Hacker Valley Studio

Finding the Right IT Teacher with Kevin Apolinario

Kevin Apolinario, better known as Kevtech IT Support on Youtube, brings his teaching skills to Hacker Valley to talk about the barriers to entry in IT. Disheartened by the lack of good advice given to him as he entered the tech world, Kev breaks down programs and concepts, such as helpdesk, for IT practitioners that may not have access to expensive equipment or formal education. Anyone can learn IT, and it’s Kev’s mission to help everyone find the method and the teacher that helps them learn the best.

 

Timecoded Guide:

[00:00] Forming Kevtech IT Support to give the right IT advice

[07:21] Helpdesk success through customer service skills

[11:49] Printers on VPNs and other major IT troubleshooting lessons

[15:56] Customizing teaching and learning experiences for each IT practitioner

[19:54] Better IT and cyber online communities through shared passion

 

Sponsor Links:

Thank you to our sponsors Axonius and AttackIQ for bringing this episode to life! 

Want to learn more about how Mindbody enhanced their asset visibility and increased their cybersecurity maturity rating with Axonius? Check out axonius.com/mindbody 

AttackIQ - better insights, better decisions, and real security outcomes. That's why we partnered with them to create free cybersecurity trainings! Check it out at academy.attackiq.com

 

What was your inspiration to start teaching as Kevtech IT Support? 

 

Kev hardly had a traditional journey into IT, instead having jobs in the restaurant industry and law enforcement before even considering entering the tech world. When Kev became a Field Technician for the Department of Education and began learning the ropes of IT, he realized there weren’t resources available for someone of his background to learn simple concepts or master common technical programs. After dealing with the frustrations of education gaps and unreliable advice, Kev decided to be the person for new IT technicians to learn from.

 

“My journey was rough, because I didn't have anyone guiding me, I didn't have anyone telling me what certs to get. I didn't have anyone telling me the tips and tricks for starting in IT.”

 

Was it intentional to interweave your name and brand and have them be synonymous? 

 

Hacker Valley feels synonymous with Chris and Ron’s branding for themselves, and Kev maintains a similar element of that with Kevtech IT Support, especially considering he weaves his name directly into his branding. For Kev, this was an entirely purposeful decision, born out of his own desire to be known as Kev, the helpdesk IT guru on YouTube. Building a brand with authenticity about who he is personally and professionally shows other IT professionals that their work or education experiences don’t have to be separate from who they really are.

 

“That was on purpose for me because I always wanted to be known as the helpdesk guru of IT. Someone that does IT superbly and helps everyone…I wanted to actually show people real-life experiences.”

 

How would you go about having a tough conversation with somebody whose passion isn’t in IT or cyber? 

 

Some people are just in it for the money, whether that “it” is IT or cybersecurity. Considering the spotlight being placed on cyber labor shortages and tech skills gaps, many professionals have considered joining the field without the passion to support their new job shift. Although Kev believes everyone should be welcome to learn about IT, he understands that there’s a cause of concern in making IT all about the money. The industry needs passionate individuals, Kev explains, and the desire to learn needs to be present when you take that next step into IT.

 

“I'm sorry, but this field is not for everyone. If you're going to work helpdesk, or IT support, you need to know how to deal with customer service, you need to know how to deal with people.”

 

What piece of advice would you have for cyber or IT professionals looking to level up their community?

 

From Kev’s perspective, gatekeeping isn’t just mean, it’s legitimately harmful to the IT community. IT professionals can’t level up without leaders willing to step up and teach their knowledge. Hiding IT tips or tricks doesn’t save careers, it only succeeds in hurting other IT practitioners and negatively impacting customers relying on that expertise. Kev advocates for increasing transparency within the IT and cyber communities, and explains that gaining knowledge should be valued more than capital gains by practitioners and professionals.

 

“I believe in helping the community, I believe in sharing your knowledge. So, the more engaged you get with the community, the better it is for everyone.”

 

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Links:

 

Keep up with Kevin Apolinario on LinkedIn

Check out Kevtech IT Support on YouTube and Discord

Connect with Ron Eddings on LinkedIn and Twitter

Connect with Chris Cochran on LinkedIn and Twitter

Purchase a HVS t-shirt at our shop

Continue the conversation by joining our Discord

Check out Hacker Valley Media and Hacker Valley Studio

Making Hacking Accessible with Deviant Ollam

In this season of Hacker Valley Red, we focus on cybersecurity legends in offensive operations with a legend in the physical pen testing and lockpicking: Deviant Ollam. As a pioneer in our industry and an author of two incredible books about lockpicking, Deviant shares his history from hobbyist to professional and all that he’s learned along the way about making the secrets of the hacking world accessible to all.

