Elinor Mills has been intrigued by hackers since she covered DEF CON III as a journalist in 1995. Following four years reporting for the Associated Press, she joined IDG News Service and for an early travel assignment headed off to the Las Vegas desert for the annual hacker pilgrimage (a trek she's taken more than a dozen times since). There she learned about the nuances of hacking, delighted in the Spot-the-Fed contests and met youth who would one day be leaders in securing the internet today. She went on to reporting jobs at The Industry Standard, Reuters and CNET over the next two decades covering a variety of tech topics, but her main interest remained security and the passion and intellectual drive of the people looking for the flaws that threaten our digital lives. Today, she helps hackers and security entrepreneurs spread the gospel as Senior Vice President of Content and Media Strategy at Bateman Group. Software may be eating the world, but hackers are keeping it safe. @elinormills