It's hard to break into information security, and it can be even harder to improve your skills once you do. Despite being a competitive field, the infosec community is a very nurturing group -- if you know who to ask. This talk introduces the Information Security Growth Initiative (SecGrowth), a community-based effort to mentor new hackers, and master more difficult topics from advanced colleagues. The talk will cover why a program like SecGrowth is necessary, how it’s being implemented, and how you can get involved.
David has extensive experience in many areas of information security. His career began in the trenches of perimeter analysis, and conducting external threat research for large financial institutions. After switching to offensive security, David joined Redspin to conduct application security assessments and network penetration tests. David is currently the Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Professional Services at Redspin, specializing in Network and Application Security assessments, and managing a team of highly skilled engineers. David has particular interests in complex threat modeling and unconventional attack vectors, and has been a speaker at THOTCON, NolaCon, ToorCon, LayerOne, DEF CON, BSides Las Vegas, BSides Los Angeles and BSides Seattle.