Timecoded Guide:

[01:28] Defining the pioneers in cybersecurity

[08:47] Deviant’s first explorations in lockpicking

[16:03] Accessing and democratizing hacking secrets

[18:58] Becoming an author to transfer his knowledge

[23:12] Seeing the past, present, and future of hacking

Sponsor Links:

Thank you to our sponsors Axonius and PlexTrac for bringing this season of HVR to life!

Life is complex. But it’s not about avoiding challenges or fearing failure. Just ask Simone Biles — the greatest gymnast of all time. Want to learn more about how Simone controls complexity? Watch her video at axonius.com/simone

PlexTrac is pleased to offer an exclusive Red Team Content Bundle for Hacker Valley listeners. This bundle contains both our "Writing a Killer Penetration Test Report" and "Effective Purple Teaming" white papers in ONE awesome package. Head to PlexTrac.com/HackerValley to learn more about the platform and get your copy! And be sure to come say hello to us at Black Hat at Booth #1686!

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What does it mean to be a pioneer in cybersecurity?

As our season focuses on legends, it’s important that we explain what makes these individuals such a vital part of our community. In the case of this episode, we explain that our guest Deviant is nothing short of a pioneer. Deviant has been willing to take on new challenges and revolutionize the industry throughout his career, influencing hundreds of individuals and leaving a lasting educational impact on the entire industry.

“That ‘zero to one’ part can be the hardest part of any progression in any field, but especially in cybersecurity.” — Chris

 

When you reflect on changing this whole industry, how does that make you feel?

Despite our guest’s legendary reputation, Deviant is humble about his achievements, caring more about how his work has impacted others than himself. What he focuses most on in his teaching, presentations, and writing is making lockpicking and penetration testing accessible and understandable. Instead of harboring secrets and perpetuating exclusionary policies, Deviant wants anyone to be able to master these skills and understand this knowledge.

“I’m not the first one who ever did this. What I like to think of my contributions is that they have chiefly been making it accessible and democratizing this knowledge.” — Deviant

 

Do you think it's harder today to stand out than it was a couple decades ago?

For Deviant, our globalized internet and algorithm-focus social media sites are both a blessing and a curse. While knowledge can be found on every corner of the web and anyone can become familiar with information that was once borderline inaccessible, Deviant also recognizes that younger hackers and lockpickers will have a very different rise to success than he did years ago, especially due to fragmented audiences and tricky algorithms.

“We have more avenues to put yourself on display, to put yourself out there than ever before, but that means the audience is fragmented and is spread so thin.” — Deviant

 

What piece of advice would you have for the folks that want to make an impact in security and technology and in our community today?

Although success will look different for newer members of our cybersecurity community, Deviant is confident that the younger innovative minds of the future will be able to solve so many of the long-standing problems within our industry. However, he reminds our younger audience that they need to still respect the tenured members of the cybersecurity world and to learn from them without oversimplifying the issues past professionals have faced.

“Start thinking about it in a way that doesn’t use ‘just,’ because every old head in the industry has heard that….We couldn’t ‘just’ do it, or we would’ve ‘just’ done it.” - Deviant

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LINKS:

Spend some time with our guest, Deviant Ollam, on his website, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube channel.

Keep up with Hacker Valley on our website, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.

Follow Ron Eddings on Twitter.

Catch up with Chris Cochan on Twitter.

Cyber Espionage & Entrepreneurship with Karim Hijazi

Karim Hijazi, Founder & CEO at Prevailion and host of the Introverted Iconoclast podcast, comes to Hacker Valley Studio to discuss his varied experiences in entrepreneurship. With a humble start in bartending, Karim explains how learning about people inspired his exploration into counterespionage and cybersecurity. Armed with stories from the streets of NYC to the hallways of his own companies, this episode is a look into the mind of a successful entrepreneur and founder of 2 incredible businesses.

