Singapore―SICW 2024―The recent movie Young Woman and the Sea, which parallels Ernest Hemingway’s classic novel The Old Man and the Sea, tells the true story of Trudy Ederle, who made history by becoming the first woman to swim the English Channel on August 6, 1926. The film concludes with the assertion that her achievement extended beyond swimming, as it permanently changed the landscape for women in sports.
Women pioneers are also making their mark in the cyber domain. The Singapore International Cyber Week (SICW), which attracted about 12,000 delegates from more than 80 countries this year, invited women leaders in cybersecurity to share their insights with female students and working professionals aspiring to pursue careers in the field.
“Despite growing numbers, women working in cybersecurity continue to be a minority. It is an important part of our work to promote the advancement of women,” said Rahayu Mahzam, Minister of State for the Ministry of Digital Development and the Ministry of Health of Singapore, during her opening address at SICW’s Women in Cyber session. “This is not just about improving statistics. Creating and sustaining trust in our digital world calls for comprehensive, ecosystem-wide collaboration. As cybersecurity threats become more sophisticated and impact our communities, tapping into the unique perspectives and talents across society is essential to strengthen our collective defenses,” asserted the minister.
Sandra Joyce, vice president of Google Threat Intelligence, elaborated on the importance of diversity in this field, noting the risks of cognitive and mirror biases that can lead to intelligence failures. “If we don’t have more perspectives in the room and rely solely on our own decision-making, staying comfortable, we will be just as dangerous to ourselves as the threats around us,” said Joyce. “Diversity isn’t just a good thing or a polite thing. Without it, you’re going to lose your internal security.”
Jeannie Lee, associate professor and director of programs at the Singapore Institute of Technology, presented several figures, including one that revealed the proportion of female ICT graduates in Singapore fell from 36% in 2010 to 34% in 2020. Globally, only 12% of undergraduate cybersecurity graduates are female, while 23% are female at the postgraduate level. To improve this situation, Lee suggested promoting educational and industry initiatives that include increased mentorship from role models. “It is important to have mentors and visible female role models to encourage women to pursue careers in computing and cybersecurity,” urged Lee.
Tara Wisniewski, executive vice president of advocacy in global markets and member engagement at ISC2, shared findings from the Global Workforce Study conducted by her organization. “Roughly 20 to 25% of cyber professionals around the globe are women. The other issue is salary differentials. Don’t let this scare you because it’s just a stubborn fact, and at the same time, we will continue to fight it,” she said. The 2023 ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study revealed that white women in the United States had an average cybersecurity salary of $142,000, while white men made $149,000. Women of color earned even less, with an average salary of $136,000 during the same period. “You can see that there continues to be a barrier around salary for women in cybersecurity. So, embrace yourself and keep pushing,” encouraged Wisniewski.
Cheri Lim, chief information security officer of Temasek International, and Liesyl Franz, deputy assistant secretary for international cyberspace security at the U.S. Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, encouraged the audience to be bold. “Don’t be afraid to share your perspective,” said Lim, following Franz’s statement, “Be brave. Allow yourself to be uncertain because nobody has all the answers. Surround yourself with diverse experts and perspectives.”
Barbara Kluge, Deputy Head of the Directorate-General for Cyber and Information Security at Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community, delivered a speech on breaking barriers for women in order to protect the future. “When I started working in this field, it was always a group of men and one woman in the room. I wanted to change this,” said Kluge. Kluge has been leading the German chapter of Women4Cyber, a nonprofit organization that promotes the participation of women in cybersecurity.
In a separate interview with The Readable, Kluge emphasized that many women in cybersecurity stumbled into the field. “This implies that you don’t need to be an IT expert to have a career in cybersecurity. The field requires experts from various disciplines, including law, communication, management, policy, and international negotiation,” explained Kluge.
“Be confident. Trust yourself. Keep your integrity. Don’t be intimidated by all those men,” urged Kluge. “When I started more than 20 years ago in IT security, I was always ‘the little blonde.’ I could have felt intimidated, but I was able to say, ‘Yes, I am the little blonde, and I have something to say.’ Don’t say ‘maybe’ because it shows a lack of confidence. Just say, ‘I have an idea,’ not ‘I might have an idea.’ It’s also a matter of language. Don’t be ashamed of building a career. Be visible.”
