What happens when getting hacked changes the direction of your career?
On this episode of The Flex Forward Podcast, Nic Espanet talks with Cecile Mengue about her unexpected journey into cybersecurity. Cecile did not grow up dreaming about computers or hacking. She studied criminal justice, planned to attend law school, and worked with juvenile court.
Then she became the victim of a cyberattack.
Instead of simply moving past the experience, Cecile wanted to understand how it happened. Her frustration became curiosity, and that curiosity eventually became a passion for cybersecurity.
Cecile went back to school, studied cybersecurity, and began building her skills through hands-on practice. She eventually worked with Fortune 500 companies, including serving as part of a hacking team at IBM.
Today, Cecile works in offensive security through CyberSeal. Her work involves thinking like an attacker and testing systems to uncover vulnerabilities before malicious hackers can find them.
Cecile and Nic also talk about what it was like to enter cybersecurity later than many of her peers. Cecile shares how she worked through the discomfort of being a beginner, practiced her skills, asked questions, and discovered a supportive cybersecurity community.
They also discuss ethical hacking, bug bounty programs, online privacy, continuous learning, and Cecile’s plans to share her knowledge as a cybersecurity speaker.
Cecile’s story is a reminder that an unexpected challenge can sometimes open the door to an entirely new path.
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