkler, with more than three-decade of experience in the field of cybersecurity, has served a term as chief security architect for American multinational retail corporation, Walmart. He has also had a career as a computer systems and intelligence analyst at the US Department of Defense.
Author to seven books pertaining to the cybersecurity and intelligence, with numerous accolades for his field of work, Winkler has emerged as a shining star in the Israeli high-tech firmament and is currently the field chief information security officer and vice president at the local cybersecurity optimization platform startup, CYE.
Winkler has been tasked with spreading awareness of CYE's innovative Hyver technology, securing organizations from hackers and other cyber intruders. These instances make it obvious of how passionate is Mr. Winkler about data protection and cybersecurity.
As anticipated by industry experts, over the next five years, the cost of cybercrime would rise by 15% yearly, reaching $10.5 trillion annually by 2025.
Cybersecurity 'embedded' in our lives
It is therefore not unexpected that Winkler thinks cybersecurity is "embedded" in our lives and aids practically all of our day-to-day tasks.
“People think ‘cybersecurity’ and they hear about the hacks, they hear about the disasters, but they never hear about the daily successes that are critical,” says Winkler.
“It's like making sure there are lines on a highway when you drive your car […] These little lines are what keep people generally safe. Cars go on one side in one direction and the other side in the other direction; they stay in their lanes,” he explained.
He adds that cybersecurity is only effective when the user is taking every personal precaution to stay secure. “How despite the fact that my car has safety features built in, despite the fact the road has safety features built in, how do I personally drive safely?” Winkler adds.
“Much like I realize that the entire internet has some good security built in, how do I drive the internet safely – which includes taking maintenance of their computers, which also includes making sure they travel to safe areas.”
A critical component of this safe driving online is "how people secure their data, where they transmit the data, and so on - and that's a significant element that everybody needs to be aware of."
Hyver, CYE’s Cloud Based Cybersecurity
In regards to the organizations securing their data, Winkler gives instance of Hyver's more advanced and sphisticated approach to cybersecurity, which makes the use of the expertise of Israeli experts who worked in this subject for the Israel Defense Forces.
“Hyver helps map out all possible attack paths and – given the people and the skill that we have from the Israeli military – if there's a way in, in theory these people will find it,” he said.
Following this, Winkler explains how Hyver is distinguished from any other cybersecurity platform. He says, once the attack paths are mapped out, “using the tools [and] machine learning, we're able to figure out specifically where are the best places to put in protection, detection and reaction capabilities.”
While he also made a remark that there is no system that could provide 100% protection from hacks or intrusion attempts, and how users must accept that for a fact.
“You're never going to be free from risk; no tool is ever going to be perfect, that's a given. Anybody who tells you otherwise is a fool, a liar or combination of both,” concludes Winkler.