Cyber Threats
Jul 09, 2021 6:45 AM
Brad Palm, Partner - Pathfynder
Cyber Threats

Brad is Pathfynder's tech geek and delivery dude.

​Before Pathfynder, Brad worked as a SecDevOps strategist and threat hunter for his boutique consulting firm, BruteForce. Prior to life as a civilian, Brad spent 10 years in the Marine Corps as a Combat Engineer, with visits to sandy places but no oceans, and then continued as a Data Systems Specialist. Brad earned a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of St. Thomas and holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from the Naval Postgraduate School and has certifications with numerous acronyms from various accreditation bodies.

When Brad isn't cooking things in the lab for Pathfynder, he is spending time free-ranging his kids in the Montana playgrounds. He can be found frequenting local skate parks, climbing uphill to find back-country powder stashes, visiting distant beach breaks, and coaxing his kids to follow him on epic adventures.

I am a cyber security practitioner that has served in the military in various capacities and currently runs a consulting company (founded in Bozeman by veterans) that provides boutique offensive and defensive capabilities across the security maturity levels and industry sectors from Fortune 100s to SMBs (small to medium businesses). I have a Masters of Computer Science, a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering, was an Associate Professor at the University of San Diego for the Cyber Security curriculum, and hold numerous cyber security industry accreditations.
 
My proposed track for a business focused crew is the following:
  • Quick refresher on where we have been /  what has lead us to this point in the global market (goal: set the stage, provide motivation for the problem statement)
    • Address the discipline of computer science and how it has been leveraged for commerce and how early it was abused by attackers
  • What are we facing currently; the attacker landscape; common business risks and concerns (goal: provide context of where we are and what we are facing that many are not fully aware of)
    • Latest threat actors in this space, what they are targeting and whom, and some of their preferred techniques
    • What should businesses really be concerned with regarding their technical risk 
  • Where are we going (goal: not to induce fear, but raise awareness and show how this problem can get better)
    • Brad looking in his crystal ball - generating some lively discussion…
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