It's estimated that every second in the digital realm, some 168 million emails are sent and 695,000 Facebook status updates are made. In that same second, some form of malware infects about 232 computers, a security issue that can spread virally, said Maj. Gen. Suzanne Vautrinot, the commander of the 24th Air Force, Air Forces Cyber and the Air Force Network Operations at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.

Vautrinot spoke Wednesday at USAA as part of the financial institution's monthlong observation of Cyber Security Awareness Month. She described the cyber realm as a viral environment where hygiene is poor, adding that more than 1 million people are infected with a computer virus each day.

To combat the problem, she encourages public-private partnerships such as the cooperative agreement to share critical security information that was recently finalized by the 24th Air Force and USAA. She also touched on shared responsibility, where individuals become more aware of their actions when online.

“It's not about you,” she said. “It's about the people you're connected to.”

Vautrinot spoke exclusively with the Express-News about various issues surrounding cybersecurity.

Question: In the cyber realm, how safe are we?





Q: What needs to be done to involve more women in the cyber industry?





When it was developed it was developed from the standpoint of not being a contested environment. There weren't bad guys or criminals. So when you develop something for the purposes of open communications you develop it differently.

So now that we know there are those that would contest this environment, that means you construct the environment differently.

Q: What can we expect in the future of cyber?
