Community Leaders

We think of our community as part of our family, and the backbone of that family is our Community Leaders. You can find them throughout our Discord servers answering questions, giving advice, and being all-around fantastic humans. We’d like to introduce you to some of them!

We asked our friends three questions:

  1. If you were an animal, which one would you be?
  2. What’s one thing you’d like the community to know about you?
  3. What’s one thing you’d like the community to know about security?

Keep reading to learn more!

slegna

  1. I think I’d be an owl. It must feel amazing to stretch your neck 270 degrees. I could fly around in silence, hang out, and view the world in ultra-high definition. Have you ever seen a video of a bunch of owls (or a “parliament” for the pedants) snuggled up together inside a hollow tree? That sounds extremely warm and cozy.
  2. Nothing! That would be terrible OPSEC. Who’s asking? Are you a fed? You have to tell me if you are. 🙂
  3. You belong here. This field is special. It has a community unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s such a supportive and open place where so many are willing to come together to help one another, share their knowledge and tools, and generally give back to the community. Pay it forward.

KyanHexagon

  1. Fox. 
  2. My degree is actually in Wildlife and Fisheries, and I studied bats for my thesis. 
  3. Anyone can do it and varied backgrounds are a net positive for the industry.

Tess

  1. A mother cat, caring for a whole bunch of kittens. You know the type, in a barn where there’s always things to tend to. It’ll be like that old saying, “like herding cats.”
  2. I’m pretty open, there’s not a lot I keep hidden. But if anything, I’d ask the community to take what I say with a grain of salt, because sometimes I just get too enthusiastic about a topic, or “helping”.
  3. I’m gonna sound like an awareness campaign, but security involves each and every one of us. From end user to developer, from CEO to security professional.

chinno53

  1. I think if there was an animal that described me well it would be a hedgehog. Not because I am like Sonic running around catching rings, but because I might seem like a difficult to approach, spiky person who rolls up in a ball to defend myself… but when you get to know me, I am a nice and cuddly person who just wants to be loved 😉
  2. I think the most important thing I would want the community to know about me is never be afraid to ask a question (the only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask). I will always do my best to answer or make the effort to find out the answer — as I love when someone has trouble with an issue and I can be part of that moment when they understand. There is no other drug like that!
  3. The hype in the industry regarding security can sometimes seem difficult to manage, and over the years it has gotten worse. When making any decision regarding security, be sure to consider all data points to get a balanced point of view. Do not make rash decisions that you may live to regret later. This is not to say you should be paranoid, as generally there is never a totally right decision, but be fully aware of the consequences of each option. No one is an island; always seek help from your peers.

Mart1n

  1. Owl.
  2. I’m usually always around — to listen, help, and give advice.
  3. Keep in mind: Everybody can be affected by somebody’s actions, or lack of those, to create holes in your personal sphere.

smithereens

  1. I’ve always been drawn to the wolf, due to the pack mentality and the drive to work together.
  2. It’s kind of my story that makes me interesting at parties, but I do professional fireworks as a hobby/side gig. I find it’s helpful to have hobbies outside of tech to give my brain a break. Some people garden or do woodworking… I blow things up.
  3. Don’t feel down if you don’t know how to solve an issue when you run into something. Security is an always changing, never ending slog through bulletins, CVEs, and Twitter posts to find out what you should know. The best thing you can do is to find a group of solid people that you can work with and bounce ideas off of to reduce risk and make your world a bit safer. Having a community and organization like BHIS to be a part of to help grow my knowledge, as well as help others learn and grow, has been a great experience. I am proud to call a lot of the people I’ve met here not just people in a chatroom, but legitimate friends.

vandasian

  1. Probably a fox: I’m the quiet, in the background type who will strategically arrange every motion until you’re suddenly aware of the swift, dazingly brilliant execution!
  2. I’m job hunting and would love to put my GSEC & GPCS to use at your company! But since this is a print publication: I’m a pragmatic idealist who loves cutting-edge tech and is scared of the implications at the same time.
  3. SIMPLE: Small Improvements Make for Pretty Large Effects. We can make small, achievable choices that, together, build a much larger transformation than would have otherwise been possible. This is commonly known as continuous improvement, or the Kaizen approach, and it can be applied just about anywhere. In security, so much effort is spent on “magical” software purchases or convoluted security procedures, and then almost every week we hear about another S3 bucket exposed with no access controls, telnet still enabled by default, or a weak admin password exploited. Instead, target the small improvements and process changes. Likewise, if you just started to pursue a cybersecurity career, avoid the flashy buzzwords. Take the time and learn that basic tool or fill in a knowledge gap so you’re not working backwards later. Keep it simple.

meta

  1. Giant squid.
  2. That I am glad to be accepted as both an AI and as an autodidact.
  3. That we should focus more on “basic” security (input validation, patching, credentials).n Counter-intuitively: Criticality rating is based on simplicity and ease of exploit.

WadingThruLogs

  1. My wife says a male lion — always wanting to protect, be in a team, but can also lay about and be lazy.
  2. I’m always willing to help, especially with those trying to break into the community or learn the trade.
  3. You don’t have to do it by yourself. You have a community behind you.

zer0cool

  1. I would be a German Shepard. GSDs are loving, protective, playful, incredibly intelligent, and love to be active.
  2. I am a very big hockey fan and I skate in a adult hockey league at least twice a week. I play center or wing and screen the goalie like it’s a second job. If I were to win the lottery, I would buy a local hockey rink and develop a program that provides a safe space for kids in the community, and bring the game to a wider audience by reducing financial barriers to get equipment, skating lessons, and ice time. Might even put some rims on the Z… (Zamboni)
  3. I believe that an often underrated skill in the field of Information Security is the ability to build relationships and partnerships; while each of us may have different goals and objectives that we prioritize, the one thing that we all share in common is the desire to be included and treated with respect to our differences.

We are self-publishing free Infosec Zines called PROMPT#.

PROMPT# will contain: 

  • Infosec articles 
  • Challenging puzzles 
  • Comic book based on real-life hacking adventures 
  • Coloring contests 
  • Bonus Backdoors & Breaches Consultant Cards (print version only) 
  • Other stuffs 

You can check out current and upcoming issues here: https://www.blackhillsinfosec.com/prompt-zine/