Betta Lyon Delsordo: Leading the Next Generation of Ethical Hackers
Betta Lyon Delsordo, an ethical hacker, is breaking down outdated stereotypes in cybersecurity, showcasing the field as a smart, collaborative, and enjoyable realm. More than that, she’s mentoring the next generation of girls in tech, demonstrating that this industry can be both rewarding and fun.
Meet Betta Lyon Delsordo. Articulate, confident, outgoing, and a lover of the outdoors – not the usual profile for a hacker. You won’t find her in a dimly lit basement, scamming the elderly or trying to infiltrate NASA’s computer network. This 25-year-old from small-town Montana goes to her legitimate nine-to-five job with a smile on her face and a desire to make a difference.
Delsordo is not your typical hacker; she’s an ethical hacker. These are tech wizards employed to protect organizations (her employer is aptly named OnDefend) from cyber-attacks. As she puts it, “People hire me to hack them. I break into their systems, then teach them how to protect themselves.”
Given the growing cost of global cybercrime, which now runs into trillions of pounds every year, companies are lining up for her expertise. Delsordo’s career as an ethical hacker has seen her infiltrate the IT systems of numerous businesses, from social media platforms to regional banks. Her niche? Artificial intelligence (AI). She’s confident she can keep pace with attackers in the fast-evolving field of AI-powered hacking, thanks to her formal training (she holds a Master’s in Cybersecurity from Georgia Institute of Technology) and ongoing self-initiated exploration.
While Delsordo denies ever stepping over to the dark side, she acknowledges that lines in the hacking world can sometimes blur. She cites hacktivists, also known as ‘grey hackers’, who use their skills not for monetary gain but to make a political statement. Nonetheless, she emphasizes that her profession as an ethical hacker requires utmost integrity. Any unethical or illegal conduct would be career-ending.
Her journey into tech wasn’t an easy one. From learning to code via YouTube videos at 13, to battling the ‘tech is for boys’ stereotype, and even dealing with an extreme misogynist tutor at college, she has fought every step of the way. Even her parents weren’t entirely supportive at first, monitoring her internet usage closely on the family’s shared PC. Her interest in tech grew when she won an iPad Touch in a middle school competition and started exploring ways to hack it. This interest was further fueled at age 15 when she participated in the Technovation challenge, a program that encourages girls to design apps for causes they care about.
Now, Delsordo is keen to pave the way for other girls to follow in her footsteps. She mentors participants in the Technovation challenge and uses her social media platforms to point girls towards free coding resources. She believes a career in tech can empower women, stating, “Technology is power right now – it’s money, it’s influence. Those are all things that women in most societies lack.”
She advises girls interested in tech not to be dissuaded by the male-dominated industry or the misconception that breaking rules and things – considered ‘male tropes’ – are prerequisites for a career in tech. Instead, she emphasizes that ethical hacking can be enjoyable, likening it to solving puzzles. “Being an ethical hacker is a really amazing career because you get to help people,” she says. “And it’s also really cool because, you know, what’s cooler than being a hacker?”
