Women Who 'Hacked the Status Quo' Aim to Inspire Security Careers - Dark Reading

CYBERSECURITY OPERATIONS CYBERSECURITY CAREERS REMOTE WORKFORCE ICS/OT SECURITY NEWS Cybersecurity In-Depth: Feature articles on security strategy, latest trends, and people to know. Women Who 'Hacked the Status Quo' Aim to Inspire Cybersecurity Careers A group of female cybersecurity pioneers will share what they've learned about navigating a field dominated by men, in order to help other women empower themselves and pursue successful cybersecurity careers. Elizabeth Montalbano,Contributing Writer July 16, 2025 5 Min Read SOURCE: SAKKMESTERKE VIA ALAMY STOCK PHOTO Cisco security research engineering technical leader Chi-en (Ashley) Shen knew at the age of 17 that she was interested in cybersecurity as a career after reading a book on hacking. At the time, it was an unusual choice for a woman, as the field was predominately populated by men. "I dove into online war games, practiced Web exploitation, and spent evenings on a Taiwanese hacking forum," she tells Dark Reading. "When I entered university, I became active in the HITCON security community, attending every conference, often volunteering behind the scenes, and absorbing talks on various topics." Shen became a cybersecurity professional in graduate school when a colleague asked her to join his startup. During her career so far, in which she worked for Mandiant and Google's Threat Analysis Group before joining Cisco, Shen has remained unique among her colleagues in that she's been the only woman on every one of her teams. Related:Software Development Practices Help Enterprises Tackle Real-Life Risks Indeed, despite some gains, women in the cybersecurity field still seem to be exceptions rather than the rule. However, there are signs that the gender gap is narrowing, with the emergence of new resources and opportunities to help women thrive in cybersecurity, Shen says. To help promote this shift, she and some of her fellow female cybersecurity professionals will be sharing their experiences and advice with other women who seek to follow the same path at the Black Hat USA 2025 conference, which will be held in Las Vegas in August. The panel, "Hacking the Status Quo: Tales From Leading Women in Cybersecurity," is a follow-up to one that occurred at Black Hat Asia, and is on the roster again because of the success of its first incarnation, Vandana Verma, Black Hat USA review board member and panel moderator, tells Dark Reading. Natalie Silvanovich, team lead and security engineer for Google Project Zero, and security researcher Maddie Stone will join Shen as panelists. While women pioneers in cybersecurity certainly faced challenges in their career progression — many that women in the field still face — the panelists hope to shift the focus away from negative experiences and focus on what helped them succeed, Verma says. "We're here to talk about the positive journeys, the moments that mattered, and the people who helped us along the way," she says, adding that attendees will hear "real-world advice, candid reflections, and uplifting takeaways" that the panelists hope will resonate and inspire attendees  long after the discussion is over. Empowering Herself for Success Related:How to Stay on Top of Future Threats With a Cutting-Edge SOC Shen joined Cisco Talos in July 2023, and her day-to-day work revolves around proactive threat hunting, detecting emerging tactics, techniques, and vulnerabilities before they gain traction. "I lead and conduct deep technical analysis and translate our findings into actionable intelligence on the Talos research blog," she says. "The position offers an ideal balance between hands-on research and community knowledge-sharing, which I find particularly fulfilling." On her way to a high-profile position in a field in which men still far outnumber women, Shen says she has faced assumptions that could be discouraging to other women or put unnecessary pressure on them to believe they have to over-achieve to get ahead. "In my academic and professional journey, I've often heard comments like, 'Wow, you’re a woman studying engineering? You must be really smart,' or 'It's impressive that you work in IT as a woman,'" she tells Dark Reading. While she recognizes that the comments are well-intentioned and takes pride in her professional capabilities, Shen realized over time "that such remarks subtly reinforce the idea that women in STEM must be exceptional just to belong," she says. "This can unintentionally create internal pressure to constantly prove that I am not just competent, but extraordinary, simply to justify my place," Shen says. Related:Cyber Success Trifecta: Education, Certifications & Experience To help change this feeling of "imposter syndrome" that she and other women in the field may face, Shen became proactive in empowering