2025-09-25 –, Murray-Fitzroy Room
The cyber domain is intractably chaotic, complex and noisy.
How often, if at all, do we actually consider why the cyber domain is like this?
How often, if ever, do we think about our thinking and grow our conceptual understanding?
As the pace, scope and depth of the cyber domain exponentially increases, it behoves all cyber folk to understand the broader context of hamster wheel in which we toil.
While Nic considers himself a middling/journeyman cyber operator, during 20+ years in the cyber domain, he has been fortunate to work with and observe cyber 'rock stars'. This talk presents his key observation: good cyber operators look broadly across and outside of their domain for inspiration. The talk also presents a philosophical/intellectual foundation for understanding the cyber domain's nature, and some of the mental models [or monkly koans] he uses to work within the field.
Nic is an experienced cyber security manager with a strong passion for helping lay people understand complex and technical concepts.
This is aided by his broad experience gained from 20 years in Government across intrusion detection, network analysis, technical analysis, cryptography, non-technical analysis, crisis leadership, teaching technical concepts to non-technical audiences and music. (Thankfully, no interpretive dance).
Nic has infinite curiosity and considers it a great day when he has learned something new. He also hates writing about himself pompously in the third person.