AWS empowers global security culture at Wicked6 Cyber Games

Wicked6 Cyber Games 2025 brought hundreds of women together worldwide from March 28–30. This dynamic virtual competition, sponsored by HAQM Web Services (AWS), helped attendees tackle real-world cybersecurity challenges through e-sports experiences. With 72 hours of women talking about cybersecurity, 11 cybersecurity games, and an attack and defense tournament streamed live, the weekend-long event highlighted the value of immersive learning while investing in the next generation of cybersecurity leaders.

Now in its sixth year, Wicked6 has established itself as more than just a competition—it’s become a cornerstone in building a collaborative security community. The Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu, a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit that promotes training, mentoring, and advancement of women and girls in cybersecurity careers, has co-hosted the event since its inception. This year’s theme was leveling up, and the virtual format enabled unprecedented global participation with 31 speakers and over 500 participants of all skill levels from 48 countries.

Keynotes and sessions

The event kicked off with an upbeat introduction from Wicked6 emcee Kristin Demoranville, founder and CEO of AnzenSage, Jessica Gulick, Executive Director of Wicked6 and founder of Cyber Esports Foundation, and Mari Galloway, CEO of Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu. The trio emphasized the importance of programs such as Wicked6 that provide women with space and opportunities to learn and grow, strengthen our confidence, and celebrate each other’s contributions to the cybersecurity community.

Keynotes featuring speakers from Africa, Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the US resonated with the multinational participants. Topics ranged from hacking and protecting AI in the age of large language models (LLMs) to drawing inspiration from science fiction novels, with an eye toward boosting skills.

In his introduction to keynote speaker Anna Collard, SVP of Content Strategy and Evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa, Hart Rossman, Global Security Services Vice President at AWS, noted the positive impact of time invested by Wicked6 participants and supporters. He pointed out that the opportunity the event provides to build relationships and practice both soft skills and technical skills is a great example of what it means to build strong security culture.

“At AWS, we recognize that security is a team sport. It’s about building community and raising the bar together, so we can overcome determined adversaries and make all of our customers, colleagues, and communities safer.” —Hart Rossman, Global Security Services Vice President at AWS

Technical sessions included a presentation focused on safeguarding HAQM Simple Storage Service (HAQM S3) buckets by two AWS women in security, Customer Incident Response Team (CIRT) Responder Jennifer Paz and Worldwide Specialist Security Solutions Architect Shahna Campbell. Paz and Campbell detailed an unusual increase of data encryption events in S3 buckets that used an encryption method known as server-side encryption using client-provided keys (SSE-C). This activity, which was recently detected by the AWS CIRT team and its automated security monitoring systems, has been attributed to malicious actors who obtained valid customer credentials and were using them to re-encrypt objects. Paz and Campbell demonstrated how collective security awareness and best practices can help prevent unauthorized access to S3 buckets and protect against ransomware events that abuse stolen credentials. Details of their investigation and prescriptive guidance for helping to prevent unintended encryption of HAQM S3 objects are available in a related AWS Security Blog post.

Gamified learning

A security-focused AWS Jam was integrated into Wicked6 for a unique, gamified learning experience. With AWS Jam, individuals and teams compete to solve a series of technical challenges in a lab-based cloud infrastructure that enhances practical understanding of AWS services and best practices. Additionally, Wicked6 participants had access to 11 different cybergame services, including Hack The Box, Haiku, InspireTech, and MetaCTF, fostering a collaborative learning environment where security practitioners at all levels could grow together.

An AWS GameDay during the event also focused on enhancing cloud security skills. Led by AWS ProServe Security and AWS Support experts Jonas Buecker, Hicham Terkiba, and Makendran Gunasekaran, the games focused on network security (including network log inspections), identity and access management (IAM) policies, and using application security techniques and AWS Web Application Firewall (AWS WAF) to help prevent SQL injections. One participant enthusiastically commented, “This was an amazing opportunity to practice hands-on AWS security learning,” underscoring the unique value of the experience.

Investing in tomorrow’s security leaders

AWS partnered to donate event tickets to South Africa’s MiDO Academy, which aims to create pathways out of poverty and meaningful employment opportunities for young people, while alleviating the pressures felt by business owners to upskill and integrate new cybersecurity talent. Dale Simons, CEO of MiDO Academy said, “The sponsored tickets from AWS didn’t just provide access to training—they gave our students entry into a global security community. Our young women now see themselves as part of a larger security mission, understanding that their contributions to cybersecurity can have worldwide impact.”

By combining technical challenges with mentorship and collaboration, Wicked6 helped participants work together to upskill and address tomorrow’s challenges. Gulick highlighted the event’s impact, stating “Wicked6 2025 was a success. Each year, women from all over the world join us for speakers, games, and networking. By learning to play cybersecurity games, these women can leverage games to learn new tech skills throughout their careers.”

No matter your role—whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting your cybersecurity journey—continuous learning is key.

“It’s important as women and as cybersecurity professionals not to get comfortable with the status quo. Leveling up means stepping out of our comfort zones and doing things that scare us. Going to networking events, actively talking with people, connecting with people on LinkedIn, getting educated to improve skills, and putting ourselves out there. Wicked6 is the perfect place to do that this year and in the years to come!” —Mari Galloway, CEO of Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu

Pursuing the path to success

As cyber threats continue to evolve, AWS remains committed to strengthening global security culture through initiatives that promote active participation and partnership. This year’s Wicked6 Cyber Games exemplified how the security community can encourage and support future leaders with collaborative learning experiences and foster a more resilient and adaptable workforce.

For more information about AWS security culture, visit How AWS sustains a strong culture of security

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