Keleigh Berenger
I am a student pursuing an MSc in Information Security at the University of Surrey and have experience as a software engineer in startup environments. I am the President of our WiCyS (Women in CyberSecurity) student chapter and serve as a brand ambassador for the Surrey Cyber Cluster. Through these roles, I am passionate about promoting diversity and empowerment in cybersecurity while actively engaging with the local cybersecurity community. My background in software engineering and my current studies in information security enable me to bridge the gap between development and security, sharing my journey to inspire others to adopt a security mindset early in their careers.
Session
I began my career as a developer in fast-paced startup environments where the goal was clear: ship features fast and keep the business alive. Security? That was “someone else’s job.” Then, a blockchain project showed me how one small oversight could turn into a major flaw — and I couldn’t unsee it. Today, while studying infosec and volunteering to learn more, I’m building the skills to make security everyone’s responsibility. In this talk, I would like to share how my dev background shapes my security journey, the habits I wish I’d known earlier, and how secure thinking from day one changes everything.