Winn Schwartau (@winnschwartau)
"The Civilian Architect of Information Warfare"
Winn Schwartau is one of the world's top experts on security, privacy, infowar, cyber-terrorism, and related topics. He is also the president and founder of The Security Awareness Company.
Winn is gifted at making highly technical security subjects understandable and entertaining. In addition to being called "The Civilian Architect of Information Warfare," he is one of the country's most sought after experts on information security, infrastructure protection, and electronic privacy. He has authored more than 12 security books and has been the recipient of a host of industry recognitions. You can read a lot more about Winn's publications and history on his site.
Elonka Dunin (@ElonkaDunin)
Our own "Crypto Queen"
Elonka Dunin is a professional game developer, writer, and cryptographer. She is webmistress of two popular crypto-related websites which contain information about the world's most famous unsolved codes. As of 2015, her elonka.com website has had over five million page views. In 2000 she was awarded a prize for being the first person to crack the 1999 PhreakNIC v3.0 Code. In 2003 she led the team that cracked the famous Cyrillic Projector cipher, which turned out to contain extracts of classified KGB documents. In 2006 she authored "The Mammoth Book of Secret Codes and Cryptograms", which has been published internationally with multiple re-printings. Bestselling author Dan Brown honored Elonka by naming one of the characters in his Da Vinci Code sequel The Lost Symbol after her: "Nola Kaye" is an anagrammed form of "Elonka".
She has also been featured by the popular webcomic Penny Arcade, where she created a cipher that dovetailed with the daily comic. In other hobbies, Dunin is an avid Wikipedia editor, was elected as an administrator in 2007, and has been a significant contributor to over 500 articles, especially in topics related to the Crusades and medieval history.
When not in front a computer, she's probably out geocaching.
Steve Esposito (@AustrianAnarchy)
Steve Esposito is an Environmental Specialist for the Knox County Department of Air Quality Management. He is a US Army veteran (Aviation, former Major) with a background in financial information systems (no, not the ones your bank uses). Besides his time in uniform, he was a defense contractor supporting the US Navy, US Army, Missile Defense Agency, and the Defense Information Systems Agency for over 15 years.
On the civilian side of things, Steve has written for the Reason Foundation, The Foundation for Economic Education, and the occasional online column here and there. You can find links to most of that at Austrian Anarchy.
Robert Lewis
Since the 1996 launch of his “Survival Guide” column in InfoWorld, Bob Lewis has been an iconoclast in the echo chamber of same-old same old commentary about business and IT strategy, tactics, operations, and leadership. His unique blend of vision, pragmatism and sardonic humor have made him one of the most trusted and independent voices in the field.
The award-winning author of twelve books and more than 1,500 columns, Mr. Lewis held a wide variety of executive, management and staff positions before becoming a consulting – he did the work before advising about the work.
At the moment, at least, he is a senior management consultant with Dell Digital Business Consulting.
Michael Snyder (@SirZerp)
Michael Snyder is a forty seven year old grad student who studies magnetism from the atomic to the galactic length scales. When he was younger, he worked with computers and worked in Silicon Valley and then he went back to college to study science. He is a nerd who can build a computer in the morning, talk about time and space in the afternoon, and go ballroom dancing that night. His two websites are www.revolution-labs.com and www.facebook.com/ferrofluidcells/ and he is giving talks and fundraising for his business. If you like his talk, he invites you to support his efforts through Go fund Me.
Arnie Holder (@Datathrash)
Arnie Holder is a chiptune and demoscene enthusiast. His love for all things lo-fi and electronic led to the founding of Datathrash Recordings and music/noise production as Abandoned on Fire. He lives in Bowling Green, KY and frequents Nashville and other surrounding towns often to participate in experimental art events.
Poiupoiu (@poiupoiu)
Poiupoiu is a daddy, a husband, an engineer, and a geek from Huntsville, AL. He enjoys encoding videos, photography, playing video games, and puns. He has spent countless hours learning about video encoding and loves him some SSH and rsync. He has been a great friend to PhreakNIC and is the responsible party who helped composite the past videos of PhreakNIC 17 and 18.
_NSAKEY (@_NSAKEY)
_NSAKEY is a hashcat beta tester and Tor relay and bridge operator. He has spoken at BSides Nashville, NLUG, and other area events. In his spare time, he accidentally finds bugs, engages in paranoid system administration, and promotes cryptographic excellence. Not affiliated with the NSA.
