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SquadCon
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GIRLS HACK VILLAGE

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SquadCon

Girls Hack Village lives on providing the best possible experience to our guests so stop by and show your support.  

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Who We Are

Girls Hack Village provides a gender-diverse platform for women and girls in cybersecurity, fostering discussions on their contributions, perspectives, and challenges. It offers Talks, Workshops, Discussions, and Panels to address issues affecting females in the field. Continue…

What We Do

GirlHackVillage Presents SquadCon highlights diverse contributions and experiences in cybersecurity. Addressing underrepresentation in the field, it provides an opportunity for attendees to learn about cybersecurity and hacking in a supportive and inclusive environment.

Our Goals

Our goal is to “Con Differently.” With a focus on inclusivity, we will promote diversity and inclusion within the cybersecurity community. Encourage speakers and panelists from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented groups to share their perspectives and experiences. And lastly, equally value and welcome the input of those entering the field as those who’ve been there for years.

Sponsors

Partners & Sponsors

For those that are just starting out their cyber careers to seasoned cyber professionals, Girls Hack Village would like to extend a special thanks to our partners and sponsors who helped to make our village a success. 

MARQUEE SPONSOR

Gold SPONSOR

Silver Partners

Bronze Partners

IN-KIND Partners

Non-Profit Partners


Speakers

Remarkable people in cybersecurity!!!! Can you ask for anything better……

Keynote Speakers

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Camille Stewart Gloster, Esq

Camille Stewart Gloster, Esq. is the Deputy National Cyber Director for Technology & Ecosystem for The White House. In her role, Camille leads technology, supply chain, data security, and cyber workforce and education efforts for the Office of the National Cyber Director.  Camille is a cyber, technology, and national security strategist and policy leader whose career has spanned the private, public, and non-profit sectors. She joined ONCD from Google, where she most recently served as Global Head of Product Security Strategy, and before that as Head of Security Policy and Election Integrity for Google Play and Android.

Prior to working at Google, Camille led cyber diplomacy, technology policy, privacy, and technical policy areas like encryption and PNT as the Senior Policy Advisor for Cyber, Infrastructure & Resilience at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  During her time at DHS, Camille led campaigns, international engagements, and policy development that bolstered national and international cyber resilience. Those policies include Presidential Policy Directive 41 (PPD – 41) on federal cyber incident coordination, supporting Privacy Shield negotiations, and the 2016 Cybersecurity National Action Plan (CNAP) which outlined 75 tasks to enhance cybersecurity awareness and protections, protect privacy, maintain public safety as well as economic and national security. Camille has also held leadership roles focused on cyber and technology on Capitol Hill, at Deloitte, and Cyveillance, an open-source threat intelligence company.

Throughout her career, Camille has held cybersecurity fellowships at the Harvard Belfer Center, New America, Atlantic Council, and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Camille also served on the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Law and National Security during the 2021-2022 Bar Year and the Criminal Divisions Cybersecurity Committee during the 2020-2021 Bar Year.

Camille has contributed to advancing the field through technical research and writing, including a groundbreaking paper, and subsequent training for federal judges, on the exfiltration of national security-related technology and intellectual property through the courts. Most recently, she authored a paper on the need for and principles to support designing user-centric security programs.

Camille is passionate about expanding the cyber, technology, and national security workforces and co-founded the #ShareTheMicInCyber movement and the NextGen NatSec initiative to support investment in a highly skilled and diverse workforce. Both efforts serve to highlight the need for increased diversity in the cyber and national security fields respectively. Camille is also the co-founder of the Silicon Valley Chapter of Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS).

Camille’s professional achievements have earned her recognition from a multitude of entities throughout her career including her being selected as a 2021 SANS Difference Maker Honoree, 2021 Root100 Honoree, 2021 Microsoft Security Changemaker of the Year, and a 2021 CyberScoop50 Cyber Industry Leadership Honoree.

Camille holds a B.S. from Miami University, a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law, and a CISO certificate from Carnegie Mellon University. Camille is CISSP and PMP certified.

Jen Easterly

Jen Easterly is the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). She is a proud Mom, a mental health advocate, a Rubik’s Cube enthusiast, and an aspiring electric guitarist. Before joining CISA, Jen led the firm-wide resilience effort at Morgan Stanley after a lengthy public service career that included serving at the White House twice, helping to stand-up the Army’s first cyber battalion, and more than twenty years of service in intelligence and cyber operations, including tours of duty in Haiti, the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Marcus J. Carey

Marcus J. Carey has spent over two decades working in cybersecurity, drawing from both his experience in the field and his time serving in the US Navy. Currently, he is an Enterprise Architect at ReliaQuest, where he contributes to the development of attack simulation software. Marcus has had the opportunity to work alongside federal agencies like the NSA, DC3, DIA, and DARPA. He’s also a co-author of the “Tribe of Hackers” book series, sharing insights and experiences in cybersecurity. With a Master of Science in Network Security from Capitol Technology University, Marcus is continuously learning and aiming to contribute to the broader cybersecurity community

Me, Myself, and A.I.

From a childhood fascination with the movie WarGames, I’ve been on a decades-long journey exploring artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and software development. Years ago, I had the privilege of developing one of the first virtual assistants for the cybersecurity market. With the recent advancements in machine learning and A.I., especially in large language models, the technology landscape has changed drastically. Today, these tools are available to everyone, from specialized software vendors to the curious individual. In this talk, I aim to share insights and offer guidance on how we all can utilize these technologies for our professional advancement

Speakers

Our speakers are comprised of individuals who are in various stages of their cyber careers, so we are sure that there will be content appealing to the majority of attendees.   

