WiCyS | Executive Leaders Network
2025-09-18, 2025-09-24, 2025-10-16, 2025-10-22, 2025-11-20, 2025-11-26, 2025-12-18, 2025-12-24 and 3 more dates | Virtual
The Executive Leaders Network brings together top cybersecurity leaders to share insights, solve challenges, and build a trusted community of peers. In a field that is constantly changing and where leadership can often feel isolating, this network offers a space for open dialogue, collaborative problem-solving, and strategic support. It also helps identify and elevate mid-career professionals into senior roles, supporting our mission to strengthen and diversify leadership across the cybersecurity workforce.
Meeting Cadence: Monthly, Invite-Only
Please complete the form HERE only if you are a cybersecurity C-Suite, President, VP, or Director.

WiCyS Create Your Leading Edge Program
2025-09-18 13:00 - 14:30, 2025-09-25 13:00 - 14:30, 2025-10-02 13:00 - 14:30, 2025-10-09 13:00 - 14:30, 2025-10-16 13:00 - 14:30, 2025-10-23 13:00 - 14:30 UTC | Virtual
Create Your Leading Edge is a 12-week leadership development program designed for mid-level women in cybersecurity. It emphasizes cultivating authentic leadership, strategic career growth, and workplace confidence. Join us to advance your career on your own terms.

Upcoming schedule or accepted applicants only:

Launch webinar: July 24, 1-2 pm CT
August 7, 1-2:30 pm CT
August 14, 1-2:30 pm CT
August 21, 1-2:30 pm CT
August 28, 1-2:30 pm CT
September 4, 1-2:30 pm CT
September 11, 1-2:30 pm CT
September 18, 1-2:30 pm CT
September 25, 1-2:30 pm CT
October 2, 1-2:30 pm CT
October 9, 1-2:30 pm CT
October 16, 1-2:30 pm CT
October 23, 1-2:30 pm CT

Full details HERE

WiCyS | CyberSecurity Awareness Month 2025
2025-10-01 - 2025-10-31 | Virtual
In recognition of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) has developed a toolkit to share with our community. This toolkit includes free and effective tools that individuals can use to mobilize the community, raise cyber awareness and promote proper cyber hygiene to reduce cyber risk.
Since 2004, the President of the United States and Congress have declared October to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The goal of this month is to help individuals protect themselves online as threats to technology and confidential data become more commonplace. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) lead a collaborative effort between government and industry to raise cybersecurity awareness nationally and internationally.

Please view all of the resources and download the 2025 Toolkit HERE

WiCyS SANS Executive Cybersecurity Exercise Program (Virtual) | Invite Only
2025-10-01 11:00 - 13:00
About the SANS Executive Cybersecurity Exercise (Virtual):
This 90-minute virtual SANS Executive Cyber Exercise on October 1st at 11am CT will put 30 senior-level WiCyS members inside a simulated cyber event to help their organization understand what it takes to respond to a cyber incident from a strategic perspective. The simulated exercise will emphasize the importance of a well-practiced cyber crisis plan and the leadership skills required to deal with today’s threats. SANS facilitators will use real-world experience and industry best practices to expose areas for improvement in their crisis response plans within a safe environment.
Open to senior-level managers (Deputy CISO/CISO/CIO/VPs/Director of Infosec) who have industry professional, military, veterans, academic or nonprofit membership.
Key Learnings:

Ability to better assess organizational readiness for a business response to a cyber crisis.

Apply industry best practices in cybersecurity, organizational structure, and crisis communications.

Understand and plan for emerging trends in cybercrime.

Early Applications will open exclusively for the WiCyS Senior Leader Network on August 25th, 2025 and for WiCyS overall, applications will be available on the website starting on September 1st, 2025 to September 15th, 2025.
To learn more about the WiCyS SANS ECE and timeline click HERE
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the WiCyS Program Coordinator, Adaeze Udoh at adaeze@wicys.org. We look forward to your application!

WiCyS | FourOne Insights Survey Now Open
2025-10-13 - 2025-10-27 | Virtual
All WiCyS members are invited to participate in a survey—a collaboration between Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS) and FourOne Insights—to better understand how skills-based practices can support the advancement of women in cybersecurity. The results will be used to create a comprehensive report to be shared with the broader cybersecurity community. All responses are completely anonymous and will be shared only in aggregate. Your participation is voluntary, but highly valued.

Fill out your survey HERE

WiCyS October Book Club
2025-10-16 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World’s Most Wanted Hacker by Kevin Mitnick
In this “intriguing, insightful and extremely educational” novel, the world’s most famous hacker teaches you easy cloaking and counter-measures for citizens and consumers in the age of Big Brother and Big Data (Frank W. Abagnale).
Kevin Mitnick was the most elusive computer break-in artist in history. He accessed computers and networks at the world’s biggest companies — and no matter how fast the authorities were, Mitnick was faster, sprinting through phone switches, computer systems, and cellular networks. As the FBI’s net finally began to tighten, Mitnick went on the run, engaging in an increasingly sophisticated game of hide-and-seek that escalated through false identities, a host of cities, and plenty of close shaves, to an ultimate showdown with the Feds, who would stop at nothing to bring him down.
Ghost in the Wires is a thrilling true story of intrigue, suspense, and unbelievable escapes — and a portrait of a visionary who forced the authorities to rethink the way they pursued him, and forced companies to rethink the way they protect their most sensitive information.
“Mitnick manages to make breaking computer code sound as action-packed as robbing a bank.” — NPR
Register HERE

