Aude Folcher, a benevolent leader in cybersecurity
In an increasingly digitized world, Aude Folcher stands out for her passionate commitment and enlightened vision of cybersecurity.
Vice-president of Hack in Provence, an association founded in 2016, Aude promotes ethical, collective hacking and responsible security practices. “Ethical hacking is a benevolent field, we know why we are here,” she says, reflecting the core values of the Hack in Provence association: ethics, self-improvement, camaraderie, and shared passion.
DETERMINATION
Aude est une autodidacte dont le parcours illustre une détermination exceptionnelle. « Mon parcours est assez atypique. J’ai commencé à travailler dans le consulting en 2004, où pendant une quinzaine d’années j’ai fait du conseil auprès des entreprises sur la valorisation et la protection de l’entrepreneuriat », explique-t-elle. À travers son expérience chez Veolia et Vinci Énergie, elle a construit des stratégies de cybersécurité de A à Z, même dans les secteurs les plus sensibles, comme celui de l’eau. Parallèlement, elle a obtenu plusieurs masters différents tout en travaillant. « J’ai construit mon parcours d’études pendant que je travaillais. J’ai commencé à travailler très jeune et mes études se sont faites en formation continue avec des cours du soir », dit-elle. Cette approche a permis à Aude de devenir une spécialiste accomplie. « J’ai souvent changé de formation pour adapter mes besoins en apprentissage afin de pouvoir mieux travailler, être plus complète et polyvalente ». Aujourd’hui, elle est RSSI en free-lance (responsable de la Sécurité des Systèmes d’Informations). « L’aspect protection est très important pour moi, lutter contre les contenus troubles et les failles de sécurité qui peuvent être potentiellement exploitées. Internet est un outil fantastique, mais comme tout, cela peut avoir ses dérives, mon souhait est ici de protéger cela ».
DIVERSITY AND UNITY
Aude plays a central role within CEFCYS (Cercle des Femmes de la Cybersécurité), an association that campaigns for the inclusion of women in a traditionally male field. As representative for the Sud region, Aude strives to break gender stereotypes and promote a diversity of skills. “We do not fight discrimination with discrimination,” she insists, emphasizing that CEFCYS is open to men. Aude firmly believes that gender equality enriches the cybersecurity sector by introducing varied and innovative perspectives. The circle works to highlight women's career paths in this field, notably through the book “Je suis une femme et je travaille dans la cybersécurité,” which features portraits of 65 women. CEFCYS also actively supports awareness-raising activities, trophy awards, and an individual and collective mentoring program. “I try to lead by example, talk about my background, hold round tables, create working groups, and say that it is also possible for women. There is nothing that can stop a woman from working on a computer.”
AWARENESS
Hack in Provence organizes various events to bring together and train cybersecurity enthusiasts, from Sophia Antipolis to Montpellier, passing through Salon-de-Provence, Aix, Marseille, La Seyne-sur-Mer, Toulon. Among these events are quarterly workshops and monthly after-works called “Hackpéro” to exchange ideas and meet up. Every year, Hack in Provence organizes the SecSea conference in the oldest cinema in the world in La Ciotat. This unique event gathers the local ethical hacking community for exchanges, demonstrations, and discussions on the latest trends. “It's important to understand how an attack is conducted to better protect oneself,” passing through Salon-de-Provence, Aix, she emphasizes. The next edition of SecSea takes place on October 11 and 12, offering workshops, conferences, and moments of conviviality over a shared meal. Open to all. For Aude, hacking is a philosophy: “The first hacker in my family was my father. He and I evolved in this computer culture. We used to dismantle and reassemble our machines,” she recalls. This intellectual curiosity and willingness to deeply understand how things work are at the heart of her approach to ethical hacking. “The geek has knowledge in very specific and very specialized areas, while the hacker is driven by this intellectual curiosity that pushes us to explore how things work in a very advanced way.” She insists on the importance of unity and collaboration in this field: “We need to unite, work together.” Aude firmly believes that diversity of gender and profiles is essential to innovate and solve problems creatively. “Encouraging women and minorities to join us will only enrich our perspective and efficiency. The cyber threat is evolving rapidly and demands significant standards and consistency from us. It also requires continuous innovation.”
DIGITAL HYGIENE
Aude also shares practical tips to improve daily digital security: regularly change your passwords, and it is also very important not to save them on your browser. She also advises using dual-factor authentication, avoiding clicking on suspicious links via email or SMS, and being wary of public Wi-Fi networks. “There is no miracle or foolproof solution, but actions that can keep you away from cybercriminals. They will always go where it is easiest,” she warns. Using a VPN to enhance privacy is also recommended. For Aude, the future of cybersecurity relies on our collective commitment. The further use of AI will also be a major asset. “Artificial intelligence is an assistant that allows you to reserve your time for tasks that are more humanly noble, less tedious and repetitive, but it will never replace human genius. AI will assist, saving a lot of time,” she says. She also stresses the importance of awareness and education to ensure that everyone, from employees to executives, becomes aware of the importance of cybersecurity and the actions to adopt. “The future of cybersecurity will depend on our commitment,” she concludes, reminding us that it is together, in unity and benevolence, that we will meet the challenges of the digital and societal world. •
For more information and to join their initiatives:
Hack in Provence
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hackinprovence
https://discord.hackinprovence.fr
2024 Membership Hack in Provence https://www.helloasso.com/associations/hack-in-provence/adhesions/adhesion-2024valable-jusqu-au-31-decembre-2024
CEFCYS
https://cefcys.fr/
2024 Membership CEFCYS https://www.helloasso.com/associations/cefcys/adhesions/adhesion-cefcys-2024 https://cyberwomenday-cefcys.com/
SecSea
https://secsea.org/
Aude FOLCHER
https://www.linkedin.com/in/aude-fol/
Photo PRESSE AGENCE.