Joe Leon
Verified Expert in Engineering
Software Developer
Washington, DC, United States
Toptal member since May 18, 2022
Joe currently oversees application security assessments for a small offensive security firm and manages product development and DevOps for a new cybersecurity tool his organization is about to release. In addition, Joe has provided security training and talks at several major cybersecurity conferences, most notably at Black Hat USA. As a technical problem solver with outstanding communication skills, he is passionate about bridging technical and non-technical audiences.
Portfolio
Experience
- Python 3 - 6 years
- Cybersecurity - 4 years
- Information Security - 4 years
- Penetration Testing - 4 years
- Web Security - 4 years
- Application Security - 4 years
- Flask - 3 years
- Django - 1 year
Availability
Preferred Environment
Slack, Python 3, Web Security, Linux, MacOS, Sublime Text, Bash, GitHub
The most amazing...
...thing I've achieved was founding a SaaS company and selling it. Also, I've delivered training at some of the largest InfoSec conferences throughout the world.
Work Experience
Lead Application Security Engineer
FortyNorth Security
- Led product development for a new cybersecurity SaaS product. Oversaw a team of three engineers and external consultants while designing the application's architecture and DevOps processes.
- Managed application security assessments and worked on various penetration tests, including red team assessments, social engineering campaigns, and network penetration tests.
- Developed offensive security training courses and delivered content at security conferences like Black Hat USA/Asia and Wild West Hackin' Fest.
CTO
LeadWash
- Developed and built a Flask-based SaaS business designed to clean CRM data.
- Managed all aspects of product design, development, and marketing.
- Grew the business and gained sufficient market share to demonstrate product value, leading to a successful exit.
Experience
LeadWash
Conference Talks and Training Sessions
x33fcon, May 2021: What the F#?
GrayHat Con, October 2020: A Practical Introduction to Bypassing Application Whitelisting
Black Hat Asia, September 2020: Intrusion Operations
Wild West Hackin' Cast, September 2020: Offensive MalDocs in 2020
DERPCON, May 2020: Bypassing Application Whitelisting
Pancakes Con, March 2020: Living Off the Land with a Side of Bubble Tea
WW Wild West Hackin' Fest, March 2020: An Introduction to Developing Phishing Malware
Black Hat USA, August 2019: Intrusion Operations
Delivered Cybersecurity Training at Black Hat USA
Built Graduate-level Course on Social Engineering and IT Security
Course Thesis:
All organizations confront social engineering, and most major cyberattacks start with a social engineering infection vector. Any serious cybersecurity professional must understand how social engineering works (on a psychological and technological level) and its fundamental role in network security.
Principle Learning Objectives:
Explore the role of trust in society and how social engineers deceive that trust.
Identify how the nature of the internet has enabled social engineering to flourish.
Describe what “human vulnerabilities” allow for social engineering attacks to succeed.
Identify the fundamental psychological principles used by attackers.
Learn how to design effective social engineering campaigns.
Study the major social engineering use cases (financial, national security, and political).
Explore how automatic detection of social engineering works.
Identify ways to defend against social engineering (both active and passive).
Predict future social engineering trends.
Education
Master's Degree in Information Security
New York University - New York, NY
Bachelor's Degree in International Relations
Georgetown University - Washington, DC
Certifications
PenTest+
CompTIA
Offensive Security Experienced Penetration Tester
Offensive Security
Certified Ethical Hacker
EC-Council
Offensive Security Certified Professional
Offensive Security
Security+
CompTIA
Skills
Libraries/APIs
SQLAlchemy
Tools
Slack, GitHub, Git, Sublime Text, Celery
Paradigms
Penetration Testing, DevOps
Languages
Python 3, Bash, JavaScript
Frameworks
Django, Flask
Platforms
Linux, MacOS, Burp Suite, Kali Linux, Heroku
Industry Expertise
Cybersecurity, Network Security
Other
Web Security, Application Security, International Affairs, Networking, Information Security, Privacy, Static Application Security Testing (SAST), IT Security, Security, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Web Applications, Curriculum Development & Delivery, Social Engineering, Public Speaking
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