More Role Models in AppSec: How to Get It Right
Alexandra Charikova
BSidesSF 2026 · Day 1 · AMC Theatre 07
In a field often dominated by technical prowess and vulnerability management, Alexandra Charikova's talk, "More Role Models in AppSec: How to Get It Right," offers a compelling shift in perspective. Charikova, a Growth and Community Builder at the offensive security platform Escape and host of "The Elephant in AppSec" podcast, argues that the most challenging aspects of application security (AppSec) are not technical, but profoundly human. Drawing from extensive interviews with over 100 security leaders, she highlights a widespread consensus: "people problems" are the hardest to solve, often defying traditional engineering solutions.
AI review
A DEI-in-AppSec community talk that mistakes sociological observation for insight. The core thesis — people skills matter, diversity gaps are self-reinforcing, sponsorship beats mentorship — is well-worn enough that it could have been assembled from LinkedIn posts circa 2019. Nothing here required original research, novel data, or hard-won expertise.