Lack of women in cyber security

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - In the tech world, Kelly Lum is a rarity. That's because she's a woman working in cyber security. Lum is a security engineer at Tumblr and has worked in computer science for a decade. She says that when she was growing up, she didn't see a lot of women engineers and few women enrolled in computer science programs.

While that may be starting to change, women still have a long way to go, particularly in the male-dominated field of cyber security. Only one in 10 information security professionals is a woman, according to a report from (ISC)², an organization which certifies cyber security professionals.

Professor Nasir Memon is head of the computer science department at NYU's Tandon School of Engineering, where he has been making a concerted effort to get more women interested in the field and to dispel stereotypes.

Emily Wicki, a third year computer science student at NYU, got over those perceptions quickly. Wicki got into cyber security after entering a high school computer forensics contest on a whim and becoming the first woman ever to win first place. While she hopes more women follow her path, she is also reaping the benefits of being in high demand when it comes to finding work.

The bottom line is there is big demand for cyber security professionals both male and female. There are currently an estimated 200 thousand vacant cyber security positions and that number only expected to get bigger.