Recap WICCON 2025: Women Shaping the Future of Cybersecurity

On 30 and 31 October 2025, Haarlem hosted the third edition of WICCON: the cybersecurity conference that brings together women, minorities, and allies to share knowledge, break barriers, and shape the future of the field. The mission of WICCON is clear: to increase diversity within the security community and give greater visibility to experts who are too often overlooked. Security Delta (HSD) was proud endorsing partner of this edition of WICCON!

With 400 attendees and 27 female speakers from across Europe, WICCON 2025 once again proved that inclusion and excellence go hand in hand. Over two days, participants listened, debated, laughed, and learned about topics ranging from policy, pentesting, and forensics to human behaviour and the harsh realities of legacy systems.

Highlights

• Lilian Knippenberg offered a rare behind-the-scenes look at the security operations surrounding the NATO Summit 2025 in The Hague. How do you protect both a city and an international organisation during a global event? Her talk revealed the immense logistical and technological challenges of event security at that level.
• Marina Bochenkova took the audience back to the world of NTLM authentication and legacy systems. Her insights into phasing out outdated protocols highlighted why IT and security are still too often viewed as cost centres rather than essential business functions.
• Andreea Focsa explored the widening gap between compliance and true accountability in European cybersecurity legislation. Using examples from GDPR, NIS2, and DORA, she illustrated how regulation can both drive and hinder responsible behaviour
• Ankshita Maunthrooa led us on a forensic journey through an innocent-looking Flash game from her childhood. What began as nostalgia turned into a masterclass in malware analysis and reverse engineering
• Roos van Duijnhoven and Tünde van Hoek exposed why knowledge doesn’t always translate into behaviour. Despite years of awareness campaigns, 95% of cyber incidents still trace back to human action. Drawing on behavioural science, their session showed how more realistic models of decision-making can lead to more effective interventions
• Julia Freeman flipped the perspective by revealing what it’s like to manage a network at a pentesting company – where the “forbidden tools” are just part of the daily routine.

The conversations extended far beyond the conference halls, touching on careers, boundaries, collaboration, and the future of the profession. And that’s exactly what WICCON aims to achieve: a movement that makes cybersecurity more human, inclusive, and effective.

Additional information

Missed WICCON 2025, or want to relive some of the talks? All sessions will soon be available on their YouTube playlist!

Would you like to support WICCON as a sponsor or partner? Your contribution helps to give the next generation of security experts the platform they deserve. Also interested in speaking at WICCON 2026? WICCA is looking for new voices, fresh ideas, and inspiring stories. Find out more at wiccon.nl!