A photo of two women posing in front of a sign for the Grace Hopper Celebration.

At Grace Hopper (GHC17): Find Your Inner Tech Talk in 60 Minutes

October 4, 2017September 19, 20203 Comments

CryptoKait
You may ask yourself, "What impact could I possibly have on the technical community at such an early stage in my career?" That question is answered very quickly after you ask yourself 52 other questions. CryptoKait recounts her experience at this inspiring workshop and some of those questions (with four minutes to spare!).

A photo of a television screen displaying the title, "Bloomberg Women in Technology – Defining Success: A Conversation on Careers."

ABI.NYC Professional Women’s Series Panel: “Defining Success: A Conversation on Career”

September 15, 2017September 19, 2020Leave a comment

CryptoKait
CryptoKait highlights incredible career advice from some of the most talented women at Bloomberg. What is Cinderella Syndrome, and what should you be doing instead?

A photo of Kaitlyn Bestenheider posing with a group of seven other people in attendance at DEF CON.

My First DEF CON

August 17, 2017September 19, 20201 Comment

CryptoKait
What do candy, power adapters, application security, beach balls, and cons-within-cons à la Inception all have in common? CryptoKait's first ever DEF CON experience taught her that nothing can prepare you for DEF CON... but that's not going to stop her from trying to prepare you for DEF CON! What to pack is just the beginning...

She Started It

May 30, 2017September 7, 2020Leave a comment

CryptoKait
"She Started It" is a documentary that tells the stories of 5 young, female entrepreneurs. It highlights the importance of representation in a male-dominated field. Attending a screening helped CryptoKait put words to a phenomenon in the tech industry: the Swiss cheese issue. What we ought to become is cheddar.

The Importance of the National Cyber League (NCL) Scouting Report

May 21, 2017September 7, 202021 Comments

CryptoKait
CryptoKait felt embarrassed by how badly she ranked in her first season of NCL. She was pretty sure she only beat the people who didn't log in. Later, the improvement demonstrated season over season by her Scouting Report landed her an interview with Google. CryptoKait had used the Scouting Report as both a means to improve and a validation of that improvement. Read to find out how you can, too!

My National Cyber League (NCL) Prep-Guide

April 13, 2017October 10, 20202 Comments

CryptoKait
CryptoKait's first prep guide for the NCL in 2017 remains a relevant read! A brief introduction to the Games is followed by beginner-friendly toolkit suggestions structured by domain. Plus, it's fun to go back and see what has and hasn't changed!

Women in Cyber Security (WiCyS) 2017 Recap

April 8, 2017September 7, 20203 Comments

CryptoKait
Being relatively new to the tech field, what surprised CryptoKait the most about her first WiCyS conference—where she got to teach password cracking—was how many women came into the field from indirect routes and non-cyber backgrounds. Turns out the only use in looking back is to see how far you've come. Read about the conference that gave CryptoKait the courage to finally start her blog.