Red Teaming Cyber's Diversity Problem

Presented at Diana Initiative 2022, Aug. 10, 2022, 4 p.m. (30 minutes)

The skills gap is one of the most pressing issues in cybersecurity, and, unfortunately, part of this problem comes from gatekeeping, unrealistic job requirements, discrimination, stereotyping and unimaginative thinking. Common problems in other male-dominated fields that require undoing decades of exclusion to solve. It’s incumbent upon all companies and communities in cybersecurity to champion inclusion and diversity for women and gender minorities, which puts The Diana Initiative and its audience at the heart of the solution. In this presentation, we’ll discuss the origins of an online community of women hackers and how utilizing community and mentorship can remove barriers to inclusion for women, trans and nonbinary people, and others who identify as a gender minority. We’ll also discuss best practices and discuss lessons from the first six months of the program to help others interested in similar initiatives. If you are interested in breaking into offensive security or just building an inclusive offensive security community, this session is for you!

Presenters:

  • Ryan Rutan
    After spending more than two decades building online communities for tech savvy enterprise developers, Ryan (@ryanrutan) returned to his hacker roots as the Sr. Director of Community at the Synack Red Team in 2019. He is a long-time developer/maker at heart and technology innovator by trade, but his passion comes from uniting people, process and technology into sustainable communities capable of meeting any challenge. When he’s not programming, building integrations, or automating processes, he decompresses by writing fiction novels, hacking on IoT projects, and playing trivia games with his family and friends. #ForkThisLife
  • Emily Peacock
    Emily has always had a passion for bringing joy to others, whether that be through smiles, laughter, food, entertainment, acts of kindness or fostering a sense of community. Prior to Synack, Emily spent five years as a culture ambassador for tech start-ups building company-wide employee engagement, recognition, and onboarding programs. She is now the Community Engagement Manager for the Synack and Artemis Red Team, where she focuses her vivacious energy towards providing a fun and supportive environment for researchers to connect, learn and find success. In her free time, you can find her busting a move with her dance community or becoming one with her couch and her senior pup, Bender

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