She is Spanish, has a degree in Information Sciences, a Master’s degree in Intelligence Analysis, a Master’s degree in Logistics and Defense Economics, and a Master’s degree in Technology and ICT Law. She teaches in masters and universities, and has also made incursions in divulgation and has written books such as “Manual de investigación en fuentes abiertas (OSINT)” and “Las Aventuras del Equipo CIber”. She gives conferences and collaborates with media (radio and TV). Today she is the Chief Metaverse Officer at Telefónica where she has the great challenge of offering users the possibility of interacting with the Internet, but in a much more immersive way.
She was on her way to becoming a professional tennis player, but decided to focus on her studies, specifically on computer security from the world of hacking: “A person who approaches this tries to take technology a step further, seeing other possible uses for it. This forces you to know computer systems very well, how they are built, how each of the components communicate, what the architecture of a solution is like”, explains Yaiza with her face uncovered, because she has always hacked “for the good side”.
She has been working at Telefónica since 2013, is one of the youngest managers in the company, and has been leading the Metaverso team for a few months now. Faced with the inevitable question about equal opportunities for women in a wrongly “masculinized” field, Yaiza points out that half of her team is made up of women: “It is true that in the IT security world there were almost no girls, but the number has grown, it is not what it used to be. What can still be clearly seen is that in the more technical teams this difference is more noticeable.”
Yaiza explains that Telefónica has the Internet infrastructure and network capacity powerful enough to make the Metaverse a reality: “the real beneficiaries of the Internet will not be the large Internet platforms but the users”, she stresses. “For Telefónica, the Metaverse will be another channel to sell digitally and position our brand in these new channels.
“The challenge for companies is to understand what their assets are in order to position them in the next version of the Internet”. “
The Spanish hacker stresses that she and her team are also working on the development of the web3, i.e. this evolution of the Internet that promises the security of personal information thanks to the decentralization of data. This web can also provide a better experience, more personalized and focused on individuals.
“Web3 means that the biggest beneficiary will no longer be the centralized platform; instead, the real beneficiaries will be the users. People will even be rewarded for viewing advertising, not like now, when there is a sale behind their data,” explains Yaiza.
Although Web3 was launched in Spain two years ago, she explains that it is still a developing environment and it remains to be understood how to offer more products and services leveraged on this “new” concept.
With great humility, she affirms that luck has accompanied her throughout this intense journey, highlights the help she has received and values the efforts of those who knew how to push her to get to where she arrived: to become a reference for future generations who aspire to make technology their way of life.
Who is Yaiza Rubio Viñuela?
-Born in León
-She is 35 years old
-She is the Chief Metaverse Officer of Telefónica.
-She is the first Spanish female hacker to give presentations at events such as DEF CON and Black Hat Briefings.
-In 2015 she won the third prize of the Chair of Intelligence Services and Democratic Systems, the first initiative in the Spanish university that investigates and studies intelligence in the scientific field.
-That year she achieved the second prize in the ISACA Challenge for young researchers, promoted by the US non-profit organization ISACA that works to drive standards for information control and security.
-In 2017 she was named Cybercooperator of Honor by the National Institute of Cybersecurity (INCIBE), this distinction is awarded to public figures whose work contributes to fostering respect in online environments and whose values are cemented in the responsible use of technologies.
That same year, he was runner-up in the hackathon organized by INCIBE at the international Mobile World Congress, a competition sponsored by the Spanish Ministry of Energy, Tourism and Digital Agenda, which aims to showcase Spain’s potential in cybersecurity by promoting an event of global importance.
-In 2019, for his work, he received the Cross of Merit of the Civil Guard with White Distinctive.
PING-PONG
Have you hacked: Yes, but always for the good.
A dream: That Web3 materializes to make the Internet more democratic.
A flaw: My character is not very good.
A virtue: I am a hard worker.
A hobby: Playing tennis.
The happiest moment of your career: When I was awarded the Medal of Merit of the Civil Guard.
What has struck you the most on the Internet: How clever people are to compromise others, how they manage to deceive people.
A fear: That someday I will stop liking what I do.
Yaiza Rubio Viñuela | Chief Metaverse Officer at Telefónica
