1980 or 1981 (Tel Aviv, Israel)
Biography:
Keren Elazari (Hebrew: קרן אלעזרי; born 1980 or 1981), also known as k3r3n3, is an Israeli cybersecurity analyst, writer, and speaker. She is a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv University Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center.
Elazari was born in 1980 or 1981 and grew up in Tel Aviv, Israel. Her father, Ami Elazari, is the CEO of an electric company and a former member of the Israel Defense Forces intelligence group, Unit 8200. Her mother works for an airline.
Elazari’s interest in hacking began when she was introduced to the internet at the age of eleven or twelve. She learned English and discovered hacking in online chat rooms. In 1995, at the age of 14, she watched the movie Hackers, which portrayed a young group of hackers as heroes. This film served as inspiration for Elazari to become a white-hat hacker.
After being drafted into the Israel Defense Forces, Elazari requested a role relating to information security. She served in the army for a total of ten years, both in the standing army and later in the reserve. During her service, she worked as a cybersecurity officer in the intelligence arm.
Elazari attended Tel Aviv University, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in history and philosophy of science and ideas. She also obtained her Master of Arts in security studies. In 2007, she earned the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification.
Currently, Elazari is a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv University’s Cyber Research Center. She has also served as a teaching fellow at Singularity University in California from 2012 onwards. Her areas of research focus on cyberwarfare and politics.
Outside of academia, Elazari works as a security consultant and was previously a white-hat hacker. She has collaborated with various companies and organizations, including Gigaom Research and Epiphyte. Elazari is the organizer of BSides Tel Aviv, a hacking and cybersecurity research conference, as well as a professional meetup for women in cybersecurity.
Elazari is known for her advocacy of hackers and has given several talks on the positive impact they can have. In 2014, she delivered a popular TED talk titled Hackers: The Internet’s Immune System, where she emphasized the importance of engaging with hackers to improve cybersecurity. She also spoke at DEF CON 22 in the same year, discussing empowering hackers to create a positive impact. Elazari’s contributions to the field of cybersecurity have made her a prominent figure and the first Israeli woman to give a TED Talk.