Securing the Game: Navigating the Challenges of Product Security in Gaming with Rohit Selacha (Zynga)

Episode Summary

In this episode of "Build Amazing Things Securely," host Laura Bell Main interviews Rohit, a product security expert in the gaming industry. Rohit shares his journey from an electronics background into cybersecurity, emphasizing the broad scope and diverse challenges in the field. The conversation delves into the specifics of securing gaming applications, like Zynga's Farmville, highlighting the importance of data integrity and the impact of security breaches on business models.

Key Points

1. Rohit's Background: Transition from electronics to cybersecurity, driven by the diverse challenges in security.
2. Security in Gaming: Focuses on infrastructure, application, and data security. Discusses unique challenges in gaming security, like data manipulation and integrity.
3. Collaboration in Security: Emphasizes the partnership between security teams and developers, and the need for security to adapt to different technologies.
4. Security Strategy: Importance of creating guardrails, not gatekeeping, in security practices.
5. Security Awareness: Highlights the growing security consciousness in product companies.

Links and Resources

• Zynga Games: Zynga's Official Website
• Not So Secure: Not So Secure's Website

Homework

• Develop Security Checklists: Start with simple security checklists for your projects and evolve them into more automated systems.
• Embrace Diverse Technologies: Don’t restrict technologies in your projects. Instead, learn to secure a variety of languages and platforms.
• Collaborate with Security Teams: Engage with security experts early in the development process to incorporate their insights and build secure products.