Bryan Simon

Bryan Simon had a very early start in cybersecurity as a teenager. “Cybersecurity chose me, and I continue to choose it each day. I want to make a difference by helping others make their own respective differences. I want us to learn how to fight and win - against the modern adversary” says Bryan. He’s had an extensive career, engaged with government, educational, financial, and the environmental sectors.

Bryan is a thought leader, who advises boards for major security vendors. He has worked in many cross-functional areas including I.T., Information Security, C-Level (engaging in multiple security disciplines including defense, forensics, and pen testing), and security consultancy spanning 4 continents.

He had always dreamed of taking a SANS class. His first course with SANS was SEC401 in November of 2006. Even then, SANS was known for the expertise and passion of their instructor corps, both through the delivery of in-class instruction combined with always accurate and up-to-date courseware. After he took his first class, he knew he wanted to become a part of that instructor corps. He had a desire to give back to the community and share his experience, along with delivering that exceptional courseware is the reason why he joined SANS.

Working through various disciplines and job roles allowed Bryan to give his students a breadth of knowledge and information that is not easy to come by in any single career. He believes that knowledge and experience are to be shared; and it’s his hope that his experiences will empower others to achieve (and exceed) the same level of contributions to our field.

Bryan's scholastic achievements have resulted in the honor of sitting as a current member of the Advisory Board for the SANS Institute, and his acceptance into the prestigious SANS Cyber Guardian program. As a SANS Senior Instructor and lead author of SEC401: Security Essentials - Network, Endpoint, and Cloud, Bryan helps his students achieve success, by leveraging his expanding real-world experience in a way that allows for quick absorption of the key points of real-world information to make them immediately applicable. Discussing over 30 important topical areas of information security over a 6-day period of time in a concise and yet robust way is no easy feat.

Bryan is regularly sought after to advise the press on matters of security and has been featured as a thought leader by major security vendors. He’s spoken at large conventions and is mentioned in some of the most influential books in the information security industry. And despite those accomplishments and accolades, the highlight of Bryan’s career has been helping others collectively battle the adversary through engagement, lecturing, and development of courseware.

Bryan holds (or has held) several certifications including GIAC: GSE, GSEC, GCWN, GCIH, GCFA, GPEN, GWAPT, GAWN, GISP, GCIA, GCED, GCUX, GISF, GMON, S.T.A.R - IP Packet Analysis, S.T.A.R. - Windows Command-Line Kung Fu, CISSP and ISSA Senior Member. He is also a faculty member of the SANS Technology Institute, an NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense and multiple winner of the National Cyber League competition.

Beyond the classroom, Bryan is a classical violinist - spending many years as an assistant concert master for an orchestra as well as the first violinist for a string quartet. He’s had the distinct honor of singing for dignitaries as part of a well-known choir.

What his SEC401 students have to say:

“Bryan is a brilliant, knowledgeable instructor with a wide-ranging skill set in Cyber Security, including but not limited to endpoint and network hardening, cryptography, SIEM, incident response, and risk analysis. Bryan makes learning fun and is always up to date on the latest information in Cyber Security.”

“Bryan Simon's knowledge and teaching ability in SEC401 are amazing. He relates theory to real-world experiences and non-technical examples in a way that makes learning easier.”

“On the first day of a course, it's easy to say that the content is amazing and everything is good, but as the days pass, it really shows how good the instructor is. Bryan is superhuman in SEC401. He lectures through the night continuously and yet is so friendly and clear.”

Hear Bryan talk about SEC401 Security Essentials - Network, Endpoint, and Cloud:

ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY BRYAN SIMON

WEBCASTS

The Encryption and Password Hashing Recipe (with a little salt)

Signatures, Signatures, and even more Signatures! 

INTERVIEW

How to Get into Cybersecurity - Q&A with an expert who has taught students at FBI, NATO, and the UN