Tennisha Martin is the founder and Executive Director of BlackGirlsHack (BGH Foundation), a national cybersecurity nonprofit organization dedicated to providing education and resources to underserved communities and increasing the diversity in cyber. BlackGirlsHack provides black women and girls with resources, mentorship, direction, and training required to enter and excel in the Cybersecurity field. Tennisha has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Science in Information Technology, Health Care Policy and Management, Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics and Cyber Investigation, and Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Maryland. She has worked in a consulting capacity for over 15 years in Penetration Testing, Project Management, Risk Management, Audit, Information Assurance, Quality Assurance, Software Development, and Testing roles. In her spare time, Tennisha is a Cyber Instructor, mentor, and red-team leaning ethical hacking advocate for diversity in Cyber and the executive suites.

Tia began her career as a high speed internet installer in the early 2000s, which sparked her interest in the information technology field, and ultimately led to her focus on cybersecurity. She has spent more than two decades in the IT and IT Security industry and is currently the Chief Cyber Resilience Officer & Field CTO at eSentire. In addition to her role at eSentire, Tia is an adjunct professor of Cybersecurity, a women’s tackle football coach, and a LinkedIn Learning Instructor. Tia holds several industry certifications including the CISSP, CISM, and GSLC in addition to a BS in Information Technology, MS in Information Security and Assurance, and MS in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance. She is also pursuing an Executive MBA as well as a PhD in Cybersecurity Leadership. She is also a Boardroom Certified Qualified Technology Expert (QTE), an executive with the education, applied experience, and/or formal education necessary to work in the corporate boardroom and oversee risk in complex digital business systems. Tia was recognized by SC Media as an outstanding educator in 2019, as well as one of The Software Report’s Top 25 Women Leaders in Cybersecurity and Cyber Defense Magazine’s Top 100 Women in Cybersecurity; both in 2020. In 2021, Tia was recognized as a Top Influencer in the Security Executives category by IFSEC Global and was most recently recognized by Dark Reading as #1 on the list of ‘8 More Women in Security You May Not Know but Should’ in 2022. Tia contributed a chapter to the book The Rise of Cyber Women: Volume 2 in 2021 and co-authored ‘Hack the Cybersecurity Interview’ with Ken Underhill and Chris Foulon in 2022. She is also the Founder of Empow(H)er Cybersecurity, a non-profit organization aimed at inspiring and empowering women of color to pursue cybersecurity careers.

This talk explores the journey of pursuing and navigating executive leadership, focusing on overcoming challenges and driving success in today’s dynamic and competitive market.

Phillip Wylie, Security Solutions Specialist at CYE, is an offensive security professional with more than 19 years of experience in cybersecurity. He has a diverse background in multiple disciplines, including network security, application security and pentesting where he has spent most of his cybersecurity. Phillip is the concept creator and co-author of The Pentester Blueprint: Starting a Career as an Ethical Hacker. He is a podcaster and hosts The Hacker Factory Podcast and the Phillip Wylie Show.

In this session, you’ll hear from an experienced pentester and educator on how to get the pentesting experience recruiters are looking for and how to demonstrate and document your skills. He’ll share the proven strategies that have helped his former students, mentees, and other career advice-seekers obtain a job in pentesting. You’ll learn the importance of networking, personal branding, and content creation in landing your ideal job.

Learning Objectives:

* Gain the hands-on pentesting experience required in a pentesting role.

* Demonstrate and document your skills and experience for current and prospective employers.

* Recognize the value of professional networking through social media, conferences and cybersecurity user groups.

* Building a personal brand and content creation

Head of Threat Research (Protect AI).

Chloé Messdaghi is an accomplished security executive known for advising and developing solutions that have improved security teams and the industry. A sought-after public speaker and trusted source for national and sector reporters, her work has been featured in numerous outlets, and she has been recognized as a Power Player in Cybersecurity by Business Insider and SC Media. Chloé is also dedicated to various charitable causes, demonstrating her commitment to driving positive change.

This talk specifically targets security leaders and explores the detrimental effects of a lack of vision or direction on employee burnout. Over 35% of burned-out workers experience uncertainty about their goals and how to achieve them, leading to anxiety and a sense of aimlessness. Security leaders play a crucial role in mitigating burnout and fostering a healthier work environment. The talk provides strategies for security leaders to provide clear vision, establish goals, and combat uncertainty-induced stress among their teams. By creating a supportive work environment and promoting leadership accountability, security leaders can enhance employee resilience and decrease burnout rates. Attendees will gain insights into the correlation between uncertainty, burnout, and organizational performance, and learn practical strategies for fostering a positive work environment tailored to the unique challenges of the security field.

Sr. Security Engineer (Cisco Meraki).

Christina is a ex-circus performer turned web developer turned Senior Enterprise Security Engineer. She’s worked in highly regulated tech industries such as healthcare and finance. In her current role, she is the vendor review SME performing reviews and security integration liaison for a company of over 3,000 people. Her favorite outdoors activities include climbing large rocks and hiking extremely slowly to look at wildflowers, mushrooms, and shiny smaller rocks.

The very idea of public speaking strikes fear into the hearts of even the bravest people, creating clammy hands and pounding hearts. But when fear of speaking keeps diverse voices and perspectives off Security conference stages, the lack of diversity and inclusion in the Security industry is reinforced by the absence of those voices.

