Opinion: Equifax CEO hired a music major as the company’s chief security officer

Market Watch ^ | 9-15-17 | Brett Arends

[afraidfortherepublic]

When Congress hauls in Equifax CEO Richard Smith to grill him, it can start by asking why he put someone with degrees in music in charge of the company’s data security.

And then they might also ask him if anyone at the company has been involved in efforts to cover up Susan Mauldin’s lack of educational qualifications since the data breach became public.

It would be fascinating to hear Smith try to explain both of those extraordinary items.

If those events don’t put the final nails in his professional coffin, accountability in the U.S. is officially dead.

Equifax “Chief Security Officer” Susan Mauldin has a bachelor’s degree and a master of fine arts degree in music composition from the University of Georgia. Her LinkedIn professional profile lists no education related to technology or security.

This is the person who was in charge of keeping your personal and financial data safe — and whose apparent failings have put 143 million of us at risk from identity theft and fraud. It was revealed this week that the massive data breach came due to a software vulnerability that was known about, and should have been patched, months earlier.

[Red Badger]

D-I-V

E-R-S

I-T-Y...............................

[ThinkingBuddha]

I call b#ll$hit on this. Some of the best software people, do not have any college degree.

[3boysdad]

That kinda reminds me of a country song sang by Tammy Wynette.

[Da Coyote]

Hey, she was more qualfied for her position than Dorkbama the muslm eunuch quota baby was for his.

[Red Badger]

Susan Mauldin was the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at Equifax Inc when the massive data hack occurred. She has been with Equifax as CSO / CISO since 2013. She was previously Senior Vice President and Chief Security Officer at First Data Corporation, until July 2013. Mauldin was SunTrust Banks’ Group Vice President from 2007 to 2009. It is still unconfirmed whether her stint at SunTrust was in fact overseeing call-center operations. ======================================================================================================= ============================================================================================================ Maulding’s education credentials include a bachelor’s degree in music composition (magna cum laude) and a Master of Fine Arts degree in music composition (summa cum laude), both from the University of Georgia. In March 2016, Equifax CISO Susan Mauldin was interviewed on camera by the CEO of the big-data company Cazena. UPDATE: The videos featuring parts of an interview with Susan Mauldin, which were embedded on this page, have been taken down as of the afternoon of September 10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3O-VB09IdHU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_2ABbwSYbs A partial transcript of her remarks during the interview have been archived for posterity by a third party. http://archive.is/6M8mg The full interview videos went far in explaining what may have been the eventual cause of the massive leak of information now gravely affecting 143 million Americans. The audio-only version of the interview that was publicly available on Soundcloud has also been scrubbed from the web.

[SeeSharp]

But... but... music is like math, right?

[Gene Eric]

>> degree in music composition

If she’s good, it’s a testament to her capabilities.

No doubt she lacked sufficient management skills.

[Rockitz]

Let’s see a picture of this security expert? I’ll tell you immediately what’s going on.

[Red Badger]

https://www.hollywoodlanews.com/equifax-chief-security-officer/

[Red Badger]

POST #6.................

[rktman]

Sounds like there’s “treble” brewing. Besides which, I’m a musician and I could do a LOT better job than that. But, white privilege prevents me from gettin’ the job. ;-)

[PIF]

guilty

[central_va]

Hiring here doesn’t even pass the laugh test. I’ll bet she is bullsh!t artist extraordinaire though.

[AndyTheBear]

...it can start by asking why he put someone with degrees in music in charge of the company’s data security.

Maybe he wanted a well tuned security system. So he hired somebody sharp that could compose a lot of notes on what needed to be done and conduct the security team to harmonize a solution that would not slow the tempo of the core business or have their efforts fall flat.

[DoughtyOne]

Isn’t the proof in the pudding here?

The facts are in.

It’s pretty obvious this wasn’t one of the best software people.

This is a legitimate beef > IMO.

If I were a director, I’d be covering my posterior by appointing someone with a stellar education in the field, as well as a stellar resume in this specific specialty.

[tired&retired]

I agree. She has excellent credentials from other employment.

[Gene Eric]

>> I call b#ll$hit on this. Some of the best software people, do not have any college degree.

Agreed. And the music-related disparagement is idiotic.

[central_va]

...but she slept at a Holiday Inn.

[Leaning Right]

> Sounds like there’s “treble” brewing. <

Bad pun. It fell “flat”. I must criticize you “sharp”-ly for that.