WiCyS Conference

This month, I was one of four students chosen by Northeastern to attend the annual Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) conference, this year held in Cleveland, Ohio. Between meeting new people, cramming in as many talks and workshops as possible, learning about cyber jobs at the career fair, working with new friends on the CTF, listening to motivating speeches, and speaking to prospective students while hosting the Northeastern booth, my experience was packed with learning, connecting, and revitalized passion.

Some particularly interesting talks:

• Let Them In: How Cyber Deception and Adversary Engagement Leads to Better Defense
• Trapped in the Wolf Den: A Dive into Compromises from Within the Walls of a SOC
• The Amazing Race - Coordinating Cyber Vulnerability Disclosure
• Get Smarter About the Dumb Protocols on Our Networks
• The Eight Sins: Mitigation of Security Weaknesses in Automated Configuration Management

It was also fascinating to learn about everyone’s individual path to cybersecurity- all from different career and life backgrounds but united by a common desire to protect the cyberspace. The energy and engagement in every room was palpable, and being surrounded by others with my same excitement amplified my own.

The conference was a celebration of challenging yourself to learn new things, of uplifting others- especially those underrepresented in the field- and of finding fulfillment working in cybersecurity. After three days, I returned to Boston with new determination.