On the 115th International Women’s Day, experts shed light on two sides of a digital reality: growing cyber threats specifically against women – and the tough fight for equality in the tech industry.
International Women’s Day celebrated its 115th anniversary this year – and the anniversary coincided with a time when new technologies are shaping women’s lives in two ways: as a threat online and as an opportunity in the job market.
Across Europe, the number of documented cyberattacks against women is on the rise. Cyberstalking, harassment, technology-enabled threats – these are no longer marginal phenomena. The figures from the Federal Criminal Police Office speak for themselves: in 61.2 percent of documented cases of digital violence in Germany, the victims are female. Cyber grooming, stalking, and the misuse of compromising images are particular areas of focus.
Cybercriminals generally search opportunistically for exposed targets – rather than specific demographic groups. Nevertheless, official police reports suggest that women are disproportionately affected by certain crimes: especially in connection with relationship conflicts, due to their public visibility, or through image-based sexualized violence. Perpetrators often threaten to publish intimate images – even if such recordings did not originally exist.
AI as an accelerant: the deepfake danger
What makes the situation particularly serious for women is the rapid development of AI tools. They have massively lowered the barriers to identity theft, image and sound manipulation, and emotional fraud. So-called deepfakes represent a turning point: they combine emotional manipulation with supposed authenticity. Technically, this is no longer a problem – a short video clip or a publicly available selfie is sufficient as training material.
So-called “nudify apps” are particularly insidious: these tools can generate explicit images from ordinary photos. This gives perpetrators material for coercion or blackmail, even if no intimate images originally existed. Deepfakes can be used for everything from classic grandparent scams with cloned voices to reputation attacks through manipulated videos and identity theft in the workplace.
If you want to recognize deepfakes, you should look for specific clues: asynchronous lip movements, an emotional tone of voice that does not match the facial expression, unnatural blinking, blurred edges on hair or the jaw area, inconsistent lighting, and a robotic-sounding speech rhythm. Errors in small details—earrings, teeth, moving background objects—can also be clues.
What should you do if your face appears in an AI video without your consent?
Immediately secure evidence (screenshots, URLs, timestamps), report the content to the platform under “identity theft” or “abuse,” and contact specialized take-down services. Important: do not contact the attacker, change all passwords, and enable multi-factor authentication. Briefly inform close contacts to limit damage to your reputation – and report the incident to the police immediately. In the case of explicit content, this may be punishable as blackmail or image-based abuse.
The other side: women in the tech industry
While digital threats to women are on the rise, their presence in the industry that is supposed to develop solutions to combat them remains alarmingly low. Although women make up more than 40 percent of the global workforce, they occupy less than 30 percent of leadership positions – and in STEM fields, this figure drops to around 14 percent. More than 50 percent of women leave the tech industry in the middle of their careers, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2023.
Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategist and CISO Advisor Knowbe4, clearly identifies the causes: „Women don’t leave the tech industry because they can’t keep up with men. They leave because they still live in a society that expects women to take on the majority of unpaid care work.“ Globally, women spend on average three times more time than men on care work—if this work were remunerated, it would account for nine percent of global GDP, according to the WEF study.
Melissa Bischoping, Senior Director of Security & Product Design Research Tanium, sees progress in the industry – but culture, not politics, remains the real obstacle: “It’s not enough to bring more women into the tech industry; we also need to support and retain the talent we already have.” Too many are still held back by prejudice, outdated expectations, and an environment that rewards constant availability.
Voices from the field: courage, curiosity, attitude
Viktoria Müller, IAM Consultant NEXIS, describes her path into IT as one that required courage – but was worth it: “When I decided to go into IT, I was often one of the few women in the room. But that’s exactly where the opportunity lies: IT thrives on diversity of perspectives. It needs analytical thinkers, creative problem solvers, team players, visionaries.” IT is no longer just about programming, but also communication, strategic thinking, and innovative strength.
Olivia Sherlock-Lynn, Team Lead Data Analysis & Visualization Infinigate, adds: In IT, no one knows everything – success comes from adaptability and continuous learning. “The moment you stop wondering if you belong and instead focus on the value you bring, things change.” You don’t have to be the loudest voice in the room to make a difference.
Carmen Honacker, Fraud Consultant Risk Ident, with nearly 20 years of experience in fraud prevention, calls diversity a real competitive advantage: “The best decisions are made where different voices are not only heard but actively amplified.” Lakshmi Hanspal, Chief Trust Officer digicert, sums up her guiding principle under this year’s IWD motto “Give to Gain”: Inclusion should not be a mere guideline on paper, but must be felt in every room, every conversation, and every opportunity that arises.
AI as an opportunity – when used correctly
Ironically, AI – the technology that makes deepfakes possible in the first place – could also be part of the solution. Melissa Bischoping is convinced that, used correctly, AI can reduce burnout and contribute to greater equality, especially for career changers and women returning to work after taking time off to care for others. She herself only entered the tech industry at the age of 30: “Innovations like AI accelerate my learning and boost my self-confidence.”
Diana Jouard, Group Product Manager Ping Identity, sees emerging areas such as decentralized identities and AI agents as requiring a strong mix of technical knowledge and people-centered skills – exactly the combination that women often bring to the table. Her advice: don’t shy away from challenging projects. “These are often the moments when real growth takes place and self-confidence is built.”
The robotics industry is also weighing in: “In the rapidly growing field of robotics, women’s contributions play a crucial role,” emphasizes Dr. Susanne Bieller, Secretary General of the International Federation of Robotics. Mixed teams are indispensable for the development of unbiased AI technology – especially for new fields of application in care or for private customers.
Conclusion: Digital resilience requires equality
Brooke Motta, co-founder and CEO of RAD Security, sums it up: “Advances in cybersecurity are inextricably linked to advances in representation and equality.” Women who develop, sell, use, and defend technologies today are not exceptions – they are the future of the industry. “They deserve not only a seat at the table, but also meaningful opportunities, budgets, and trust.”
This year’s International Women’s Day reminds us of two things: First, that women’s personal safety in the digital space is not a niche issue, but a social responsibility. Second, that an industry that wants to recruit and retain more women must seriously address the structural causes of their departure. Knowledge about attack methods, signs of manipulation, and concrete courses of action are just as important as a cultural shift in companies that doesn’t limit inclusion to glossy brochures.
Stacey Forman, Head of HR Systems at an international tech company, sums it up: “You don’t have to be a techie to have a career in the technology industry—the industry urgently needs more representation from a diverse range of people, especially women, in order to develop high-quality, inclusive, and human-centered products.” An invitation that sounds more urgent than ever after March 8, 2026.