Attendees will take away effective and actionable techniques to ensure that they fearlessly crush it and hone their public speaking skills. More specifically, how to rehearse for talks and other preparation.

Garrett is a cybersecurity analyst in the manufacturing industry who also learns and teaches some offensive security basics. scFlag{foundit}

Yes, another talk about preparing and dealing with ransomware. Just sit back and listen.

Senior Cloud Advocate (Microsoft).

Sarah is a Senior Cloud Security Advocate working at Microsoft. She has lived all over the place but currently calls Melbourne home. Sarah has been working in cyber security since before it was cool, holds numerous industry qualifications and has co-authored a few Microsoft Press technical books. In 2019, Sarah won the Security Champion award at the Australian Women in Security Awards. She is an active supporter of both local and international security and cloud native communities and a co-host of the Microsoft Azure Security Podcast. Sarah spends most of her spare time speaking at security conferences in various parts of the world, eating hipster brunches and high teas and spending a disproportionate amount of her income on her dogs.

Many cloud security breaches start from implementation mistakes: whether it be bad coding practices, misconfiguration, etc. Before (best case) your security team or (worst case) an outside attacker finds them; how can you be proactive about finding and fixing common security mistakes?

Hacker in Heels.

Stacey Champagne is the Founder & CEO of Hacker in Heels, a company on a mission to increase the number of women in cybersecurity and influence greater societal change. Stacey coaches women around cybersecurity career “landmines” to claim top positions in the industry. With her experience leading cybersecurity teams at F500 companies, Stacey knows the TTPs (tactics, techniques, and procedures) needed to survive and thrive in male-dominated, patriarchal environments. In 2023, Stacey was awarded the Women’s Society of Cyberjutstu “Cyber Advocate” award for her innovative programs, community, and proven track record of helping women change their careers and lives.

This Fly-on-the-Wall session is focused on discussing how to react to instances of everything from micro-aggressions to constructive dismissal. Any and all suggestions made should not be considered as legal advice, but rather an opportunity to hear from women who have “been through a thing or two” sharing what’s worked and what hasn’t for them. YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).

Dr. Sylvea Hollis is an Assistant Professor of African and African American History at Montgomery College. She earned a Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. Before coming to Montgomery College in the fall of 2020, Dr. Hollis was a National Park Service-Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow and taught courses in the American Studies Department at The George Washington University. She earned a MA in History Museum Studies from the Cooperstown Graduate Program (SUNY-Oneonta) and has extensive experience in the museum field. Her most current work is a research project on the “Birmingham Years” of the African American sculptor, John W. Rhoden, for a forthcoming exhibition catalog with the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Dr. Hollis also runs a blog (http://www.sylveahollis.com) that explores the intersections between African American history, archives, public humanities, and teaching.

This talk explores my preliminary thoughts about AI as a site of knowledge production and its implications for everyday people who seek to understand Black History. How accessible is Black History within the AI? How accurate is Black History within AI? What kind of tools/products could be useful in future iterations of this technology? Why do such questions matter?

Eliad is the head of Akamai Security Research CORE Team guiding the development of the Akamai Security Research work. He was one of the creators and producers of the podcast Malicious Life which tells stories from the history of cybersecurity, and has a deep passion for the untold stories of hackers. Eliad has worked with security teams for over half a decade, helping build security research organizations and publishing blogs and reports for security researchers. He has spoken at conferences such as Insimnihack, BsidesSF, Thotcon, and Code.Talks.

Modern ransomware has become synonymous with some of the most devastating cyber attacks of our time.. But it hasn’t always been so. 30 years ago, ransomware was born as a wild scheme, devised by a man armed with 10,000 floppy disks and a virus. How has this evolved into the most impactful form of cybercrime today, and what can this surprising, untold history teach us about our present and future?

Weijia Yan is a passionate security advocate. She provides creative ideas to deliver security education and raise awareness among communities. Weijia has spoken at security conferences including RSA Conference, Women in Cybersecurity, The Diana Initiative, Texas Cyber Summit, Houston Security Conference, and GRIMMcon.

I will cover Capture The Flag (CTF) challenges and how they serve as a gateway to unlocking cybersecurity skills. I will also share my research on diverse talent retention in CTF competitions.

David is a Senior Mobile App Pentester at NowSecure, specializing in identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities in mobile applications. Outside of work, he dedicates his time to security research and participating in bug bounty programs for web applications, resulting in the publication of two CVEs.

Join us for a mobile app workshop focused on hacking Android WebViews with Frida! Improper implementation can expose WebViews to attacks, compromising user data. This workshop will include Android security fundamentals, with a focus on WebViews, and will leverage the Frida dynamic instrumentation toolkit to analyze and manipulate WebViews in real-time. This hands-on session will provide participants of all skill levels with practical knowledge and skills to assess and exploit Android WebViews and Frida fundamentals for conjuring their own scripts.

Senior Program Manager, Researcher Incentives.

Madeline Eckert manages Security Research Incentives Programs at Microsoft, directing external research towards the areas of highest impact for Microsoft customers. Through the Bounty program, Research Challenges and Grants, and the Researcher Recognition Program, Madeline partners with the security research community as part of Microsoft’s holistic approach to defending against security threats. Prior to her role with Microsoft, Madeline developed industry best practices for Bounty management at HackerOne, working with companies around the world to secure their attack surface. Madeline is an advocate for the value partnership between security organizations and the global security research community.

Cooming Soon 

Jocelyn is a Senior Application Security Analyst at NowSecure, she focuses on reverse engineering mobile devices and applications to develop tailored solutions. She has experience in mobile application security and enjoys working on all things Android.

