Career Summary
Cybersecurity and Threat Research Leader with a decade of experience in malware analysis, reverse engineering, and threat intelligence. Experienced in leading detection engineering, building Python-based tooling, and briefing executive clients. Passionate about advancing threat hunting methodologies and cross-functional research.
Work Experience
Head of Threat Research
Stairwell, Inc
2022 — Present
- Head Threat Research and Detection Engineering, hiring, mentoring, and guiding analysts and engineers in developing YARA detections, automation tools, and intelligence briefings for enterprise customers.
- Define and drive research and product priorities in partnership with the CTO, ensuring alignment between threat-hunting initiatives and product telemetry.
- Oversee creation of detection content and proactive hunts supporting enterprise clients across retail, hospitality, and entertainment sectors.
- Collaborate with Product, Engineering, Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success to translate research findings into product features, customer alerts, and external-facing materials.
- Develop internal Python automation utilities to streamline analysis workflows and validation processes.
- Deliver executive briefings for Fortune 100 organizations on emerging adversary tactics and detection strategies.
Technical Lead, Threat Research & Intel
Blackberry Cylance
2019 — 2022
- Utilize knowledge of offensive techniques and strategies in order to hunt for new and novel malware campaigns; improving detection capabilities and contributing to technical blogs.
- Design an automated python utility to validate EDR rules via known sample back-test as well as customer soak for integration in to live hunting systems.
- Research solutions strategies for MITRE ATT&CK techniques and delivered documentation to sales and support teams for implementation in to customer environments.
- Reverse engineer malware to design mitigation strategies in collaboration with both offensive and defensive teams to ensure the best effective detection solution utilizing Cylances' product offerings for external and internal customers.
- Participate in high-value deals as a subject matter expert providing best practice recommendations and custom product implementations. Managed and executed cross-functional projects that had a direct impact on over 10 million dollars of revenue.
- Write strategic assessments of product bypass reports and develop strategies to improve product security.
- Analyze threat trend data across large data sets, both structured and unstructured, to provide internal and external stakeholders guidance on impact and implementation solutions.
- Architect and deliver an EDR training course around OPTICS to enhance customer utilization and user experience.
Malware Analyst
Cylance, Inc
2016 — 2019
- Analyzed files from multiple OS and types in order to characterize and label malware from legitimate software.
- Studied generic and contextually based malware to develop automated tools to efficiently scale with the increased alerts from Cylance's next-generation malware detection engine.
- Conducted in-depth static and dynamic analysis of malware to understand adversarial trade-craft to improve detection, prevention, and response capabilities.
- Created and maintained a VM lab network environment for evaluation of new and novel attack strategies, as well as malware and attack campaign analysis.
Computer and Networking Consultant
Alex Hegyi, Inc
2015 — 2016
- Self-employed building networking solutions for homes and small businesses including those in the real estate and legal services industries.
Senior Systems Engineer, Design
Virtium Technology
2014 — 2015
- Designed and validated SSD hardware across multiple form factors; led product testing and reliability verification using industry-standard frameworks.
Senior Systems Engineer, Design
Western Digital
2011 — 2013
- Designed and prototyped SSD hardware for firmware development and customer-specific configurations.
Education & Certifications
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
B.S. Electrical Engineering, Hardware Design
eLearnSecurity
Junior Penetration Tester (eJPT) — 2019
CompTIA
Cybersecurity Analyst+ (CySA+) — 2018
GIAC (SANS)
Reverse Engineering Malware (GREM) — 2017
CompTIA
Security+ — 2015
Skills & Tools
Threat Research & Detection
Threat Hunting
Expert
Malware Analysis
Expert
Reverse Engineering
Advanced
Detection Engineering
Expert
YARA
Expert
MITRE ATT&CK
Expert
Threat Intelligence
Expert
Incident Response
Advanced
Tools & Technologies
Python
Expert
EDR/XDR
Expert
SIEM (Splunk, Elastic)
Advanced
KQL
Advanced
Wireshark
Advanced
IDA Pro
Advanced
Ghidra
Advanced
PE Studio
Advanced
Security Frameworks & Methodologies
ATT&CK Mapping
Expert
TTP Analysis
Expert
Adversary Emulation
Advanced
Automation & Scripting
Expert
Forensic Analysis
Advanced
Security Hardening
Advanced
Leadership & Collaboration
Team Building
Expert
Hiring & Mentorship
Expert
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Expert
Executive Briefing
Expert
Customer Engagement
Expert
Publications & Contributions
Warzone RAT
Author
Malicious Macros
Author
BlackCat Ransomware
Author
Some Kind of Monster
Author
Old Dogs, New Tricks
Author