In a field that has traditionally been male-dominated, AI altering the industry's pathways to success could open new doors for women. The more diverse the field, the more nuanced the perspectives of protectors — leading to more adaptable and resilient defensive landscape. 

Nidhi Aggarwal, Chief Product Officer, HackerOne, comments, “International Women in Cyber Day is an opportunity to make cybersecurity feel more accessible to women who may not see themselves reflected in the traditional image of the field. Cybersecurity needs people who can understand complex problems, challenge assumptions and build technology that can stand up to real-world threats.

“That is becoming even more important as AI changes how software is built and secured. We are entering areas where the playbooks are still being written, which means the women solving these problems today have a real opportunity to influence what comes next. My hope is that more women see that they do not need to follow one prescribed path into cybersecurity. My background is in AI and data and cybersecurity is a new domain for me but the same first principles oriented problem solving skills, systems thinking and data driven decision making have helped me in cybersecurity. There is room for product leaders, engineers, researchers and people who bring experience from entirely different parts of technology and beyond. 

“When women have meaningful ownership to make their expertise visible, that builds confidence, develops deeper technical and business judgment and ultimately sets up future leaders to shape the industry.”