22 years in the military is a very long time. Which ups and downs in your career shaped you and made you the person you are today?
Seeing the extreme and difficult life situations that normal people living through war must endure, and losing good friends that were too young, has affected me quite profoundly I believe. But in parallel to that, becoming a husband and father; while still carrying out operational tours of duty was an impactful experience that focused my mind on what is important to me in life. I would routinely be required to be deployed away from home for up to 6 to 8 months at a time in the earlier half of my career. Having a strong and supportive wife beside me all that time is something I’m grateful for every day.
Talking about your job back then: What were your main duties and responsibilities as a Communications Systems Engineer in the Royal Corps of Signals?
On top of the standard duties of being a senior soldier, within that job description, I had the opportunity to experience a wide range of roles and job experiences as my career progressed. These ranged from deploying and maintaining TCP/IP networks, building and deploying IT systems, web development, scripting and programming, electronics and circuit repair, management of junior engineers, IT project management, Service Inspections management and delivery, and teaching and mentoring subordinates, to name a few key things. Later on, I applied to join the specialized field of Military Cyber Operations and was privileged to be accepted into this area. I then worked as a Cyber Operator for the military for a big chunk of my time in the second half of my career and received some awards for part of my operational work which was the first of its kind.
What was a typical working day like for you?
The last 2 years before I left the military I was working teaching at the Defence Cyber School of the Defence Academy of the UK, (now renamed to just The Defence Cyber Academy (DCA)). My day job was teaching Offensive Cyber Operations skills and techniques to new entrants into the field that would go into Cyber Offense or Cyber Defence roles in the military and government. I collaborated with others to develop parts of what has now become the DCA Cyber Foundation Pathway. Day-to-day, I typically had a classroom of about 20 or so students, and I would be teaching hacking and penetration testing skills most days, or overseeing exams.
Afterwards you moved from the UK to Germany. Was there a particular reason for this?
The very first place the British Army sent me was to work for 3 years in Germany. So I was in Hammersmith Barracks right here in Herford. During that time I met my future wife Kirsten and we dated for a couple of years before we married and started a family together. So I ended up requesting to stay in Germany for longer and was also sent to work in Sennelager, Paderborn for a while.
Growing a family here gave me a sense that Germany is our home and where we should settle. Also being from Herford, my wife wanted to be close to her family after so many years supporting me all over the places we ended up living. So, moving back to Herford was always our family plan.
How did DTS cooperate with your background? Meaning coming from another country, not speaking German, first working in IT in the military and now you do a different job for an IT company?
I speak just about enough German to get by in conversation, but DTS has been a perfect fit for me to be honest, anything I’ve ever needed support with or any questions or concerns I’ve had; have always been dealt with in a way that sees me as a person and provided me what I needed.
At DTS, you work in the cyber security as a Senior Offensive Security Researcher, which is a little bit different than your former job. What made you decide to work in the field of offensive security?
Well, I already came from a senior background in Offensive Cyber Security, so it is a natural fit that is a continuation of the previous experiences I’ve had to be honest.
Are there any similar aspects in these jobs to find?
Yes, working as part of a professionally motivated team is a big plus point for me, and is something that I’m very happy about in the DTS Offensive Cyber Security Team. The skills and knowledge I need to apply in research and testing for customers is very similar to the work I’ve done in the past also, so I’m able to transfer most of my skilled experience to the work I do to help customers improve their security posture.
Last but not least: Do you have any tips that you can give to prospective offensive security researchers?
The big things I would look for in a teammate are a passion for the subject and an aptitude for lateral thinking. My advice is to always be learning something new, but also practice getting comfortable with not knowing all the information at first, this is what being a researcher is like when encountering an unfamiliar technology. Unlike defenders, attackers don’t get to choose the software they need to try to find a weakness in.
Lastly, I would say, don’t let impostor syndrome whisper to you that you don’t belong doing such work. Everyone feels that sometimes because the offensive research field is so broad. No one can keep up with everything all the time, just pick the niche that you are most interested in and become the best you can be in that area.
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