Thomas Flatt
Thomas Flatt is an eleven year old that lives with his younger sister and his mother. He has written the book "The Eleven Year Old's Guide to Linux". Aside from playing with Linux and his computer he likes biking ,fishing and playing old video games.
Thomas writes: "I am an eleven-year-old boy, I am passionate about Linux, Minecraft, Java Script and other types of coding. I am currently reading Lord of the Rings. I like finding and exploiting glitches in games. I also enjoy running, riding my bike and fishing."
Oddball
Oddball is a long time friend to PhreakNIC and also our current Gaming Director this year. In the past he has served as a volunteer and director at many past PhreakNICs. Oddball also helps run the local speculative fiction conference Hypericon. He is known for being a kilt ethusiast, and is a avid supporter of the Second Amendment.
Dagmar d'Surreal (@evildagmar)
Dagmar was a founding member of PhreakNIC and the Nashville2600. There are rumors that he once authored the parody logo "Hacker Inside" that PhreakNIC puts on just about everything. When asked he may deny this..
Dagmar is a well known figure in the System Administration circles in Nashville for his expertise in Linux and perl. He is an avid Ingress Player and even has developed an App.
Andrew McElroy (@sophrinix)
Andrew is a third-generation programmer who has been writing software for over 20 years. Some of his most well known work includes TryRuby.org, HRlaws, computer vision machine learning applications for the identification of dog breeds and missing pets, as well as system administration for Tennessee Legislative Service, a leading political intelligence information system for lobbyists in Tennessee. He is also a passionate contributor to the Titanium ecosystem and a mobile application developer on the Titanium platform. He is currently one of a very few Titanium Certified Instructors globally, and is the only instructor currently teaching in the United States. He is credentialed to teach the full Appcelerator curriculuma.
Amy Flatt (@AmyFlatt1)
Amy Flatt is the Founder of EDGE-ucational Consultants, LLC and a public school teacher in Metro Nashville Public Schools. She specializes in scaffolding children's academic success and creativity in STEM related subjects, to hone their unique gifts. She strongly believes STEM learning opens many opportunities people could miss without training. She also knows, if STEM is taught correctly can increase levels of engagement for this generation of students.
Amy has been published in TREND magazine and Edueto Magazine and blogs for TeachersandCompany.blogspot.com. She loves to teach robotics, micro-controllers, coding, Mathematics and other STEM subjects. She also is pleased to speak on a wide range of Teaching and Educational Policy issues. Amy has been a guest speaker for PyOhio and The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. You can reach her at AmyFlatt@edge-ucationalconsultants.com, follow her on twitter @amyflatt1 or fund her goal to get a 3D printer and other useful tech tech teaching tools by supporting her on Patreon under Amy Flatt.
James Powell (@_grayraven_)
James Powell is a senior software engineer at Lancope. He spends most of his days programming in C and Python. On most Friday afternoons he will bartend at Lancope's own Tiki Bar. He spends his free time playing on-line wargames and CTF challenges.
Robert Mccurdy (@operat0r)
Robert is a long time attendee and past speaker (his talk) at PhreakNIC. He is an Advisory Associate in KPMG LLP.s Southeast Advisory Services practice. Very skilled with hands-on technology projects focused on making portable versions of attack / penetration tools, custom scripted scanning applications and automation
Brandon Tansey (@BrandonTansey)
Brandon Tansey is a security researcher at Lancope. Brandon attended and spoke at PhreakNIC18 Last year leading up the PhreakNIC he was unaware that the term was a bit overloaded around Atlanta which lead to some kind of funny conversations when he mentioned that he was slated to present.
(Atlanta also has a conference pronounced the same way as PhreakNIC, thus the confustion to Atlanta natives)
Wesley Duffee-Braun (@wphotos)
Wesley Duffee-Braun (@wphotos) has worked as a technical editor, system administrator, developer, training coordinator, software engineer, and technical account manager in the open source space for nearly 20 years. He is currently a product owner of cloud and virtualization proactive support tools at Red Hat.
Likes: open source philosophies, expired film stock, and long laptop battery life.
Dislikes: Expired development chemicals, hotel lobby coffee, and outdated business processes.
Philip Showers (@EnabrinTain
Phil is one of the many Makers from Huntsville's Makers Local 256. His main focus is on machines that make machines. He earns his toy money building models and simulations for The Boeing Company. He's known as "the Loud one" at the Make shop.
