The name’s Khan. Elizabeth Khan
When asked why she decided to pursue cybersecurity at Boise State, masters student Elizabeth Khan said, “It’s a dynamic and exciting field, sort of like the TV show ‘Homeland’ meets ‘James Bond’ but in real life. And as a self-confessed life-long James Bond fanatic, what could be better than this cybersecurity program?”
007 fanaticism aside, Khan didn’t really expect to find herself drawn to cyber security. It was not until after graduating from Boise State in 2021 with her degree in multidisciplinary studies that a faculty member pointed her towards the new degree in cybersecurity and piqued her interest.
“I do compliance consulting in a related field and have done systems mapping and software implementation in that role, so this seemed like a natural fit,” said Khan.
Khan calls Boise home, and fall 2021 marks her first semester in the program. However, she is already exploring the opportunities of where this degree might take her following graduation.
“There are so many options in cybersecurity. I’d like to consult with organizations to help them assess their potential cyber risk and then implement solutions. I also think strategic threat intelligence analysis is incredibly interesting as it looks at threats within the context of the entire geopolitical landscape.”
Despite only being in the program for a few months, Khan said that one of the most fascinating cybersecurity topics she has learned about are disinformation campaigns.
“It’s eye-opening to learn how other countries might leverage our social media platforms to craft disinformation campaigns intended to further their political agendas and potentially destabilize the US,” said Khan.
Ultimately, Khan hopes to use her education to offer cybersecurity services to organizations, and also to bring greater awareness to cybersecurity issues.