#153 - Unpacking the hacker mindset with Ken Westin, Senior Solutions Engineer at LimaCharlie

On this episode of The Cybersecurity Defenders Podcast, we unpack the hacker mindset with Ken Westin, Senior Solutions Engineer at LimaCharlie.

Ken is a seasoned thought leader in cybersecurity who has spent years analyzing and understanding the intricacies of cyber threats and the methods behind them. Ken has a unique ability to identify emerging trends in the industry and for figuring out how businesses can protect themselves before they fall victim to attacks.

Previous to his current role, Ken was the Field CISO at Panther, where he developed workshops and delivered them around the world. His career also includes significant contributions at Cybereason, Elastic, and Splunk, where he drove security growth, developed innovative tools, and shaped industry conversations on cybersecurity. Ken has been a key spokesperson in the industry, frequently quoted in the media and featured at major conferences like Black Hat and DEF CON.

Ken recently joined the team at LimaCharlie as a Senior Solutions Engineer, with the intent to use his deep expertise to help organizations build robust security strategies.

Ken's reading list:

“Daemon” - Daniel Suarez

“Cryptonomicon” - Neal Stephenson

“The Myth of Normal” - Gabor Maté

“Threats: What Every Engineer Should Learn From Star Wars” - Adam Shostack

“The Mitrokhin Archive” Christopher Andrew & Vasili Mitrokhin

“The Road” - Cormac McCarthy

The song at the end of the podcast:

Decrypted Savant - Mercator Misconceptions