Revenge of the nerds: Confronting gender bias in cyber security and cybercrime

The cybersecurity industry is dominated by a hypermasculine culture that prioritises defending against external threats like nation-state attacks, while neglecting internal harms such as online harassment, cyberstalking, technology-facilitated domestic violence, and deepfake pornography, which disproportionately affect women. These human-centric cybercrimes are often overlooked in cybersecurity strategy, policy, and legislation because they don't fit the hypermasculine narrative of “cyber heroism.” This talk explores how the rise of hypermasculinity in tech, combined with the exclusion of diverse voices, has shaped a biased focus on external threats while undervaluing cyber-enabled crimes involving human-to-human harm. By examining the evolution of nerd culture and the consolidation of power in technology, we trace the systemic failures in addressing violence against women online. Using feminist crime theories, including Connell's Hegemonic Masculinity, and a case study on AI-generated deepfakes targeting Taylor Swift, we highlight the urgent need for community-driven efforts to address violence against women in cybersecurity. As women in cybersecurity, we need to lead this change one talk at a time.