Meetup in Leipzig
๐๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐น๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ป๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐โฆ ๐ ๐ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ Security Meetup ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฝ๐๐ถ๐ด.
Itโs interesting how quickly a room can make you feel at home โ even when you werenโt sure you would.
Iโll be honest โ I wasnโt entirely sure if Iโd feel like I still belong in the room after just returning to events like this. So I brought my imposter syndrome as a โplus oneโ.
Only to soon hear myself say: ๐๐ง ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ญ๐บ ๐ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐บ ๐ฆ๐น๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ข๐ด๐ต ๐บ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ.
We started with more in-depth topics โ NIS2, EDR, increasing cyber warfare activity. Interesting, yes. But also the kind of conversation where that familiar question creeps back in:
๐๐ฎ ๐ ๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ญ๐ญ ๐ค๐ญ๐ฐ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ถ๐จ๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ข๐บ-๐ต๐ฐ-๐ฅ๐ข๐บ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ง๐ช๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฅ?
What I appreciated about the format became clear quite quickly. As the evening progressed, conversations shifted.
From tools and topics โ to experiences, anecdotes, and โlife in cyberโ โ to everything beyond work: music, mini motor cars, Mammutmarsch.
People moved seats, joined different discussions โ and suddenly it didnโt matter anymore where you came from: governance, pentesting, consulting, in-house security, or something entirely different. The mix in the room was what made the evening.
And something that genuinely stood out to me: there were quite a few women in the room โ which you still donโt take for granted in this field. That, too, made it feel different.
One analogy that stuck with me described hidden โU-Boot-Projekteโ: Itโs not about how many ships you see in the harbour โ but how many are below the surface. To really understand whatโs going on, youโd have to drain the harbour completely.
And then, right before I had to leave, I got pulled into a discussion on AI and pentesting. One of those moments where you can feel your own energy kick in while youโre still saying: โI really need to go, butโฆโ
โPandoraโs box is opening again,โ someone said. โThen weโll continue next time,โ came the reply.
That was probably the moment where the initial question of belonging had fully disappeared.
What stayed with me: Security doesnโt just live in frameworks, tools or certifications. It lives in moments like these โ and in the conversations around them.
Thank you to Vicky Sorge, Johannes Kresse and Marc Pelzl for creating this space in Leipzig โ and to everyone around the table for the open exchange.
Iโm glad I showed up. And Iโm looking forward to continuing a few of those conversations โ weโve only scratched the surface.