The Cyber Cowgirl™ Blog
Welcome to The Cyber Cowgirl™ Blog - Hannah’s archived collection of early morning thoughts related to cyber, defense, entrepreneurship, and professional development.
Join Hannah on this journey of discovery and discussion as we navigate the Digital Wild West together!
Losing the Human in the Loop
Artificial intelligence was supposed to eliminate tedious work, improve customer service, and make our lives easier. Instead, many organizations have delegated not only routine tasks, but responsibility itself, to systems that no one fully understands or feels accountable for when they fail. From healthcare and education to retail and customer service, we've begun replacing human ownership with automated workflows, often leaving people frustrated and important problems unresolved. Technology should amplify human capability, not eliminate human responsibility.
AI in Action: Conversations on Artificial Intelligence, Democracy, and National Security
Over the past several months, I've had the privilege of interviewing some of the nation's leading experts on artificial intelligence, national security, democracy, and emerging technology. “AI in Action” brings those conversations together in one series, offering thoughtful perspectives on one of the most consequential technologies of our lifetime. Listen online!
How AI is Threatening Our Democracy
Hannah Becker was recently published by the McCain Institute with her article, "How AI Is Threatening Democracy," which examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping the information environment and amplifying challenges facing democratic societies. The article explores how AI can accelerate disinformation, erode public trust, enable increasingly sophisticated foreign influence operations, and complicate citizens' ability to distinguish authentic content from AI-generated deception. Becker also highlights the importance of AI literacy, responsible governance, and collaborative efforts across government, industry, and academia to ensure AI strengthens, rather than undermines, democratic institutions.
Is AI Creating an Anti-Human Future?
Artificial intelligence is making our lives faster, smarter, and more efficient. But what happens when we begin outsourcing not just our work, but our thinking? This month, I reflect on parenthood, the AI revolution, and why preparing for the future means teaching the next generation how to be fully human.
The Echoes of War That Would Be Nice to Forget
When casualty reports began dominating the headlines again, I found myself craving Marlboro Reds for the first time in years. I thought I had left those habits, and the memories tied to them, somewhere in the middle of the Global War on Terror. But for many in the military community, war never truly stays in the past. It lives in hospital waiting rooms, missed holidays, folded flags, and the people who quietly show up when everything falls apart. This reflection explores the hidden costs of war, the burdens carried by military families, and the veterans who help the next generation endure what they once survived themselves. In times of conflict, old wounds have a way of reminding us who we are, and what we owe each other.
What is Real in the Age of AI?
As artificial intelligence reshapes how we communicate, work, and consume information, a deeper question is emerging: what can we still trust—and what actually feels real? Drawing from firsthand experience working in AI, this piece explores how digital convenience is eroding presence, distorting connection, and forcing a more deliberate return to the physical world. In an era where almost anything can be generated, the most meaningful parts of life may be the ones that cannot.
The Intelligence Cycle Was Built for a Slower World
The intelligence cycle was designed for a slower, more predictable world. Today’s threat landscape moves at digital speed, shaped by cyber operations, artificial intelligence, and real-time information flows that challenge traditional intelligence processes. Linear, Cold War–era models struggle to keep pace with adversaries who adapt quickly and operate without bureaucratic constraints. To remain effective, intelligence organizations must evolve toward more agile, non-linear approaches that prioritize speed, integration, and anticipatory analysis over rigid sequencing.
AI and the Worst Day of Your Life
AI can write faster than we can, analyze vast amounts of data, and automate countless tasks across our professional and personal lives. As the technology advances, many people understandably worry about how it will reshape the future of work and society. But when you think back to the worst day of your life, the thing that made the difference was never technology. It was another human being—someone who showed up, listened, encouraged you, or simply sat beside you when the burden felt too heavy to carry alone. In the moments that matter most, it is our humanity—not our technology—that defines us.
AFCEA White Paper Published: A Career Development Roadmap for the Next Generation of Cyber Leaders
Cybersecurity is about more than technical expertise. As technology and the threat landscape continue to evolve, developing the next generation of cyber leaders has never been more important. My latest AFCEA International Cyber Committee white paper provides a practical roadmap for building the leadership, strategic thinking, and professional skills needed to thrive in today's cyber workforce.
Why Cyberwarfare Needs to Be on Your Radar
Cyberwarfare is no longer confined to military networks or classified facilities. It operates continuously below the threshold of traditional conflict, targeting civilian infrastructure, institutions, and public trust with little warning or attribution. Unlike past wars, there is no clear front line and no option for most civilians to remain disengaged. In a hyperconnected world, participation in the digital economy makes everyone a stakeholder in national cyber resilience.