herself for professional success in her field by reading books and listening to podcasts about cybersecurity, seeking professional support, and openly discussing her performance and well-being with her managers. She also strives for a healthy work-life balance and practices meditation to encourage mental fitness in herself. "Through these efforts, I was able to develop a healthier, more sustainable mindset and proactively seek out the tools and support that would allow me to thrive," Shen says. Fostering a New Generation of Women in Cybersecurity Shen aims to share what she's learned about her cybersecurity journey with the emerging crop of women coming up in the field that are fortunate to have opportunities and resources, like the Black Hat panel, that women before them did not. "Compared with a few years ago, I now meet more women interested in entering cybersecurity," Shen says, citing several factors that are contributing to this momentum. "Global communities and dedicated conferences have increased, and local gatherings, such as the women in security meetup we're hosting at Black Hat, provide newcomers with visible role models, technical guidance, and a supportive peer circle," she says. The emergence of more scholarship partnerships, funded certification tracks, and return-to-work programs from both the tech industry and the wider security community also are making it easier for women to upskill or return to the field after a break. "Together, these initiatives are removing the barriers that once kept many talented women on the sidelines," Shen says. Overall, topics that Shen and her colleagues will discuss at Black Hat are some of the factors that made a difference in their personal cybersecurity journeys, and how women can find or create opportunities for themselves to help break the gender gap that persists in the field. They also will focus on developing resilience and growing as cybersecurity leaders, even while remaining true to themselves, and ways to give back to the community and use their unique voices so all women collectively can benefit. The panelists will share advice with women just starting out in the field or considering a career in cybersecurity to help them as they embark on the journey. For Shen, the advice she'd like to give these women is: "Be bold with your questions and perspective; challenge assumptions, and don't be afraid of making mistakes, [because] we all grow from them," she says. Read more about: CISO CornerBlack Hat News About the Author Elizabeth Montalbano Contributing Writer Elizabeth Montalbano is a freelance writer, journalist, and therapeutic writing mentor with more than 25 years of professional experience. Her areas of expertise include technology, business, and culture. Elizabeth previously lived and worked as a full-time journalist in Phoenix, San Francisco, and New York City; she currently resides in a village on the southwest coast of Portugal. In her free time, she enjoys surfing, hiking with her dogs, traveling, playing music, yoga, and cooking. More Insights Industry Reports Frost Radar™: Non-human Identity Solutions 2026 CISO AI Risk Report The ROI of AI in Security Cybersecurity Forecast 2026 ThreatLabz 2025 Ransomware Report Access More Research Webinars Building a Robust SOC in a Post-AI World Retail Security: Protecting Customer Data and Payment Systems Rethinking SSE: When Unified SASE Delivers the Flexibility Enterprises Need Securing Remote and Hybrid Work Forecast: Beyond the VPN AI-Powered Threat Detection: Beyond Traditional Security Models More Webinars You May Also Like CYBERSECURITY OPERATIONS County Pays $600K to Wrongfully Jailed Pen Testers by Nate Nelson, Contributing Writer FEB 02, 2026 CYBERSECURITY OPERATIONS Embracing the Next Generation of Cybersecurity Talent by Bruce Johnson SEP 05, 2025 CYBERATTACKS & DATA BREACHES DeepSeek Breach Opens Floodgates to Dark Web by Emma Zaballos APR 22, 2025 CYBERSECURITY OPERATIONS Dogged by Trump, Chris Krebs Resigns From SentinelOne by Nate Nelson, Contributing Writer APR 17, 2025 Edge Picks APPLICATION SECURITY AI Agents in Browsers Light on Cybersecurity, Bypass Controls CYBER RISK Browser Extensions Pose Heightened, but Manageable, Security Risks CYBERSECURITY OPERATIONS Video Convos: Agentic AI, Apple, EV Chargers; Cybersecurity Peril Abounds ENDPOINT SECURITY Extension Poisoning Campaign Highlights Gaps in Browser Security Latest Articles in The Edge THREAT INTELLIGENCE Inside Olympic Cybersecurity: Lessons From Paris 2024 to Milan Cortina 2026 MAR 16, 2026 THREAT INTELLIGENCE The Data Gap: Why Nonprofit Cyber Incidents Go Underreported MAR 13, 2026 CYBER RISK Cyberattackers Don't Care About Good Causes MAR 13, 2026 CYBER RISK What Orgs Can Learn From Olympics, World Cup IR Plans MAR 12, 2026 Read More The Edge Want more Dark Reading stories in your Google search results?