Women in Cybersecurity Webinar Recap: Engineering the Future of AppSec Testing

In the second episode of our Women in Cybersecurity webinar series, guests Urmi Chatterjee, Senior Engineering Manager, and Micheala Perrotta, Senior Software Engineer, discussed the intersection of gender, global collaboration, and cutting-edge technology in their application security testing careers. 

Gender Dynamics in Tech

The conversation began with an open discussion on gender in the tech industry. While overt sexism has become a much less common occurrence, both Chatterjee and Perrotta acknowledged the persistence of subtle gender biases. 

Chatterjee has had some very supportive mentors, both male and female that she was quick to recognize. But, at the same time, she also felt the need to assert her own presence in group discussions, especially when she was advancing in her career. 

Perrotta echoed this, recalling early experiences in university where male peers would sometimes assume she wouldn’t want to tackle complex coding tasks—assumptions she learned to challenge with quiet confidence and assertiveness.

Global Teams: Local impact

Cybersecurity is a global concern and clearly benefits from effective collaboration across geographies. Chatterjee pointed out the importance of respect, cultural awareness, and frequent communication when managing cross-functional teams. She highlighted how video conferencing and real-time collaboration tools help bridge cultural and time zone gaps, leading to improved project outcomes.

In working with colleagues in France and India, Perrotta has refined her communication style. She discussed how she has become more intentional with documentation and more aware of cultural nuances in tone and feedback. These experiences have helped her grow as a communicator and collaborator.

Engineering the HCL AppScan Advantage

Both Chatterjee and Perrotta spoke about their work on the HCL AppScan Static Application Security Testing (SAST) engine. Supporting over 30 programming languages, the engine is designed to be scalable and adaptable. From language-specific syntax and data flow to developer workflow, IDEs, and DevOps plugins, both guests provided some highly technical explanations that clearly reflected their deep engineering knowledge and expertise.

AI and the Future of AppSec

Artificial intelligence is already embedded in HCL AppScan’s capabilities, particularly through large language models (LLMs) used in technologies like IFA and ICA. Chatterjee and Perrotta discussed how the future lies in agentic AI—systems that can understand the intent behind code and provide context-aware security insights. Both guests are interested in how this evolution could shift security from a reactive process to a more proactive part of software development.

They also discussed the increasing security requirements for the software supply chain. In light of incidents such as the Log4j vulnerability, each woman has become keenly aware of the risks associated with third-party dependencies.

Agile Development and Inclusive Teams

As the conversation returned to women in the tech work environment, both speakers praised Agile methodologies for fostering collaboration and inclusion. Perrotta has been particularly pleased with how daily standups and sprint planning can create consistent opportunities for everyone to contribute to projects, build trust, and take ownership. 

According to Chatterjee, Agile enables team members to develop expertise while simultaneously exploring new areas of the codebase. This creates a sense of accomplishment and fosters continuous learning.

Advice for Aspiring Cybersecurity Professionals

At the webinar’s conclusion, Chatterjee encouraged those new to the field to stay curious, cultivate listening skills, and get engaged in more than one role in cybersecurity. Whether it is engineering, product management, or advisory roles, aspiring professionals should be open to finding the best fit. 

Perrotta’s advice centered around getting comfortable with ambiguity and using  persistent questioning and exploration to build deeper technical intuition.

Watch the replay for the entire conversation with Chatterjee and Parada and see how these two engineers are shaping the future of application security testing.

Learn more about the Women in Cybersecurity webinar series and be sure to watch discussions with women who are making an impact at HCLSoftware.