Join us for a mobile app workshop focused on hacking Android WebViews with Frida! Improper implementation can expose WebViews to attacks, compromising user data. This workshop will include Android security fundamentals, with a focus on WebViews, and will leverage the Frida dynamic instrumentation toolkit to analyze and manipulate WebViews in real-time. This hands-on session will provide participants of all skill levels with practical knowledge and skills to assess and exploit Android WebViews and Frida fundamentals for conjuring their own scripts.

George Kamide is the co-founder and co-host of Bare Knuckles and Brass Tacks, a podcast dedicated to repairing the vendor-customer trust divide in cybersecurity.

A multidisciplinary thinker, he has appeared as a subject matter expert on podcasts such as, Hacker Valley Media, Room for Growth and Security Confidential. With experience in large language models and security detections, he has led panel discussions on the intersection of security and AI tooling, and also consults independently with companies on AI business strategies. As a disinformation researcher, he contributed to research that was widely reported in The Washington Post, The Guardian, and BBC News. Moreover, was called upon to brief US Cyber Command and the Congressional Cyber Caucus on the mechanics of influence operations. He has also lectured at the university level in B2B marketing and cybersecurity.

As an advocate for greater representation in information security, he also sits on the advisory board for Vision & Voice, a community dedicated to lifting women into cyber leadership positions.

As AI becomes integral to business operations and cybersecurity tooling, the technology will dramatically reshape infosec teams’ processes and impact its people.But the crucial question remains, who will be the guiding force when these decisions are made? The existing gatekeeping issues coupled with the prevalent homogeneity in the leadership within AI and cybersecurity realms threaten to compound challenges for defenders from traditionally marginalized communities. In this talk, we will challenge this potential future state and provide a way forward for today’s defenders.

With the technology terrain increasingly veering towards AI, what does it take to ascend into a leadership role? Is it a deep dive into specialization or a broader approach via generalization? The aim of this talk is to empower you to take the initiative, provide you with a blueprint of today’s AI security landscape, and show you how to develop strategies to lead and influence the integration of AI into business and security tools within your organization.

This talk is not just about informing you; it’s about empowering you to become a leader as we step toward the era of AI-driven cybersecurity risks and defense.

Stefani Goerlich is a Clinical Social Worker and Certified Sex Therapist who specializes in working with gender, sexuality, and relationship diversities. She is the multi-award winning author of The Leather Couch: Clinical Practice with Kinky Clients and co-host/organizer of Securing Sexuality, a podcast and live conference exploring issues at the intersection of intimacy and technology. Her first book for couples, With Sprinkles On Top: Everything Vanilla People and Their Kinky Partners Need to Communicate, Explore, and Connect is available for pre-order now.

Throughout time, folks looking for love (or lust) found and formed relationships with one another by leveraging community networks – relatives, clergy, nosy neighbors, even matchmakers. For the first time in human history, our relationships are no longer being mediated by other people but rather by technology. From social media and circuit boards to algorithms and artificial intelligence, tech is influencing the way humans form intimate bonds in ways never seen before. In this talk, Certified Sex Therapist and Clinical Sexologist Stefani Goerlich will talk about the emerging themes in mental health and relationship counseling and how these have been influenced by the explosion in SexTech, online dating, and the pervasiveness of erotica, among other topics. She will explore the potential positives and emerging drawbacks of transitioning one’s most intimate relationships into the cloud. This session offers a framework for health and safety for the first generation of digital natives entering into adult relationships.

Rebekah Skeete is the COO of BlackGirlsHack, a nonprofit organization
providing resources, training, mentoring, and access to
increase representation and diversity in the cybersecurity field. Rebekah is also
a Security Engineer with Schellman based in Dallas, Texas. As a member of the
Infrastructure and Security team, she is part of a collaborative group of
technology professionals serving as the primary technical resource to safeguard
the organization’s computer networks and systems. Committed to inclusion and
belonging, she holds the firm belief that representation enhances the culture
and community of an organization and seeks to amplify underserved voices at
any table she has a seat.

This talk will highlight the critical role that community plays in developing and advancing one’s career. In today’s interconnected world, success often depends on more than individual talent and skills. Communities offer emotional support, motivation, and resilience during career challenges. Building a supportive and diverse network of peers, mentors, and collaborators fosters an environment of growth, learning, and opportunity.

Lacework Field CISO
Merritt (Twitter: @MerrittBaer) is Field CISO at Lacework, a cloud security unicorn. Merritt provides technical security guidance to Lacework’s customer executives. She is also instrumental in the security industry: speaking, talking and advising companies on security at scale, and she helps to inform Lacework product roadmaps with customer and threat landscape feedback.
Previously, Merritt served in the Office of the CISO at Amazon Web Services, as part of a small elite team that formed a Deputy CISO. She provided technical cloud security guidance to AWS’ largest customers, like the Fortune 100, on security as a bottom line proposition. She also helped build strategic initiatives for how AWS secures itself, running on AWS, and how AWS externalizes security services.
Merritt has experience in all three branches of government and the private sector. Before Amazon, Merritt served as Lead Cyber Advisor to the Federal Communications Commission. She has also served at the US Department of Homeland Security, the Office of US Senator Michael Bennet, and the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. Before joining the government, Merritt started a business advisory for emerging tech companies.
Merritt speaks regularly on infosec, including cloud computing, AI/ML, quantum computing, and the future of the Internet. Her insights on business strategy and tech have been published in Forbes, The Baltimore Sun, The Daily Beast, LawFare, Talking Points Memo, and ThinkProgress. Her academic work has appeared in the journals of Temple, Georgetown, Santa Clara, UPenn, and UVA.
Merritt is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Harvard College. She is admitted to the Bars of New York, the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and the United States Supreme Court. Based in Miami, FL and Denver, CO, she has been a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a National Security Fellow at the Center for New American Security, and a Cyber Fellow at the East-West Institute. She advises and serves on boards of young companies, including Expanso (open-source platform that enables efficient and secure distributed computation). She is founder of women’s tech expert network Tech & Roses; serves on the Miami-Dade College Business Industry Leadership Team, has served as Adjunct Professor of Cybersecurity at the University of Maryland and Penn State Law School; is a mother, and was an amateur boxer.