Timecoded Guide:

[00:00] Bartending in NYC and its overlap with espionage and entrepreneurship

[07:14] Real-life knowledge application in cyber intelligence 

[12:15] Founding Unveillance and being acquired by Mandiant 

[18:22] Karim’s entrepreneurial mindset and his journey with Prevailion 

[24:51] DIY podcasting with Introverted Iconoclast and learning to tell his stories

 

Sponsor Links:

Thank you to our sponsors Axonius and AttackIQ for bringing this episode to life! 

Want to learn more about how Mindbody enhanced their asset visibility and increased their cybersecurity maturity rating with Axonius? Check out axonius.com/mindbody 
AttackIQ - better insights, better decisions, and real security outcomes. That's why we partnered with them to create free cybersecurity trainings! Check it out at academy.attackiq.com

 

How do your experiences in bartending and espionage overlap?

The jobs taken as a means to an end just might teach something invaluable. This was the case for Karim, who took a job bartending to make ends meet while he figured out what he wanted to do with his future. At the time, cybersecurity and counterespionage weren’t on Karim’s radar, but bartending taught him about people; how they act when they want something and how to connect with them even in the busiest and most public places. Learning this changed the game for Karim when he got into the espionage world and assisted him even more so when he became an entrepreneur in the industry.

“It's just learning the way to slowly gain a confidence level with someone. It's actually where the word "con man" comes from, confidence man. Ultimately, that is how you get the information you need.” 

 

What are the different aspects that organizations or individuals look at with counterintelligence?

At Karim’s own firm, the shift from competitive intelligence to counterintelligence focused around three security aspects. One, identifying weak spots and vulnerabilities, noticing your points of exploitations and vectors of attack. Two, taking advantage of disinformation, using it to root out moles within an organization and throw off cyber adversaries. Finally, three, finding out where your information is going and noticing where there is weaker security than your own. Karim emphasizes that in this third aspect, it is not so much about an organization’s strategy when the information is still at home. It’s harder to secure information once it goes elsewhere.

“A controlled rumor within an organization can do several things. It can weed out a mole that you may have, a spy within your organization that maybe you don't know about, that's been able to be hired and gotten through the background checks and whatnot.”

 

When you look back to starting your journey as an entrepreneur, what are some of the wrong assumptions you made early on? 

Karim, like many entrepreneurs, was under the impression when he founded his first company, Unveillance, that he should be seeking to hire, not to do anything himself. While hiring is an important part of being a business owner, Karim has realized that it's better to learn how every piece of the machine of a company works before hiring. Trying things out for himself and taking a chance on his own abilities hasn’t been easy, but it’s made him a better leader for his employees. If they drop the ball or need his assistance, he’s able to lead from a place of understanding and call the shots with his own vision in mind and his own knowledge to back him up. 

“As a CEO, it's almost imperative for you to go and try it all, even if you fumble through it and you get by with something that is subpar. It's better to have tried it and understand it, so now you know how to call the shots a little better.” 

 

What prompted you to start your podcast, Introverted Iconoclast?

Ironically enough, Karim’s podcast was a do-it-yourself project born out of having an employee drop the ball on creating it for him. Relying on himself and struggling his way through the beginning, Karim realized that podcasting is not just about the equipment and the idea behind it, it’s about the stories being told. Focusing on the lead up and context around some of his own career stories and professional highlights, Karim was able to discover the rhythm for his podcast and build a solid foundation of content that opened up doors for new topics to be addressed and new guests to welcome onto his show. 

“It's very cathartic for me. Speaking the stories out loud, rather than just sort of regaling people over a dinner or thinking back on them nostalgically, is extremely interesting because you remember things you don't remember when you're casually talking about them.”

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Links:

Keep up with Karim Hijazi on LinkedIn and Twitter

Check out Prevailion on their website

Connect with Ron Eddings on LinkedIn and Twitter

Connect with Chris Cochran on LinkedIn and Twitter

Purchase a HVS t-shirt at our shop

Continue the conversation by joining our Discord

Check out Hacker Valley Media and Hacker Valley Studio

Where Cyber Meets Content Creation with Henri Davis

Henri Davis, CEO of TechTual Consulting & host of the TechTual Talk Podcast, comes to Hacker Valley this week to talk about his history with cybersecurity incident response and the content he currently creates with the TechTual Chatter Youtube channel. From interview tips, passion vs creativity, the intersection of cybersecurity and content creation, Henri walks through the path his career has taken him on, as well as imparts advice on those looking to follow a similar journey.

