Google’s “Security Princess”: Parisa Tabriz

This is the age of Google, one of the century’s most significant technological advances. Billions of users use this popular browser every millisecond, making it more susceptible to cyberattacks. Security and safe browsing experiences have thus become the main priorities of the tech industry and Parisa Tabriz, Google’s “Security Princess,” steps in to ensure the security of Google users.

This International Women’s Day, as we celebrate all the big Ws of women in technology, Parisa Tabriz is one of the names that should not be forgotten. A technology leader, product and design engineer, and cyber security expert, 31-year-old Parisa is a jack of all trades and the master of them all too! She has been working as an information security engineer at Google for eight years and is currently the vice president of engineering responsible for the design and security of Google Chrome.

“You actually need to understand humanity and society to know what problems to solve and how to solve them.”

Parisa has proven herself as a good leader over and over and believes in using fun and inexpensive ways to keep the morale of her team-high. She is currently in charge of a team of 200 people. They find holes or security bugs, write a fix, and automatically push the updates for the browser. They are one of the few who are paid to think like criminals. This team of incredible security experts led by Parisa Tabriz “hacks” into the minds of hackers and identifies software vulnerabilities and fixes for the protection of all users. She also oversees “Project Zero,” a Google team established in 2014 to enhance knowledge of offensive security and defensive tactics. Apart from her endeavors at Google, she consulted the White House’s U.S. Digital Security.

She is the daughter of an Iranian immigrant father and a Polish American mother, and she wasn’t exposed to technology until later in life. Her amateur interest in cybersecurity stemmed from one of her websites getting hacked. Her piquing interest and time spent with her college club members talking about website security are what shaped her future. Parisa is now a browser boss and one of the most sought-after professionals in the world of cyber security. She also encourages gender diversity within this field, which is still predominantly male-dominated.

Parisa Tabriz and her passion for cybersecurity have made her a role model for women aspiring to join the field. Her dedication has earned her a lot of glory and recognition, such as being featured in Forbes’ 30 Under 30. This success story reminds us that with determination and persistence, we can achieve everything we want to.