Michael St. Vincent (@JustOnePing)
Michael St. Vincent (@JustOnePing) is a security leader with over two decades of information security and risk management experience. His work includes developing, implementing, and leading security programs in financial, defense industry, ISP, and hospitality organizations. Recognized this year as an ISSA Fellow, he has most recently served as board member of the Metro Nashville Mayor's Information Security Advisory Board, membership director of the Middle Tennessee
Chapter of ISSA, and organizing committee member for BSides Nashville. His passion for developing security mindsets has included collaborating on industry research and presenting at events as diverse as board meetings, conferences, BSides, and cons.
During downtime, he works with technology and people supporting youth development programs in local, national, and international activities.
Kimberly Lewis (@stashattack)
Kimberly Lewis is an escapee from the knitting and crocheting community of Ravelry. She believes that code is life and knitting and food make life worth living. Her yarn stash is sentient and possibly stalking you right now. Kimberly is a passionate advocate for technology in education.
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Rick Sanders (@RickSandersLaw)
The legal problems and challenges presented by software, hardware, e-commerce, social media and the Internet have long engaged Aaron | Sanders founder Rick Sanders' interest. Rick's first two cases of his career in Silicon Valley in 2001 involved the business and technology of making music available over the Internet. Rick was hooked on intellectual property ("IP") and especially the Internet.
He graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School in 2000 into the midst of the "dot-com" boom and bust. His practice started with a well-known Silicon Valley law firm in 2000, and his first two cases involved downloading music over the Internet. Since then, he has handled matters involving VOIP telephony, encryption software, online bidding systems and a certain hit song.
As you might expect, Rick writes and speaks frequently about intellectual-property, internet and free-expression issues. A list of his more significant articles and speaking engagements may be found in his curriculum vitae.
Crimson Fist
The Crimson Fist is a costumed crime-fighter working and residing in Atlanta, Georgia. For 8 years, he has donned the identity and symbolism of a superhero and taken to the streets in an effort to reduce crime and poverty in the city, and to show others that they don't have to be victims. More information about The Crimson Fist can be found at facebook.com/heroatl
Chad Ramey (@thecharlesramey)
Computer scientist, roboticist, and garage based nuclear physicist
Chad Ramey attended Georgia Institute of Technology where he majored in computer science. While in highschool, he designed and constructed a inertial electrostatic confinement fusion reactor in his garage. So far in his career at GaTech, Chad has interned at NASA's Johnson Space Center and at Google. In his free time Chad serves as the president of GaTech's Invention Studio, researches for a few labs, and builds things (mostly race cars, robots, and nuclear apparatus).
Chad writes" My current job is finishing up my undergraduate CS degree at GaTech but in my free time, I research under Dr. Thad Starner. My research has been on building custom underwater computers for the Wild Dolphin Project. A program that is using our technology to research human-dolphin communication in the wild."
Brent White (@brentwdesign)
Brent is an Offensive Security Consultant at Solutionary--An NTT Group Security Company and has spoken at numerous security conferences, including DEF CON 22 (SE Village) & 23 (Track 4), DerbyCon 5, ISSA International, B-Sides Nashville and Charleston, CircleCityCon, SkyDogCon and SaintCon. He has held the role of Web/Project Manager and IT Security Director at the headquarters of a global franchise company. His experience includes Internal and External Penetration Assessments, Social Engineering and Physical Security Assessments, Wireless and Application Vulnerability Assessments and more.
Eric Kolb (@erickolb)
Eric Kolb is a developer-turned-security-practitioner with a penchant for the esoteric and the abstract; a deep voodoo specialist. Coming out of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Computer Science, Eric embarked on a career in application development until an opening on his company's security team lead him to stop making corporate widgets and start breaking (and then fixing) them.
Eric has been leading a team of security analysts in a multi-vertical corporate environment in east TN for several years and is presently moving to Louisville, KY.
SA HALE
Mr. Hale is a Computer Scientist with a substantial depth and breadth of experiences totaling 30 years in Cognitive System Engineering, Security Engineering, Cyber Warfare, Information Assurance, Testing, System Administration, and Software Engineering. Predominantly utilizing an inter disciplinary approach that brings the human side to technology by combining Cognitive and Behavioral Science, with Computer and Security Engineering.