WiCyS | Amazon x HackerOne "Together We Hack" Capture the Flag (CTF)
2025-10-20 08:00 - 2025-10-21 17:00 | Amazon HQ2, Arlington, VA, United States
Join us for “Together We Hack,” an exciting Capture the Flag (CTF) challenge co-hosted by Amazon, HackerOne, and Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS). Open to both experienced professionals and cybersecurity enthusiasts, this event provides skill-building opportunities, industry networking, and career development through keynote presentations and engaging challenges. WiCyS Founder Ambareen Siraj will be kicking off the event on-site at Amazon HQ2!
The two-day in-person ONLY event will be held October 20-21 at Amazon’s HQ2 in Arlington, Virginia. The challenge categories may include AI, web, pwn, and networking. While participation is individual, collaboration is permitted.
There will be 130 attendees, with a goal of attracting mid-level career professionals (2+ years of post-graduate industry experience preferred).
Please apply HERE and view details, requirements and timeline

WiCyS | Aspiring Professional Mentorship Program Applications NOW Open
2025-12-01 - 2025-12-17 | Virtual
The WiCyS Aspiring Professional Mentorship Program connects undergraduate WiCyS student members with experienced mentors across the cybersecurity industry. This 4-month group-based mentorship experience helps students build core career readiness skills while engaging in a supportive, empowering community.
Based on NACE Career Readiness Competencies, the curriculum equips aspiring professionals with the skills, tools, and mentorship needed to confidently enter the workforce and thrive. We will be accepting 300 undergraduate mentees and 100 mentors of all levels. Application acceptance will be based upon date of submission and mentor availability.

2025-2026 Professional Mentorship Program Timeline

December 1, 2025: Applications Open at 8 am CT
Mentees: Open to active WiCyS Student Members – (undergraduate level, including international students)
Mentors: Open to any active WiCyS Member (with at least one year of full-time professional workforce experience) passionate about guiding the next generation of cyber talent
December 17, 2025: Applications Close at 5 pm CT (unless max capacity reached before)
December 22, 2025: Acceptance status notifications sent to Mentors/Mentees
January 6, 2026: Deadline to complete Together registration
January 27, 2026: Mentor Launch at 11 am CT (this will be recorded and shared)
January 27, 2026: Mentee Launch at 1 pm CT (this will be recorded and shared)
January 29, 2026: Group Announcement Emails Sent with Cohort Details by EOD
February 2, 2026 – May 29, 2026: Program Runs (~16 weeks)

Thanks to the generous support of WiCyS’ strategic partner, Google! More information and apply HERE

WiCyS Talent Assessment Powered by Skillrex
2025-12-01 - 2025-12-31 | Virtual
WiCyS and skillrex have partnered to launch the WiCyS Talent Assessment, a vital research tool designed to better understand the background, skills, and professional development needs of our members. This is not a test or a certification exam, and no prerequisite knowledge is required. By participating between December 1 and December 31, 2025, you’ll help identify current skill trends within the WiCyS community. The assessment is completed fully online, takes approximately 60 minutes (with the ability to take breaks between tasks), and requires a laptop or desktop computer for the best experience. As a participant, you’ll receive a personal report with your score from a knowledge-based quiz aligned with industry standards (like NIST-NICE), giving you a clear understanding of your areas of expertise and potential skill gaps. All responses are securely stored by skillrex, and only anonymized data will be shared with WiCyS leadership.

Learn more and participate in the assessment HERE

Cyber Quest Tournament by WiCyS & SANS Cyber Ranges | Applications Open until December 22
2025-12-02 08:00 - 2025-12-22 23:00 | Virtual
Cyber Quest Tournament 2026 | Powered by WiCyS & SANS Cyber Ranges
Experience the ultimate tournament event with SANS Skills Quest by NetWars, the latest SANS Cyber Ranges cybersecurity hands-on training solution, designed to enhance and validate skills for all cybersecurity roles and levels. Practice existing techniques, develop new tactics, and gain experience in a safe, isolated environment with realistic, replicated networks and systems. The SANS Skills Quest by NetWars features scenarios continuously updated to reflect the latest threat landscape, ensuring learners engage with current and practical challenges.
This 3-day event will be virtual ONLY from January 20-22, 2026.
The challenge categories may include SIEM/ELK threat hunting, Cyber Threat Intelligence, Python Coding Essentials, Linux Fundamentals, PowerShell Fundamentals, Social Engineering, Regular Expressions, Firewall Fundamentals, Network Scanning and Enumeration. While participation is individual, collaboration is permitted.
The cyber range is hosted on the ranges.io platform and will remain open for 60 hours!
This is available to: WiCyS Members with 1- 2 years of post graduate industry experience in early career level and 300 WiCyS members will be selected to participate after the application process
Applications open Dec. 2 – Dec. 22. Please apply HERE and view details, requirements and timeline

