On February 3, the Strauss Center hosted Keren Elazari for a virtual talk on “Hacker Culture Around the World” as part of Strauss’ speaker series titled “Tales from the Cybersecurity Front,” aimed at sharing stories from the cyber world. The talk was moderated by Wendy Nather, Strauss Senior Cybersecurity Fellow. Their conversation covered the evolution of the relationship between hackers and national governments from the ’70s and ’80s through the ’90s and how it works today. They also discussed the implications for cybersecurity policy.
Nather kicked off the conversation by asking Elazari to describe how her journey as a hacker started. Elazari began hacking at a young age with computer games at her school’s library in Israel. She indicated that the 1995 movie Hackers sparked her interest in hacking because of how the movie’s characters and choices captured the hacker ethic. Her formal career as a hacker began when she entered the Israeli military, a requirement for all young men and women in her native Israel. When Elazari approached an officer and expressed her passion for hacking and cybersecurity, she was assigned to a specialized military unit where she developed her skills in the security context. Even though there were few hackers in the military during Elazari’s service, the Israeli military now has an extensive hacker pipeline. This military pipeline, according to Elazari, has reduced the counterculture aspect that used to be relevant in the hacker community. Nonetheless, she made it clear that the hacker community remains vibrant.
Elazari also explained how businesses, organizations, and governments now collaborate with helpful hackers by creating bug bounty programs and other initiatives. Elazari noted that cybersecurity should remain an accessible field and that hackers should directly influence policy. She concluded her remarks by saying that hackers should be considered the internet’s immune system.
Biography
Keren Elazari is an internationally recognized cyber security analyst, author, and researcher with more than 20 years of experience in the cyber security field. Keren covers emerging security technologies and trends as an independent strategic advisor, working with leading technology providers, government agencies, innovative start-ups, and Fortune 500 companies. In 2014, Keren became the first Israeli woman to speak at the prestigious TED Conference. Keren’s talk has been viewed by millions, translated to 30 languages, chosen for TED’s ‘Most Powerful Ideas’ and is one of TED’s most watched talks on the topic of cyber security and hacking. Keren holds a CISSP certification and a master’s degree in security studies. Keren is a faculty member of Reichman University and a senior researcher at the Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center at Tel Aviv University. Keren is the founder of Israel’s largest security research community, BSidesTLV, and the founder of the Leading Cyber Ladies, a global professional network for Women in Cyber Security.