The Soul of the Hacker!
Vicky Ray, Founder and CEO of RayvenX, recently delivered a powerful keynote session titled "The Soul of the Hacker" at VULNCON 2025. Drawing on nearly two decades in the cybersecurity space, including a decade focused on intelligence with Unit 42, Ray addressed the most pressing challenges facing the industry —from anxiety over AI disruption to the pervasive issue of impostor syndrome — and provided a framework for success rooted in the genuine hacker ethos.
Addressing Anxiety and the AI Disruption
Ray acknowledged the current atmosphere of anxiety and disruption, noting the widespread "hoo-ha on AI and AI taking a lot of jobs". He stressed that this disruption is inevitable, as AI is already eliminating jobs, even among highly skilled professionals in major cybersecurity companies. While adaptation is crucial, Ray suggested that individuals must evolve with time to avoid difficulties.
Beyond technological disruption, the industry faces internal challenges, notably imposter syndrome. Ray observed that many people, even those he admired, struggle with feeling "not good enough". He shared a compelling anecdote from his 2023 Black Hat US talk, where a founder who had successfully exited companies and had been speaking at Black Hat and DEF CON for 11 years admitted to having imposter syndrome. This anxiety is often exacerbated by social media, which places too much emphasis on "the numbers" — such as the number of vulnerabilities discovered or follower counts —while seeking constant acknowledgment and validation.
Finding Purpose Through Ikigai
To combat these pressures, Ray introduced a concept that helped him and others: Ikigai. This framework, originating in Japan, is represented as a Venn diagram where four elements merge to define one's purpose:
- What do you love?
- What does the world need?
- What do you get paid for?
- Where are you good at?
Ray emphasized that finding your Ikigai is essential, and it is not always just about money. Ultimately, the goal is about what one can do for society. He stated that the most important element that keeps everything together is purpose; without it, everything falls apart.
Defining the True Hacker Ethos
The core of Ray’s message focused on cultivating the hacker ethos. The genuine mindset that drives positive change includes:
- Curiosity: The initial drive to learn and explore.
- Creativity: Essential for doing something unique.
- Challenging the Status Quo: The willingness to challenge ineffective industry practices and societal norms to make things better.
- Adaptability: Having the mindset to adapt in the current disruptive situation, especially regarding AI.
- Depth of Knowledge: The necessary expertise and specialized understanding required to succeed within the industry
- Purpose: The core element that keeps everything together, enabling a purposeful life and career; without it, everything falls apart, regardless of the tools used
- Relentlessness: Being purposeful and relentless is crucial for success, regardless of one's current skill level. Ray noted that successful bad guys are often successful simply because they are relentless.
Ray strongly rejected the media-driven stereotype of a hacker as a male character in a hoodie, in a dark scene, doing "bad nasty stuff". He emphasized the need for a more inclusive narrative, particularly to bring more women into the industry. He shared that some of the world's smartest hackers are women he knows personally, and he hopes to change the narrative to prevent smartness from going to waste.
The Path to Defensive Hacking and Global Collaboration
Ray shared details about his own start in the field, which began when he was curious in his teens (around 15 or 16). Growing up in Shillong, Northeast India, he came across an article titled "Catching Computer Crooks" in an old Popular Mechanics magazine. Since internet access was rare (only starting around 1999/2000 through cyber cafes), he spent all his pocket money reading. Early learning resources included the online hacker magazine Phrack and taking printouts of RFCs.
His inspiration included the hacker who open-sourced Nmap in 1997. Ray initially wanted to be a vulnerability researcher (bug bounty hunting is huge in India). However, he eventually took the "blue pill" and accepted a role as an analyst in a Security Operations Center (SOC). He became hooked on using his offensive knowledge to detect and defend against real-world adversaries. He clarified that while offensive skills are important (the "red pill"), both offensive security teams and red teams typically fall under the broader cyber defense umbrella.
Ray highlighted the power of collaboration through his involvement with the nonprofit HoneyNet Project around 2007/2008. Attending their global conference in Paris was pivotal, as he felt he had finally met "my type of people"—introverts who connected over innovating and "hacking code".
In his own research, Ray demonstrated the power of challenging the status quo by data science techniques unknown malware families. Kerrdown cluster, which is now recognized on the MITRE ATT&CK website. An interesting insight from this research was that the bad guys, like most workers, operate predominantly from 9 to 6, Monday to Friday (getting "lazy" on Fridays). However, they changed their pattern after his findings were published. This research was later utilized by Amnesty International to identify that the threat actor was targeting activists.
Ray also championed the concept of global collaboration with law enforcement, challenging the common industry bias that working with these agencies is a "waste of time". He emphasized that security professionals have the skills and resources that law enforcement lacks, and collaboration is necessary because "you can't actually go and bang on the bad guy's door" yourself.
Looking Ahead: Weaponizing AI for Good
Concluding his session, Ray reiterated that AI will not take away jobs if professionals maintain the hacker mindset and are purposeful. He suggested that we must utilize AI for the same purpose—to achieve our mission and goals. While acknowledging that AI tools are not yet perfect (demonstrating an AI-generated image with the phrase "Two purposes" repeated), he stressed that humans must remain the final loop to ensure relevance and accuracy.
Ray views hackers as the people who protect and defend the internet against malicious actors.
He closed with the critical reminder: "Be purposeful".