BlackGirlsHack Announces Partnership with The Diana Initiative to offer scholarships for Hacker Summer Camp

BlackGirlsHack (BGH) Foundation is excited to announce our partnership with The Diana Initiative (TDI) a diversity-driven conference committed to helping all underrepresented people in Information Security. The Diana Initiative is a conference that features multiple speaker tracks, villages with hands-on workshops, and a capture the flag event. BlackGirlsHack Foundation will be partnering with the Diana Initiative to provide scholarships to Def Con and the Diana Initiative conference in Las Vegas in August 2023. These scholarships will provide underrepresented people in information security with travel, hotel accommodations, and tickets to TDI and Def Con.

Last year, BGH provided 23 scholarships to help bring recipients to Las Vegas for hacker summer camp, a collection of cybersecurity conferences which include BlackHat USA, The Diana Initiative, BSides LV, and Def Con. Recipients were able to network, expand their knowledge, learn, and see cutting edge research, advances in technology and learn about the cybersecurity field.

This year, through its partnership with TDI, BGH hopes to bring another 20 people to Las Vegas to help increase diversity in cybersecurity and help them to see themselves in the industry. Donations for Hacker Summer Camp can be made by donating at dianainitiative.org/donate (Leave a comment that the donation is for Hacker Summer Camp) or at blackgirlshack.org/donate and select Def Con Travel Expense Donation.

BlackGirlsHack partners with CyberVista to provide members with Free Access to Foundation Level Courses

BlackGirlsHack (BGH Foundation) is excited to announce our partnership with CyberVista, a N2K Networks brand and cybersecurity training and workforce development company. BlackGirlsHack is continuing to build strategic partnerships to build out its training program and provide upskilling and reskilling to diverse groups trying to transition or pivot into Cybersecurity. With this partnership, CyberVista will provide BGH with free access to foundational cybersecurity training that can be used to supplement training initiatives with their current members.

BGH provides training and resources to encourage black girls and women to be engaged in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, which have historically had a poor representation of women and minorities. BGH’s focus is to improve access and representation of black girls and women in the cybersecurity industry and executive suites.

CyberVista aims to create a cyber-ready workforce through personalized training programs that provide organizations with the people, knowledge and skills required to defend their most critical assets. Areas of training include computers and networking, inventory management, secure deployment and configuration management, protect and defend, and investigate and analysis―from foundational to expert level.

CyberVista’s free courses that will be made available to BGH include:

  • Cybersecurity Matters: This material is designed to complement basic security awareness training and provide a deeper layer of understanding of fundamental cybersecurity lexicon. Designed for a non-technical audience, Cybersecurity Matters provides informative and relevant content in an engaging online environment. Learners will walk away with a foundation of cybersecurity knowledge on common cyber attacks and defensive techniques. Beyond basic awareness training and phishing simulations, this content helps learners understand the “hows” and “whys” of cybersecurity, and their role in keeping the organization secure.
  • Security Essentials for IT:  An online program designed to teach IT professionals the key foundational concepts of cybersecurity, the course includes video lessons, case studies, lab exercises, and interviews with an industry expert in IT security. Security Essentials for IT goes beyond general awareness training programs. The course addresses cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities related to protecting business data and maintaining enterprise systems while incorporating real-world examples and hands-on exercises to put theory into practice. As a result, the practitioner will be more knowledgeable on cybersecurity lexicon, common threats and attacks, and proper mitigation strategies.