Examples where Mr. Hale has uses the human centric computing approach include system security management, security architecture, vulnerability and penetration testing, social engineering, information assurance, software engineering, and network security.
Mr. Hale’s duties include cyber technical lead and Information System Security Officer (ISSO) for 9 classified Information Systems (IS). In addition, he has provided engineering and analysis support for numerous projects for MDA, GMD, SMDC, USMC, US Navy, Homeland Security, State of Alabama, National Guard Bureau, and others.
Furthermore, Mr. Hale is an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at Athens State University where he teaches courses in System Security Management, Digital Forensics, Cyber Ethics, Javascripts, and C++.
Mog ( @mogactually)
Mathias Matthew Maximilian Kolbe Beckett Ronaldvich of the house of Blue Gormain the first (or Mog for short).
He is a huge fsf hippie and will talk your ear off about freedom if you give him the chance. He is a long standing member of Makers Local 256 where he works on various electronics projects."
Ron Foster ( @vektek)
With over15 years of IT experience with various platforms and technologies, I have tested both large and small enterprise applications. Cutting my teeth as a UNIX instructor for Sun Microsystems. I then went on to make a career out of breaking things, and I have been doing it ever since. When not running security assessment’s for HP’s Fortify On Demand Servicer, you can find me refurbishing an old WW1/WW2 rifle, doing some photography, or working on a drone or IOT project.
Aaron Lancaster (@aarondlancaster)
Aaron is a trusted results-oriented Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and operational team leader. He has over 14 years of cyber security experience gained from diverse organizations in healthcare, federal government, software, energy and defense industries. Aaron specializes in vulnerability management and systems security architecture, and uses leadership and influence to shape organizational security culture.
Aaron is co-founder of the East Tennessee Chapter of the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA E-TENN). Connect with Aaron at www.linkedin.com/in/aarondlancaster or on Twitter.
Mick Pletcher (@mick_pletcher)
Mick Pletcher is a co-founder of the Nashville Powershell User Group and a long time veteran of the I.T. Industry. Mick has spoken at past PhreakNICs and has a gift for automation and a passion for sharing his knowledge. Google often steers searchers to his blog about using powershell and system imaging.
Theda M Daniels-Race
Dr. Theda Daniels-Race is a professor in the Division of Electrical & Computer Engineering, with joint appointment to the Center for Computation & Technology, at Louisiana State University. She is the founder and principal investigator for the Applied Hybrid Electronic Materials & Structures (AHEMS) Laboratory where she and her students study nanoscale electronic phenomena exhibited by hybrid (inorganic and organic combinations of) electronic materials or HEMs.
Dr. Race earned her BS, MS, and PhD in EE from Rice, Stanford, and Cornell universities, respectively, and has worked in both industry and academia for over 20 years. As one of less than 5 African-American female full professors in the 1st 100-ranked EE departments nationwide, Dr. Race is a strong advocate for minorities (including women) pursuing careers in science and technology.
Steve Mallard
Steve is well known speaker and educator in the Middle Tennessee area. He has spoken at numerous events including the MTSU - Cyber Forensics Summit. He is the the IT Director and Computer Information Technology Master Instructor at the Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Shelbyville. The Computer Information Technology program has won the 2005 Computer Forensics Award, 2011 Computerworld Laureate, 2012 Techtarget Leadership Award, 2012 TCAT Shining Star - Learning Management System, "2013 CTE Excellence in Action and the 2014 White House -Celebrating Innovations in Career and Technical Education".
PonyBoy
An avid hacker and phone phreak, P(?)NYB(?)Y has been performing experiments on his body and mind for a number of years. His journey to become better, stronger, and smarter has led him through the worlds of bodybuilding and strength training, bio/neural hacking, and now into the world of brain enhancement. There is a good chance he'll have a bluetooth implant or something next year.
Ben Hicks (@benthemeek)
Ben Hicks has worked in the Information Technology Industry for 16 years. He first got hooked on Linux in early 2000, and his addiction has only grown from there. He is an advocate for collaborative practices and open source software. He is a member of the Nashville Linux Users Group and serves as the secretary of the Nashville 2600. Ben has a strong interest in the areas of communication and effective mediation.
jonnyX
JonnyX was one of the co-founders of the PhreakNIC convention, and ran it for many years until he left to move to Atlanta. Upon his return to Nashville, he served as Vice President of Nashville 2600 in 2013, and now serves as Executive Officer