The cybersecurity industry has long grappled with a significant representation gap, but a new documentary premiering at RSAC 2026 is working to change the conversation. In this interview from Broadcast Alley, Techstrong Group’s Jon Swartz speaks with Aarti Gadhia and Kristen Rank about The Women in Security, a film five years in the making and directed by Yvette Freeman.

Gadhia and Rank discuss the documentary’s central argument: that meaningful progress on diversity in cybersecurity requires more than hiring initiatives. It demands genuine allyship at every level of an organization. They describe what they call the broken rung of the corporate ladder, the point early in a career where women are most likely to lose momentum, not because of a lack of skill or ambition, but because of structural barriers that are rarely addressed head-on.

The conversation also explores a finding that may surprise some in the industry. Women are emerging as among the most aggressive adopters of artificial intelligence tools in the security space. Rather than being sidelined by automation, women in cybersecurity are actively leveraging AI to increase their effectiveness, close skills gaps and take on more strategic roles within their organizations.

Beyond the film itself, Gadhia and Rank talk about the broader culture shift that RSAC continues to represent. Events like the documentary premiere create space for conversations that go beyond product launches and threat briefings, pushing the industry to examine who is doing the work and how the profession can become more inclusive without sacrificing rigor. For anyone interested in where cybersecurity culture is headed, this is a conversation worth watching.