About

Who I Am

I’m a cybersecurity professional with over 20 years of IT experience, specializing in penetration testing, network security, and helping organizations strengthen their defenses. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of presenting at DEFCON and BSides and other security conferences, sharing my curiosities to help improve the infosec field, and contributing to the community in meaningful ways.

I ran DC470 for several years, founded Hackers Against Hate-a nonprofit focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in infosec and, currently mentor aspiring cybersecurity professionals as they navigate their careers in this by-the-day changing field.

lifestory.txt

Who remembers the details of their first computer? Mine was a Canon Innova 486e---given to my Sister for college, which means it was also mine, when I was eight years old. This bad boy came equipped with Microsoft Windows 3.0, a 486 processor, 4MB of RAM, a 120MB hard drive, a 2400-baud modem, and both a 3.5" and a 5.25" floppy disk drive. When I say I loved this machine, I mean I loved it. SuperVGA drivers be damned, I played Sim City 2000 in DOS till the disk gave out.

I broke it a lot though. Deleting random files, downloading 🦠 from Prodigy, opening up the case and messing around. Every time I managed to mess it up beyond repair, my Dad-an amazing man with endless patience, took it to Radio Shack to get it fixed, supporting my budding love for technology. Those early "experiments" really got my curiosity going. How did they fix it? Why did they need our original disks? Then I learned how to reinstall Windows myself, though Dad did'nt pay me like he did Radio Shack.

In those days, the back pages of computer magazines were filled with tiny ads for things I didn’t fully understand, such as the glorious BBS. After days of trial and error and digging through old demo disks for the right software, I finally connected to one. It was the mid-90s, around 1994, and many BBS systems were already on their way out, but that didn’t stop me.

Through BBS, I stumbled upon textfiles! Little digital treasures filled with strange and fascinating words like phreaking, hacking, and spoofing. I was barely 12 years old, and I didn’t fully grasp what I was reading, but over time, it all started to make sense. Those countless evenings spent reading, and the many times I got scolded for dialing long-distance numbers, shaped who I am today. Hackers coming out in 1995 also helped... a lot

After my adventures with my beloved Canon, I upgraded to a NEC ReadySync 9701, and later to some random HP tower from Circuit City. It wasn’t long before I started building my own PCs, a passion that has stuck with me to this day. From the AMD Thunderbird series to the latest i9 processors, I’ve enjoyed pushing the limits of hardware. I’ve gone from massive copper heatsink-and-fan combos to intricate custom watercooling setups, and even experimented with small form factor (SFF) PCs. Building, tweaking, and upgrading my machines has been as much a part of my life as using them.

A friend (whom I miss dearly) and I found ourselves diving into the tail end of phreaking, witnessing the rise of Wi-Fi, and discovering the joy of wardriving (shoutout to NetStumbler and Orinoco Gold cards). Growing up during this incredible era of technological evolution is an experience I wouldn’t trade for the world. It was a time of discovery, curiosity, and boundary-pushing a foundation that would eventually lead me to a career I love.

It wasn’t just PCs that captured my attention. I had the first iPhone and managed to jailbreak it within an hour of bringing it home. I did try and enjoyed the Google Nexus One, it was my first Android device (1 of 2), they nailed it with that trackball though. These days, however, I’m a diehard iPhone fan, hooked in by Apple’s dedicated to security, privacy, and a just-works-OS.

What I do

I’m a Senior Penetration Tester, primarily focused on testing PCI applications, though my role goes beyond finding vulnerabilities. I work closely with application owners during the remediation process and validate fixes, all to make sure security improvements are properly implemented. Web and mobile applications are my jam. I also coordinate with our mobile development teams to ensure new features with security concerns are discussed before development even begins.

I also spend time (gotta love hard freezes) writing tool documentation and creating testing guidebooks to make life easier for my team. On top of that, I create and define company-wide security standards, making sure we’re following best practices.I manage interns, and contribute to enhancing our company-wide annual security training program.

Beyond InfoSec

When I’m not sitting in front this screen, you’ll probably find me out riding my motorcycle, a KTM 1290 Superduke. I’ve been riding for 16 years, and it’s one of my favorite ways to clear my head. I’m also a huge fan of cyberpunk, "Neuromancer" hooked me on it's first time, and movies like Blade Runner, The Fifth Element, and The Matrix will always have a special place in making me who I am today.

Space is another passion of mine, though it’s bittersweet knowing I’ll never get to explore it 💔. I have a pretty solid 3D printing setup and enjoy dabbling in soldering and circuit board design, always looking for new projects to bring to life.