Security, digital proxies in modern conflicts. The answer? Advocacy, networking, and inclusion

Cybersecurity is at the heart of modern conflicts and its impact is far from neutral—digital proxies, cyber threats, and AI-driven risks are reshaping global security. As cyber warfare intensifies, the demand for skilled professionals surges. At the Munich Security Conference 2025, I will join experts to highlight why cybersecurity solutions must be inclusive, gender-aware, and strategically diverse to effectively counter evolving threats.

At the Munich Security Conference 2025, I will join experts to discuss the rise of digital proxies in modern conflicts and their impact on global security. While cyber threats escalate, the demand for cybersecurity talent grows—but women remain underrepresented, making up just 25% of the workforce. Bridging this gap is not only about inclusion but also strategic necessity. Cybersecurity is not gender-neutral, and neither should the solutions. My participation will emphasise the gendered impact of cyber warfare, the economic consequences of digital attacks, and the need for diverse leadership to shape effective cybersecurity policies.

Geoeconomic fragmentation and geopolitical tensions are expected to rise in the years to come driving business model transformation. Along this trend,? in the omnipresent subject of today’s debates that is AI, while early discussions focused primarily on economic competition, the conversation has shifted dramatically toward national security concerns, raising important questions about the future of global AI development and cooperation as pointed out by Benjamin Talin Talin in this recent article.

Do we have the right workforce to to tackle the Issue?

As cyber threats escalate worldwide, and tactics, techniques, and procedures constantly evolve, government agencies and enterprises are desperately trying to recruit enough talent to defend against today’s cybercriminals to complement in-house knowledge.

Against this background, it does not come as a surprise the fact that security management specialist is among the top five fastest-growing jobs by 2030 according to the recently-released World Economic Forum Future of Jobs Report 2025. The report, examined future work trends, workforce transformation, and strategies employers plan to embark on in response to such trends in the period 2025 to 2030.?

Such trends are driving demand for security-related jobs and increasing demand for network and cybersecurity skills. At the same time, the same Report points out demands for other human-centered skills such as resilience, flexibility and agility skills, and leadership and social influence.

Surprise, surprise, women make up only 25% of the cybersecurity workforce with a positive estimation that this percentage shall increase by 35% by 2031 (Cybersecurity Ventures prediction). This statistic, see Women in Cybersecurity Report, reflects a well-known and broader gender imbalance in STEM fields and highlights a critical talent gap that is expected to grow, with millions of job vacancies anticipated by 2025.

According to Harvard Business Review, women consistently score higher than men in the majority of leadership skills, and according to Anne Marie Zettlemoyer , CyCognito CISO, “The idea that women are natural risk modelers and managers has gained traction,” — making them excellent candidates for top cybersecurity jobs. Other reports point out that the cybersecurity industry needs a diverse set of minds and experiences to tackle these complex challenges.

So the issue summarises that despite cybersecurity being one of the fastest-growing industries, a big chunk of the population -? e.g. women - that could fill the need for professionals in this field, is either unaware of the opportunities it offers or feel they lack the necessary skills. Such wrong assumptions further raise the barrier to offering the so-much-needed different kinds of skilled professionals.??

How to keep up with non-state hackers acting as digital proxies

These reflections will guide my participation in the conference organised on the occasion of the Munich Security Conference, Munich 14-16 February 2025, “Catch me if you can #CyberEdition: How to keep up with non-state hackers acting as digital proxies?” together with other professionals and a Delegation of G100.

Munich Security Conference, taking place every year in Bavaria, Germany, is the world's leading forum for debating the most pressing challenges to international security. Walking through the building of hte Hotel Bayerischer Hof, where the conference takes place,? you can easily spot the few women professionals attending.

??This meeting is a cooperation of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), Altstipendiaten der Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung e.V., Munich Security Conference, Amerikahaus and the Netzwerk Sicherheit of the ASeV. Because, as Priscilla Schelp, the motor behind the organisation of this even says, this combined team effort makes this possible! ??

This meeting opportunity has been organised by Priscilla and team,?Dinah Elisa Kreutz, Dr. Christian Bergmann, Dr. Eva Ziegler, Luisa Muth, @Ella-Maria Mengelkoch, and Michel Fahrland & Matthias Heinrich Dicks.

My presence and that of my colleagues at the side event “Catch me if you can #CyberEdition: How to keep up with non-state hackers acting as digital proxies”will allow us to focus on the technical aspects of proxies and non-state hackers as well as to assert that first and foremost cybersecurity is NOT gender-neutral and solutions shouldn’t be GENDER BLIND. In particular:

1. Cybersecurity & Leadership – The cybersecurity sector remains male-dominated, yet diverse leadership enhances strategic decision-making. Networking efforts should promote women’s inclusion in cyber policy discussions, fostering gender-equal representation in security and digital governance.
2. Gendered Impact of Cyber Warfare – Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure disproportionately affect women, particularly in healthcare and social services. While people are vulnerable to the leaking of private medical information via hacking, there are gendered risks of discrimination, stigmatisation, and violence to people who may become pregnant, if their reproductive history or related information is revealed by a data breach (only an example). Advocating for gender-sensitive cybersecurity policies ensures that digital security measures account for these vulnerabilities. We could talk about Online Harassment but we would need to write books on this topic!
3. Digital Proxies & Economic Inequality – Cyber conflicts often disrupt financial institutions, affecting economic stability. Women, already facing financial exclusion, are particularly vulnerable to economic fallout from digital attacks. Economic analyses of cybersecurity threats and risks shall include gender-sensitive accounts of labour, profit, and gross domestic product (GDP) and actively work to redress gendered inequities.
4. Multi-Stakeholder Approaches to Cybersecurity – Effective countermeasures against digital proxies require cooperation across sectors, including governments, businesses, and civil society. Strengthening networks that bridge cybersecurity experts with gender equality advocates ensures that policy responses are inclusive and equitable and represent effective solutions to the problems.

Cybersecurity is not just a technical challenge—it’s a strategic, economic, and gendered one. To build effective defenses against digital threats, we must embrace diverse leadership, inclusive policies, and gender-aware solutions that ensure security for all in an increasingly interconnected world.

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Do you want to know more? Some suggestions for your further reading:

Gendering Cyberwarfare: Towards a Feminist Approach to the Development of International Humanitarian Law Applicable to Cyber Operations

https://cebri.org/revista/en/artigo/104/gendering-cyberwarfare-towards-a-feminist-approach-to-the-development-of-international-humanitarian-law-applicable-to-cyber-operations

Gender Equality, Cyber Security, and Security Sector Governance, DCAF – Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance?

https://www.dcaf.ch/sites/default/files/publications/documents/Gender_Cybersecurity_report.pdf

Women To Hold 30 Percent Of Cybersecurity Jobs Globally By 2025, Cybercrime Magazine Women in Cybersecurity Report

Women Know Cyber: 100 Fascinating Females Fighting Cybercrime

https://www.amazon.com/Women-Know-Cyber-Fascinating-Cybercrime/dp/1733015701

2024 edition of Women Know Cyber, is an online directory format, featuring 150 cybersecurity experts from across the globe, with varying backgrounds, who stand out for protecting governments, businesses, and people from cybercrime — and for their contributions to the community. https://cybersecurityventures.com/women-in-cybersecurity-list/