Synack Empowers America's Veterans as Cyber Warriors - Veterans Continue Their Mission to Protect the American Way of Life

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Nov. 08, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Mission-critical security takes the same creativity, precision, and discipline as mission-critical military operations, which is why we need more military veterans in the field of cybersecurity. Synack, the crowdsourced security partner of choice for government agencies and enterprises worldwide, is launching the Synack Veterans Cyber Program to recruit, empower, and deploy veterans in the cybersecurity industry, making it the first and only crowdsourced security platform to do so. Founded by two ex-NSA operators, the Silicon Valley-based company is committed to securing the American way of life by way of plugging the growing cybersecurity talent gap that is estimated to grow to 3.5 million unfilled jobs by 2021 according to Cybersecurity Ventures.

Pathway for Veterans

Through Synack's program, military veterans will be recruited by Synack and will receive expedited application review for access to the Synack Red Team (Synack's elite crowd of ethical hackers), flexible and lucrative security testing opportunities through the Synack platform, annual networking events, training opportunities to further develop cybersecurity skills, and access to interesting enterprise and government targets for their continued mission in protecting the USA.

"Post-9/11 veteran unemployment is improving, but we still have work to do. Over 65% of veterans experience difficulty in transitioning out of active duty," explains former Secretary of Veterans Affairs and advisor to the Synack Veterans Cyber Program, Jim Nicholson. "Crowdsourcing their expertise helps employers, veterans, and our national security. I am proud to support the Synack Veterans Cyber Program - the first crowdsourced security program to both create opportunities for veterans and help solve one of the largest national security threats of our time."

As a fellow of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Secretary Nicholson has put veteran cyber training on the agenda of the Chamber Foundation's Hiring Our Heroes initiative, which helps veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses find meaningful employment opportunities. "Crowdsourcing and the gig economy are lowering the barriers to career transitions and remote work. Hiring Our Heroes looks forward to working with Synack to transfer the experience and skills of veteran cyber operators to the crowdsourced security industry and train up veterans on cybersecurity," says Eric Eversole, Vice President of U.S. Chamber of Commerce and President of Hiring Our Heroes.

The Synack's Veterans Cyber Program will augment existing efforts by the Department of Defense, US Army, and other government agencies to provide opportunities to grow and develop military and veteran cyber skill sets. "Recruiting, supporting, and retaining technical talent in the military can present unique challenges from training, to compensation, to ensuring opportunities for growth and engagement in a quickly evolving field," said DDS Director Chris Lynch. In response to the challenge, US Army has been supporting soldiers by providing technical training and opportunities related to "mission priorities".

Developing Talent

Synack's investment in veterans is one initiative in a series of programs to protect the American way of life, following on the heels of the Secure the Election initiative and ThinkCyber fellowship program the company launched this summer. Through Secure the Election, Synack has offered states over $1 million for pro bono crowdsourced penetration testing and vulnerability discovery solutions to secure their election systems. Synack's ThinkCyber program offered hands-on cybersecurity training to talented, hacker-minded students from around the world. Taught by world-class ethical hackers from the Synack Red Team, along with partners from Army Cyber, Morgan Stanley, Domino's, and Microsoft, ThinkCyber fellows were encouraged to apply their security skills in a continuously evolving digital world.

To kick off the veterans program, Synack recruited veterans at the San Jose State University Veterans Day Celebration on November 7, and today on November 8, Synack will deliver a talk "Mission-Focused, Military Grade Security with a Crowd of Hackers" at Operation Code in Washington DC, followed by a Veterans happy hour event.

"I applaud Synack's commitment to helping veterans learn ethical hacking and break into the cybersecurity field through their Veterans Cyber Program. Having volunteered to protect our nation, veterans possess the attitude and aptitude needed to defend our government, businesses, and citizens in cyberspace. I look forward to seeing more veterans and Operation Code members join the Synack Red Team," said Operation Code DC Chapter Lead Sean McBride.

HackEDU, an interactive cybersecurity training platform provider, will also join Synack as a partner for the Veterans Cyber Program. Their hands-on learning environment helps accelerate the learning process and provide a safe and legal environment for those looking to their increase their cyber expertise.

"When it comes to defending our nation from attack, veterans are exactly the type of people security professionals want on their team. Today, we already have a strong cohort of veterans on our Synack Red Team, and they've demonstrated how successful veterans can be on our platform. Synack is proud to continue investing in the people who will help our country stand strong against cyber threats and protect the American way of life, because it truly does take a crowd," Synack CEO and Co-Founder Jay Kaplan said.

Addressing Growing Demand

Holding over 78% of the market share for the federal crowdsourced security market, Synack works with the US Department of Defense, US Army, US Air Force, IRS, Department of Transportation, and a handful of other agencies to help protect American citizens and the high-value assets that support their daily lives. While government agency adoption of Synack's secure crowdsourced penetration testing increased 9x last year, the company also continues to protect a growing number of commercial enterprises, nearing $1 trillion in Fortune 500 revenue. An increasing number of crowdsourced projects calls for sustaining talent growth; the Synack Veterans Program will offer government agencies and commercial enterprises alike access to top veteran talent to protect growing digital attack surfaces.

For more information about the program, please visit https://www.synack.com/veterans/.

About Synack
Synack, the leader in crowdsourced security testing, provides real security to the modern enterprise. Organizations who choose Synack don't have to compromise on effectiveness, efficiency, or control when they activate the crowd. By leveraging the world's most trusted ethical hackers and an industry-leading platform, Synack finds and helps fix critical security issues before criminals can exploit them. Headquartered in Silicon Valley with regional offices around the world, Synack has protected over 100 global organizations by reducing companies' security risk and increasing their resistance to cyber attack. For more information, please visit http://www.synack.com.

SOURCE Synack Inc