WiCyS December Book Club
2025-12-04 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Book: Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick-
Something new entered our world in November 2022 — the first general purpose AI that could pass for a human and do the kinds of creative, innovative work that only humans could do previously. Wharton professor Ethan Mollick immediately understood what ChatGPT meant: after millions of years on our own, humans had developed a kind of co-intelligence that could augment, or even replace, human thinking. Through his writing, speaking, and teaching, Mollick has become one of the most prominent and provocative explainers of AI, focusing on the practical aspects of how these new tools for thought can transform our world.
In Co-Intelligence, Mollick urges us to engage with AI as co-worker, co-teacher, and coach. He assesses its profound impact on business and education, using dozens of real-time examples of AI in action. Co-Intelligence shows what it means to think and work together with smart machines, and why it’s imperative that we master that skill.
Mollick challenges us to utilize AI’s enormous power without losing our identity, to learn from it without being misled, and to harness its gifts to create a better human future. Wide ranging, hugely thought-provoking, optimistic, and lucid, Co-Intelligence reveals the promise and power of this new era.
Register HERE

Webinar | WiCyS AI Accelerator Program Launch
2026-01-15 13:00 - 14:00 | BrightTALK
Join us on January 15 at 1 pm CT to discover how the WiCyS AI Security Accelerator Program is bridging the critical gap between traditional cybersecurity and the frontier of Artificial Intelligence. Designed for mid-career professionals (3–10 years of experience) living or working in Maryland, this strategic initiative offers hands-on training, technical mentorship, and a pathway to prestigious GIAC/GMLE certifications to combat sophisticated, AI-powered threats.
Learn how you can secure one of 20 exclusive spots to gain the industry’s most in-demand skills, attend the WiCyS 2026 Conference, and position yourself as an indispensable leader in a rapidly evolving hiring market.

Register for this webinar and view the recording if you are unable to join live.

WiCyS Decoding Dialogue | Networking for Introverts Applications Open
2026-01-26 - 2026-02-06 | Virtual
Networking does not have to mean working the room or forcing yourself to be someone you are not. This interactive session is designed to help early-career professionals build meaningful professional connections in a way that feels authentic, grounded, and sustainable.

Participants will learn practical tools to start conversations with ease, navigate networking environments with confidence, and shift their mindset from self-promotion to curiosity and generosity. Through guided exercises and real-world scenarios, attendees will walk away feeling more prepared to connect with others at conferences, events, and professional gatherings, while staying true to themselves.

Open to: Early-career WiCyS members

Session date: February 24, 2026, 1:00 to 2:00 pm CT
Learn more and apply on our website

WiCyS | SANS Executive Cybersecurity Exercise at RSAC 2026 Applications NOW Open
2026-01-29 - 2026-02-26 | Virtual
About the SANS Executive Cybersecurity Exercise at RSAC Conference 2026:
This 90-minute SANS Executive Cyber Exercise will put you inside a simulated cyber event to help your organization understand what it takes to respond to a cyber incident from a strategic perspective. The simulated exercise will emphasize the importance of a well-practiced cyber crisis plan and the leadership skills required to deal with today’s threats. SANS facilitators will use real-world experience and industry best practices to expose areas for improvement in their crisis response plans within a safe environment.
Date:
This SANS ECE at RSAC Conference 2026 will be held in-person on March 23rd, 1 – 3pm PST in San Francisco. Location details will be provided to accepted participants.
Requirements:
Open to Senior-level Managers – Deputy CISO/CISO/CIO/VPs who support WiCyS’s mission to recruit, retain, and advance women in cybersecurity.
Registered to attend the in-person RSAC 2026 Conference. Please note participants are responsible for their own travel and accommodations as this is not covered by WiCyS or SANS.
Key Learnings:

Ability to better assess organizational readiness for a business response to a cyber crisis.

Apply industry best practices in cybersecurity, organizational structure, and crisis communications.

Understand and plan for emerging trends in cybercrime.

Applications are open from January 29, 2026 to February 26, 2026.
To learn more about the WiCyS SANS ECE at RSAC Conference 2026 and timeline click HERE
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the WiCyS Program Coordinator, Adaeze Udoh at adaeze@wicys.org. We look forward to your application!

WiCyS February Book Club
2026-02-12 13:00 - 14:00 | Virtual
Book: Co-Intelligence – Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy by Cathy O’Neil
Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O’Neil explores how big data and algorithms, often seen as objective and fair, can actually reinforce inequality and harm society.
O’Neil argues that many of the mathematical models used to make important decisions—such as who gets hired, approved for loans, targeted by police, or evaluated as a teacher—are opaque, unregulated, and built on flawed assumptions. Because these systems operate at massive scale and are difficult to challenge, their mistakes disproportionately affect poor and marginalized communities while benefiting those already in power.
Through real-world examples, the book shows how bias can be hidden behind numbers and labels like “efficiency” or “neutrality,” ultimately threatening fairness and democracy. O’Neil calls for greater transparency, accountability, and ethical responsibility in how data-driven systems are designed and used.
Register HERE