AFCEA White Paper Published: The Evolving State of Cyberwarfare
Cyberwarfare is reshaping modern conflict far beyond the traditional battlefield. My latest AFCEA International Cyber Committee white paper examines the technologies, strategies, and emerging threats defining today's cyber domain while exploring what the next decade may hold for national security, critical infrastructure, and society. The paper is now available through the AFCEA Resource Library.
What Does Our Digital Future Hold?
What does our digital future hold? Less depends on prediction than we’d like to believe—and far more depends on responsibility. As technology reshapes how we work, connect, and make decisions, the real question is whether we will lead through the uncertainty or surrender to it.
Information Warfare and Your Social Media Activity
Social media is no longer just a place to share photos and stay connected. Every post, like, and location tag contributes to a digital footprint that can be analyzed, exploited, and weaponized in today’s information battlespace. This post explores how everyday social media activity feeds intelligence collection and influence operations, often without users realizing it. Understanding these risks and adopting simple security habits can help individuals protect themselves, their families, and their communities in an increasingly contested digital environment.
Rethinking intelligence in an information-saturated world
Intelligence work no longer suffers from a lack of information, but from an overabundance of it. The digital age has made vast quantities of data readily accessible, promising faster and safer intelligence collection while introducing new analytical and operational challenges. Access alone does not guarantee insight, and more information does not necessarily produce better intelligence. In an environment defined by speed, scale, and saturation, the real advantage lies in the ability to filter, contextualize, and act on information effectively.
Cyber vs. Traditional Warfighting Domain Debate
Cyber warfare is often framed as a challenge to traditional military power, but this debate misses a more critical reality. Cyber does not replace land, sea, air, or space operations; it reshapes how conflict unfolds across all of them. As a human-made domain defined by speed, attribution ambiguity, and global reach, cyberspace demands new ways of thinking about maneuver, intelligence, and decision making. Understanding how cyber integrates with traditional warfighting domains is now essential for military leaders and intelligence professionals operating in an increasingly complex battlespace.
Wrangling Emerging Technologies
Emerging technologies hold enormous promise, but—much like the powerful livestock on my Pop’s Mississippi farm—they demand respect, training, and a clear understanding of the risks they carry. Just as I learned to manage animals far stronger than myself with situational awareness and disciplined skill, today’s digital tools require thoughtful stewardship to prevent serious harm. The lesson is timeless: capability without caution is dangerous, and those who master the responsible use of new technologies will be best positioned to thrive in an unpredictable world.
The Evolving Role of Cyber Intelligence in National Security
Cyber intelligence is the unseen backbone of modern national security. From detecting online threats to protecting critical infrastructure, it provides early warning and digital defense in a connected world. As technology accelerates, balancing innovation, privacy, and protection has never been more vital.
Challenging the Way You Think
Curiosity used to drive us — now, conformity too often defines us. In Challenging the Way You Think, Hannah Becker shares how a childhood lesson in letting go of obsession shaped her belief in cognitive diversity. True growth, she argues, comes from seeking new ideas, new people, and perspectives that make us uncomfortable.
SIGNAL Magazine - “Unlocking Potential: Empowering the Next Generation of Cyber Leaders Through Mentorship”
Hannah Becker’s latest article in SIGNAL Magazine, , co-authored with Lt. Col. Gilberto S. Perez, examines how mentorship can serve as a critical force multiplier in strengthening America’s cyber workforce. The piece explores the nation’s widening cybersecurity talent gap—an estimated 265,000 unfilled positions—and argues that closing this gap requires more than new training programs or certifications. Becker highlights mentorship as the “difference-maker” in developing confident, capable, and mission-ready cyber professionals. By pairing experienced leaders with emerging talent from diverse and nontraditional backgrounds, mentorship accelerates skill development, fosters resilience, and builds the human connections essential for national defense. Ultimately, the article calls on cyber professionals, educators, and policymakers to view mentorship not as an optional add-on, but as a national security imperative in the fight to secure America’s digital future.
What Makes Us Vulnerable to AI-Enabled Cyber Attacks
Artificial Intelligence is rewriting the rules of cybersecurity — and not in our favor. The same algorithms we use to innovate, automate, and defend are now being weaponized to manipulate human perception and behavior. AI-enabled cyber attacks don’t just exploit code; they exploit cognition. From deepfakes that distort reality to generative tools that lower the barrier for digital crime, these new threats target our psychology as much as our systems. The next frontier of cybersecurity isn’t just about protecting data — it’s about protecting decision-making itself.