By day Toni Benson is the Chief of the Cyber Defense Education and Training (CDET) organization at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) supporting the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Her roles within the organization are to provide strategic vision around training and education to assist in combating the cybersecurity workforce shortage. By night and on the weekends, she is the CEO of NVision LLC, where they provide organizations with consulting expertise, professional speakers, and strategic planning for organizational growth.

Prior to joining the DHS in 2015, Ms. Benson spent most of her career serving in the United States Air Force, where she served as a Communications Officer. She also worked with other U.S. government agencies and private sector companies as a contractor, in support of various cyber initiatives. In 2022, Ms. Benson was selected as the SANS Practitioner of the year. Ms. Benson holds a B.S. from Delaware State University, a M.S. from the University of Maryland Global Campus, and a Executive Leadership Certification from Harvard University. Ms. Benson is also a Certified Information Systems Security Professional.

Are you in the right pot? Have you outgrown where you are? Let’s talk about what those next steps look like for you and the power you have within to manifest it.

Franz Payer is the CEO of Cyber Skyline, the cloud-based platform that powers the National Cyber League. Founded in 2014, Cyber Skyline has helped more than 100,000 students and professionals in the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia through cybersecurity competitions, candidate skills assessments, and professional development opportunities. Franz leads Cyber Skyline’s mission to help learners develop their cybersecurity skills and help employers build talented teams.

If you think CTFs sound cool, but aren’t sure how to even get started, then come join us for this interactive session! We’ll walk you through everything you need to know to get started. Learn how to set up your workspace and discover useful tools and techniques to solve common challenges in open-source intelligence and cryptography. No cyber or CTF experience required – all you need is your laptop.

Vanessa brings three decades of diversified strategic and purposeful experiences leading marketing and advertising, leveraging ESG to further client’s mission and revenue goals. As a trusted advisor and partner, her business acumen enables her to develop omnichannel strategies that address increasing ROI for billion-dollar roundtable brands like AT&T, P&G, PepsiCo, General Motors, McDonald’s among others.

Currently, Vanessa is the Founder and CEO of The Cultural Effect, Inc., an agency dedicated to developing inclusive ecosystems for its clients through the lens of culture, fiduciary duty and ESG to drive marketing innovation, brand affinity and retention.

She has held leadership roles in Account Management, Strategy, Media, Investment, DE&I and Supplier Diversity at VaynerX, Omnicom, IPG, Publicis, Fluent360 and Carol H Williams to name a few. Vanessa is a “Swiss Army Knife”, with an agile ability to envision, create and execute sustainable strategies in competitive markets.

Vanessa was the first Chief Diversity Office at VaynerX, reporting to the CEO. Her business impact was through global DE&I initiatives – investing in commercial efforts, stakeholder engagement, talent innovation and providing support for Executive Leadership and client’s.

She successfully turned around the FDA Fresh Empire anti-smoking campaign and relationship in five months, consolidating and leading all five anti-smoking/vaping campaigns totaling $85M+. She also led the first multi-million-dollar, digital only, Electronic Nicotine Delivery System (ENDS) campaign and exceeded goals by 7%.

Leading diversity strategy and operations for her clients, Vanessa created an innovative approach to Supplier Diversity. For AT&T, she successfully created an approach to Media and Supplier Diversity, exceeding their $96.0M annual spend goal by 10%+ for four consecutive years. For PepsiCo, she created a multi-year strategy to increase spending from $2.2MM in 2012 to $11.0MM by 2015 with diverse owned companies. She received a Telly Award in the motivational category for the TV One and AT&T “Iconic Achievers” campaign and was an ANA finalist for best African American campaign.

Vanessa’s passion also extends to helping people find their SUPERPOWER and voice through Executive and Transformational Life Coaching. She founded Coaching Life’s Journey LLC to provide a safe space and the opportunity to have conversations that profoundly change lives and develop high performing cultures that fuel personal and business growth.

As a transformational leader, Vanessa is regarded as a thought leader, speaker, coach, and advisor. She served on the board of The Metropolitan Board of the Chicago Urban League and Circulation Verification Council, and currently sits on the board of Empow(H)er Cybersecurity and is a member of CHIEF. Vanessa earned a bachelor’s degree from Governors State University and holds a Diversity & Inclusion certification from Cornell University.

Executive and Transformational Life Coaching is a solution-focused, action-oriented partnership that challenges people to take the time to focus on what they really want, and helps them discover and break through what is holding them back from the life their want success.

Craig Newmark is best known as the founder of the classifieds ad site craigslist, which showed tens of millions of Americans that the Internet could be reasonably useful and easy to use.

Now, he engages in full time philanthropy, focusing on helping and protecting the people who help and protect our country. That includes cybersecurity, trustworthy journalism, and support for military families and veterans.