 

Timecoded Guide:

[00:00] Explaining incident response’s role in cyber 

[07:15] Henri’s journey from incident response to TechTual CEO 

[14:04] TechTual Consulting’s content about interviews & breaking into cybersecurity

[23:43] Marrying passions together within your career path

[29:54] Career path advice, cybersecurity vs content creation

 

Sponsor Links:

Thank you to our sponsors Axonius and AttackIQ for bringing this episode to life! 

Want to learn more about how Mindbody enhanced their asset visibility and increased their cybersecurity maturity rating with Axonius? Check out axonius.com/mindbody 

AttackIQ - better insights, better decisions, and real security outcomes. That's why we partnered with them to create free cybersecurity trainings! Check it out at academy.attackiq.com

 

If you could explain it to someone who has never been in a cybersecurity incident before, what is it like from the beginning of the incident through to closure?

While the majority of Henri’s work revolves currently on content creation, Henri’s background in cyber has extensive involvement in incident response. Incident response, although vital for today’s cyber industry, is sometimes misunderstood, even by cybersecurity practitioners. Henri explains that incident response is something you don’t see the usefulness of until you do it, and that attempting to work through an incident can feel like dealing with a car crash; you always have a risk of something like this happening, and it matters how you prepare for it.

“An incident is like a car wreck. A wreck is something that you have a potential risk for, but you drive with insurance hoping that if it does happen, you know what to do. And even though it happens, you're still not prepared for the actual wreck.”

 

How are you hoping to help people, especially those breaking into cybersecurity, with TechTual’s content?

Henri’s focus on TechTual has given him an outlet for content creation and he hopes to use that platform to consistently help others. With the pandemic creating many jobless and job searching people, Henri saw an opportunity to focus on cybersecurity and IT content and assist outsiders looking to transition into the cyber industry. From tips about interviews to assistance with resumes, Henri often covers the basics with the mission to empower others, no matter their background, to embrace the ever-expanding industry. 

“My goal is to say it's okay. Everyone has a starting place, everyone has to start from somewhere. Just build your skill set up and eventually, you won't even have to have your LinkedIn profile open for work.”

 

When you find something that you're passionate about, and then you find another thing that you're passionate about, how do you marry those two together?

A marriage between passion is definitely possible, especially when looking at someone like Henri, who combines his love of content creation with his experience in cybersecurity and his passion for helping others. However, Henri is realistic in explaining that there’s a give and a take to the decisions made around your career path and how passions impact that. Henri recommends choosing a career path not just centered around passion, but instead focused on providing for yourself and your family. When your needs are fulfilled with your job, your passions and hobbies can grow and turn into legitimate projects in your life.

“If I was just by myself, I could just bet on myself, I always bet on myself. When you have that family aspect to it, you have to kind of weigh your options and see when the time is going to be right, and how you can do that.”

 

What is that one piece of advice that you would have for somebody that's looking to take one path in their career journey, but they have many paths before them?

During episodes of TechTual Talk and TechTual Chatter, Henri focuses heavily on career advice, especially when it comes to making the right decisions in your career journey and behaving professionally during the interview and job search processes. When asked about advice he would give, Henri explains that prioritizing logical paths and being honest in the work you do will always have a positive impact on job prospects. For example, lying in the interview process can lead to long term dissatisfaction between employee and employer, and building a career without a logical path is never a strong foundation for anyone’s future.

“What is the most logical path for you right now? Which one is the lowest barrier to entry for you? What's going to take care of you, or whatever your situation is? Try to do that first, and then reserve time for your passion.”

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Links:

Keep up with Henri Davis on LinkedIn and the TechTual Consulting Website.

Check out Henri’s podcast, TechTual Talk, and his Youtube Channel, TechTual Chatter.

Connect with Ron Eddings on LinkedIn and Twitter

Connect with Chris Cochran on LinkedIn and Twitter

Purchase a HVS t-shirt at our shop

Continue the conversation by joining our Discord

Check out Hacker Valley Media and Hacker Valley Studio

Financial Independence & Freedom with Eddie Thomason

Eddie Thomason, bestselling author, speaker, consultant, and creator of the Simply Secure podcast, comes to Hacker Valley Studio to discuss financial independence, the freedom of a healthy work-life balance, and habits that have helped him succeed. As a father of two with a full-time job and a thriving content creation career, Eddie explains not only how he does it all, but also how much he cares about helping other security professionals achieve the same level of success.

