2025-12-13 –, Rookie Track 1
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.
In startups, speed is survival — deliver features, win customers, secure funding. As a developer, that environment sharpened my technical skills fast, but also taught me an uncomfortable truth: speed often leaves security behind. From weak physical safeguards to missing product checks, I saw vulnerabilities everywhere.
The wake-up call came during a blockchain project, when a seemingly small oversight could have caused massive damage. That moment sparked a new passion: security. I began studying infosec formally and volunteering to gain real-world experience, determined to understand how to protect what we build.
This talk is my journey from “ship it now” to “secure it first.” I’ll share the cultural and technical lessons from moving between development and security, show how my dev skills help me thrive in cyberspace, and give practical steps for integrating simple security habits into your daily workflow. Whether you’re a dev, a student, or a newcomer to infosec, you’ll see how early secure thinking pays off in fewer risks, lower costs, and stronger products.
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.