He was greatly influenced by his Sunday School teachers who had escaped the Holocaust, set his moral compass, and taught him to treat people like you want to be treated, and how to know when enough is enough.

Craig might be #nerdpatient0, having worn plastic pocket protectors, thick black glasses, taped together, and being poorly socialized. He remains poorly socialized but can simulate social skills as needed.

He originally intended to study Large Language Models like ChatGPT in the early seventies, but decided he wanted gainful employment, and went into software development.

Since then, he’s worked at IBM, Charles Schwab, Bank of America, and worked at craigslist for about 25 years. He retired from craigslist customer service job some years ago.

He ascribes any success to accidentally being in the right place at the right time, making him the Forrest Gump of the Internet.

Using her background in Psychology and Education, Chantel weaves human behavior into her work as a Security Consultant & Risk Specialist. She specializes in pentesting a number of technologies across different industries and sectors. In her free time, she enjoys learning new hacking techniques, researching the cosmos, reading philosophical texts, and spending time with her loved ones. Bringing integrity, positivity, collaboration and an open mind to all things new drives her passion for hacking.

A pentest is only as good as the pentester! For a pentester to successfully cover a client’s needs, it’s important that a thorough pentesting methodology is utilized. Methodologies typically expand as we gain more hands-on experience. In this talk, we’ll cover elevating our methodology as pentesters within a shorter time frame while also addressing the barriers that can get in the way of learning new tools & techniques that will ultimately expand our methodology.

Maril Vernon (@SheWhoHacks) known as the “One Woman Purple Team” is an award-winning Ethical Hacker, Senior Application Security Architect and Purple Team Program Manager — a niche in offensive security testing that has recently gained popularity demonstrating cyber resilience in the advanced threat landscape. Maril is also Co-host and Co-founder of The Cyber Queens Podcast, an all-female-lead podcast aimed at increasing female and LGBTQ diversity in cybersecurity. She also serves as the COO of Teach Kids Tech, a non-profit organization with the goal of getting technology and its educational resources to children in underprivileged communities and increasing technical capability and cyber awareness in tomorrow’s workforce. Maril has been named one of the ‘Epic Women in Cyber,’ 2023 CyberSHEcurity “Top 10 Women in Cyber,” 2023 Women’s CyberJustu Pentest Ninja Award winner, and is a finalist for Cybersecurity woman of the Year: Hacker of the Year and Cybersecurity Woman of the World 2023! She is also an SME and contributing writer to CSO Online magazine on cyber resilience, Purple and Red Team best practices and industry trends. Maril’s passion for closing the gender gap in cyber is further highlighted in her affiliations with The Cyber Guild, The Diana Initiative, BBWIC, and WiCyS.

In this captivating and humorously satirical presentation, we delve into the art of transforming from a mere mortal into a powerhouse of success. This talk will take you on a rollercoaster ride through the highs and lows of professional growth, showing you how to rise above obstacles with confidence and flair.

Prepare to unleash your inner boss as we unveil unconventional strategies to amplify your personal brand. From witty maneuvers to daring tactics, we’ll explore how to get creative and stand out in a crowded marketplace. It’s time to take charge of your destiny and soar to new heights in your career.

Join us for an enlightening and entertaining experience that will leave you inspired, motivated, and ready to conquer the world of professional achievement. Get ready to cyber like a boss.

Megan is a passionate rising cybersecurity professional who is interested in programming, cybersecurity, and web development. She is attending Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona to earn a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity. Megan is currently a Threat Analysis Intern for the Arizona Threat Intelligence Support Unit (TISU) and a Cloud Penetration Testing Intern for Cisco this summer. Megan works as a freelance bug bounty hunter and is particularly focused on hunting for web security vulnerabilities. Megan also contributes to open-source projects on GitHub. Megan is a nationally recognized cybersecurity scholar and has earned industry-recognized certifications through GIAC, ETA, TestOut, and Microsoft. Megan is a 2021 National Cyber Scholar, 2021 NCWIT National Honorable Mention, and a member of a SkillsUSA top 5 team in cybersecurity. As a female student in cybersecurity, Megan also shares her perspective on cybersecurity and women in technology with audiences worldwide.Megan is a passionate rising cybersecurity professional who is interested in programming, cybersecurity, and web development. She is attending Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona to earn a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity. Megan is currently a Threat Analysis Intern for the Arizona Threat Intelligence Support Unit (TISU) and a Cloud Penetration Testing Intern for Cisco this summer. Megan works as a freelance bug bounty hunter and is particularly focused on hunting for web security vulnerabilities. Megan also contributes to open-source projects on GitHub. Megan is a nationally recognized cybersecurity scholar and has earned industry-recognized certifications through GIAC, ETA, TestOut, and Microsoft. Megan is a 2021 National Cyber Scholar, 2021 NCWIT National Honorable Mention, and a member of a SkillsUSA top 5 team in cybersecurity. As a female student in cybersecurity, Megan also shares her perspective on cybersecurity and women in technology with audiences worldwide.

How is the cybersecurity industry going to recruit the next generation of cyber warriors? How are we going to increase diversity in the cybersecurity field? With the high workforce gap, we need a way to get the next generation interested in the field at a young age and show girls the fun of cybersecurity. Almost no high schools and only a few universities offer practical cybersecurity programs, and extracurricular cybersecurity programs are few and not well known. All of these factors show that most children are not being exposed to the field and that industry needs to do something to support the next generation. Join college student and Offensive Security Intern Megan Howell as she talks about how she got interested in cybersecurity, how she was provided opportunities to learn through classes, extracurricular, competitions, internships, and more, and how you and your organization can provide similar opportunities to youth and the adults that support them.