 

Timecoded Guide:

[00:00] Eddie’s background & his current cyber role with Data Locker

[06:07] Growing up in Baltimore City & finding his podcasting inspiration

[13:10] Balancing work & life with calendar planning 

[19:13] 4 essential habits: reading, listening, association, & work

[28:20] Advice for digital content creators & security professionals 

 

Sponsor Links:

Thank you to our sponsors Axonius and AttackIQ for bringing this episode to life! 

Want to learn more about how Mindbody enhanced their asset visibility and increased their cybersecurity maturity rating with Axonius? Check out axonius.com/mindbody 

AttackIQ - better insights, better decisions, and real security outcomes. That's why we partnered with them to create free cybersecurity trainings! Check it out at academy.attackiq.com

 

What is the connection between cybersecurity and this financial independence and freedom mindset you have?

In his book, on his podcast, and throughout his career, Eddie has emphasized the importance of financial independence, especially when it comes to diversifying his income. Instead of calling his projects and revenue streams “side hustles,” Eddie prefers to think of them as baby businesses; small businesses in the infant stage that have massive professional potential. With COVID severely changing Eddie’s economic perspective, he firmly believes in having multiple sources of income and in fostering the growth of each project until he’s seeing revenue to rival the full-time income he already makes in his day job.

“If you look at it as a side hustle, that's all it's ever going to be, it's just something that creates a little bit of extra income, but if you look at it as a baby business, that could really replace the income that you currently make.” 

 

How do you balance content creation, day-to-day job responsibilities, and fatherhood? 

Being an author and a cybersecurity consultant can both already be demanding jobs, but throwing 2 young children and an entire podcast into the mix makes Eddie’s success borderline hard to believe. However, Eddie credits his success to understanding his priorities and heavily managing his calendar. Entrepreneurs need to think of their schedules down to the minute, maybe even the second. Eddie is not afraid to set aside time for his children, even if it means he has to work in the evenings on his own entrepreneurial goals. Eddie knows that when he puts his calendar together, he is giving himself the time he needs and deserves to work and spend time on what’s important to him, even alongside all his other responsibilities as an employee.

“If you're going to work for 8 hours a day for somebody else's dream, then why can't you come home on a daily basis and give yourself at least 2 hours? We're not talking about a whole nother 8, but give yourself at least two hours. From the hours of 5 to 7, what can you do to invest in yourself?”

 

What are some successful habits you’ve picked up throughout your life and that you mention in your book, Unlock Yourself?

Four successful habits guide Eddie through his busy life as an entrepreneur and full-time worker, the first of which is reading. Reading is a source of knowledge and connection with others, and Eddie has learned amazing lessons from reading books and articles. The second is listening, which, just like reading, offers Eddie the ability to learn and to connect with the world. Coming in third is association. Surrounding himself with people who inspire him and are dedicated to his goals reminds Eddie of how badly he wants this. Fourth and finally, work. Putting in the work without expecting the success to happen overnight helps Eddie with his patience and always leads to a much better payoff.

“If you surround yourself with incredible people who inspire you and uplift you and encourage you, then there's no reason why you should not get to your goal. There's no reason why you should give up because you have people that understand how badly you want to accomplish your goals. They won't let you quit on yourself.” 

 

Do you have advice for those looking to achieve success similar to you? 

Although it may seem daunting to tackle a career as extensive as Eddie’s, Eddie is confident that his mindset around work can help anyone become successful. Most specifically, amongst all the entrepreneurial advice Eddie gives, his strongest point centers around understanding the “why.” Knowing why he does what he does not only helps keep Eddie on track for a solid work-life balance, it also allows him to see the impact his work has on the people around him. With his wife being a stay-at-home mom and his children being young, Eddie understands the necessity of his hard work and wants to inspire his family with his continued success.

“If I don't perform, the people around me suffer. If I don't do what I need to do, then the people around me are not going to be better off. The impact that it is going to have on them is so much heavier than the impact that it'll actually have on me individually.”

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Links:

Keep up with Eddie Thomason on his website, Youtube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook

Check out Eddie’s podcast, the Simply Secure Podcast, and his book, Unlock Yourself

Connect with Ron Eddings on LinkedIn and Twitter

Connect with Chris Cochran on LinkedIn and Twitter

Purchase a HVS t-shirt at our shop

Continue the conversation by joining our Discord

Check out Hacker Valley Media and Hacker Valley Studio