Detecting vulnerabilities in a program's code is crucial and hard. Although many vulnerabilities are well-known and understood by developers, they continue to appear in new programs again and again. Interestingly, vulnerabilities often arise from a minimal set of instructions, sometimes just two or three. For these reasons, one would expect automated tools to be effective in finding code vulnerabilities. The complexity of large-scale programs' execution flows makes them extremely difficult to find in practice.

The gender gap in cybersecurity remains a persistent and concerning issue. Despite efforts to promote diversity and inclusivity, women remain significantly underrepresented in cybersecurity roles. One of the primary factors contributing to the gender gap in cybersecurity is the lack of female representation and encouragement in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. Stereotypes and societal biases often dissuade girls and young women from pursuing careers in these fields, leading to a smaller pool of women candidates entering the cybersecurity workforce.

The gender gap is one of the main concerns in the IT sector, in general, and in cybersecurity, in particular. Although well known, the problem is multifaceted and some of its root causes may be found in the education system. In the last years, many initiatives have been proposed targeting high-school students that might be interested in cybersecurity. Many of these programs rely on capture-the-flag (CTF) competitions to gradually form technical skills in an entertaining way. Despite these efforts, however, the number of girls that attend and complete these programs is still often unsatisfactory.