Roberto Rodriguez, also known as Cyb3rWard0g in the Infosec community, is a respected security researcher at the Microsoft Security Research organization. He is well-known for his contributions to the field, including the creation of influential open-source projects such as the Threat Hunter Playbook, Security Datasets, OSSEM, SimuLand, and ATT&CK Python Client. Roberto’s work has had a significant impact on the cybersecurity community, promoting proactive threat hunting and knowledge sharing. His expertise and dedication have made a lasting impact on the industry, shaping the future of cybersecurity.

In this talk, I will provide a high-level overview and demo of large language models (LLMs) and their application in security research. LLMs have emerged as powerful tools for processing and understanding natural language, offering unique opportunities for the security domain. During the demo, I will showcase the practical application of retrieval augmentation with MITRE attack groups, enabling security researchers to query and leverage their own threat intelligence effectively. By exploring this experiment, attendees will gain valuable insights and be encouraged to use it as a foundation to query their own threat intelligence, regardless of their experience with LLMs. Whether you’re new to LLMs or have prior experience, this talk aims to inspire researchers by demonstrating how LLMs can empower security teams, unlock new perspectives, and spark innovative research ideas in the realm of cybersecurity.

Talya C. Parker is an Industry change maker, mentor, wife and mother of two. She is also a highly accomplished Privacy and Security Engineer Lead at Google, with over 10 years of experience in the fields of Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Risk Management. Her impressive career spans top corporations like Deloitte, Nike, and the Georgia Technology Research Institute (GTRI), where she successfully managed complex projects across various industries.

Beyond her professional endeavors, Talya is the Founder and Executive Director of the BGiC Foundation (Black Girls in Cyber), championing diversity and inclusivity in cybersecurity, privacy, and STEM fields for women of color. BGiC provides training, mentorship, networking, and job placement services to bridge the gender and racial gap in the industry.

Talya’s exceptional contributions to the industry have garnered recognition, making her a sought-after speaker at prestigious events such as the White House OCND, the National Security Agency (NSA), CISA’s Cyber Security Summit, and the RSA Conference. She also actively shares her passion for fostering women in cybersecurity, privacy, and STEM fields through various podcasts and speaking engagements.

Embracing the brillaince and resilience of black women in security and privacy

Toby is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Cyber Skyline, a leading cybersecurity skills evaluation platform used by firms such as CrowdStrike, Pinterest, and Synchrony Financial along with over 500 colleges and universities across the U.S. each year. Toby also serves as an instructor in the Advanced Cybersecurity Experience for Students (ACES) Honors College program at the University of Maryland.

If you’ve got the basics down and want to find out how you can strength your CTF game, then you’ll want to join us. In this interactive session, we’ll show you how you can use Wireshark to dive deep into packets and find out what hidden data is being sent on the wire. We’ll also show you the Linux command line to help you solve CTF challenges and teach you some password cracking techniques. Make sure to come prepared with your laptop and a Kali Linux virtual machine!

Yarden is an iOS security researcher at Cellebrite labs

iOS is considered to be one of the most secure operating systems in the world.
Apple puts a lot of effort to maximize security on their platforms
They are building layers on layers of protections in order to make exploitation much harder
But how are they doing it?
In this talk we will go through some of iOS security mechanisms and the way they complete each other for maximum coverage.

Camille Singleton brings seventeen years of professional experience to cybersecurity topics, both in the US government and as an analyst at IBM. She is conversant on a range of topics affecting the cyber threat landscape, including industry-specific analysis, multifactor authentication, ransomware, destructive malware, and phishing trends. She has published multiple articles addressing pressing cybersecurity topics, ranging from threats to operational technology and vulnerability management to Powershell-based attacks and trends in ransomware. Camille has appeared as a speaker at THINK, RSA 365, the Australian Cyber Conference, and multiple WiCyS events and has authored several white papers, including “Combating Destructive Malware: Lessons from the Front Lines” and the 2021 and 2022 IBM Security X-Force Threat Intelligence Index. She has two master’s degrees — one from Oxford University and another from George Mason University — lending academic depth to her analysis to complement her professional experience. Since May 2023, Camille has been managing the Adversary Investigations and Analysis Team in X-Force Threat Intelligence, where her team tracks threat actor TTPs and provides intelligence support to X-Force Incident Response Team.

The Unique Advantages of Women in Tackling Cybersecurity Problems

Malik Girondin has diverse work experience starting from 2017 in the Customer Service sector, specifically in Walgreens, where he worked as a Customer Service Associate and handled phone calls, resolved customer issues and complaints, and conducted exchanges, returns, and refunds. Malik then shifted to the Healthcare sector, where he worked as a Customer Service Specialist at HealthTrust Workforce Solutions and answered incoming inquiries from DHPs, Facilities, and Agencies.


Moving to the Technology and Cybersecurity sector, he worked as a Network Operations Center Technician at Global Linking Solutions in 2022, where he performed proactive monitoring, configuration management, and fault resolution of assigned client networks.


In the same year, he worked as a Security Analyst at RingCentral, where they maintained and enhanced monitoring capabilities of their systems and networks and coordinated with various departments within the company. Malik also worked in BlackHawk Data as a SOC Analyst, where he monitored computer networks for security issues, investigated security breaches and other cybersecurity incidents, and installed security measures and operating software.


In 2023, Malik started working in Security Blue Team as a Junior Defensive Content Engineer and in Correlation One as a Teaching Assistant in Cybersecurity. Malik taught cybersecurity and provided office hour sessions for Fellows, worked with fellow TAs, and lead instructors on ways to improve the learner experience. Malik also hosted review sessions to ensure Fellow’s progress and satisfaction. Additionally, they worked for BlackGirlsHack as a Course Instructor in Cybersecurity.


Malik Girondin has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Information Technology Management from Western Governors University and many certifications under his belt.

I am going to talk about Content Engineer being a new and thriving career within cybersecurity. I will also talk about the state of cybersecurity and how can we become better professionals.

Ryan is cybersecurity professional with a focus on security policy from a Governance, Risk and Compliance space. His journey to cybersecurity has given him a unique perspective on the industry and how we can best serve our communities. After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Whittier College he became deeply involved in elections and election administration. While working with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder to pilot the county’s new voting system he decided to continue to pursue formal education in the cybersecurity field. After completing a course of study at Cal State University Long Beach, Ryan made the transition into cyber in a help desk role and currently serves as a Compliance Analyst for one of the top MSSP’s in the nation. Ryan’s ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between legislators and cybersecurity professionals. Recognizing that effective cybersecurity policies are crucial for securing not just government systems but also the online landscape for all citizens, he aims to advocate for sensible and comprehensive cybersecurity policies. By leveraging his background in political science and cybersecurity expertise, Ryan seeks to promote legislation that will protect and educate marginalized communities as they navigate the digital realm.

How our most mundane security policies can lead to some of our most meaningful security maturity wins? Good habits build on one another, just like bad habits. Our good habits tend to encourage other auxiliary good habits. A neat space, cultivates a neat mind.  In this talk, we will explore how neatness is the under celebrated linchpin of a mature cybersecurity culture.

Planning Committee

Emefa Agodo

Alshlon Banks

Billy Davidson

Gina Griffin

Garrett Hannett

Tammy Hinkle 

Aleise McGowan

Tennisha Martin 

Tanisha O’Donoghue

Ryan Richard 

Rebekah Skeete

Kreli Washington

Schedule

SquadCon is please to present to you the below schedule of talks, workshops, and events. We are confident that there will something that all attendees will enjoy. We look forward to meeting each and every attendee and making this a memorable time to be had by all. 

Fly on the Wall – These are Chatam House Rule style conversation where you are free to use the information from a discussion but you cannot say who the speaker was or what organization they are from. You will be asked to check your phone at the door. These conversations are limited to 40 people

Room 404 – Events in these spaces are limited to 40 people and are first come first served unless they are workshops with a waiting list. That’s if you can even find the room!

DAY 1 (AUGUST 10, 2023)

Time

Session

Speaker

Venue

Tennisha Martin
Camille Stewart Gloster, Esquire
Tennisha Martin, Tia Hopkins
Amit Srivastava
Tia Hopkins
Chloe Messdaghi, TBD, TBD
Stacey Champagne
Toni Benson
Phillip Wylie
Chantel Sims
National Cyber League
Stefani Goerlich
Tennisha Martin
Weijia Yan
Chloe Messdaghi
National Cyber League

DAY 2 (AUGUST 11, 2023)

Time

Session

Speaker

Venue

Craig Newmark
TBD
Security Innovations
Director Jen Easterly
Madeline Eckert
Sylvea Burks-Hollis
George Kamide
Sarah Young
Camille Singleton
Eliad Kimhy
Christine Liu
Sarah Young
Garrett Hannett
Ryan Richard
Merritt Baer, Camille Singleton, Tennisha Martin

DAY 3 (AUGUST 12, 2023)

Time

Session

Speaker

Venue

Marcus J Carey
Yarden Hamami
David Mockler, Jocelyn Sparks
Rebekah Skeete
Maril Vernon
Vanessa Vining
TBD
TBD
Tennisha Martin
TBD

Sign up for your preferred attendance

The first 15 to sign up for a workshop will have a reserved spot in our workshops. For the preregistered spots, your registration will be held for 10 minutes at the start of the workshop and will be released to others wishing to participate if you do not show up. 

Headshot and Resume Review

SquadCon is providing free Headshot and Resume review serices to all SquadCon participants. If you choose to utilize these free services it is imperative that you use the links below to sign up for secured time slot. 

***Headshot***

***Resume Review***

Ticket

General Admission

$172.50

Access to full-day events and networking, Access to sponsors, Access to party

VIP Admission

$230

Access to full-day events and networking, Access to sponsors, Access to party, Custom Badge, Free Shuttleor Lyft from Strip To/From the Industrial Event Space (Once each day)

VIP+ Admission

$287.50

Access to full-day events and networking, Access to sponsors, Access to party, Custom Badge, Free Shuttleor Lyft from Strip To/From the Industrial Event Space (Once each day), Box lunch all three days.

Virtual Only Ticket

FREE

Access to live-streamed talks

Virtual +

$80.50

Access to live-streamed talks. Custom Badge (Shipped to U.S. addresses)

Venue

Play Video

Welcome to The Industrial Event Space

The Industrial Event Space

2330 S Industrial Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89102,
United States of America,
(702) 423-3946

Great location see map

BECOME A MEMBER OF BGH

If you wish to become a member of BGH there is a special 50% percent off sale going on during SquadCon after which time the membership will go back to full price. also, as a special thank you there will be a raffle drawing for a swag bag for one of our new members who signs up during SquadCon. As always you have the choice to purchase a free membership as well.