Astro Information Security

“You didn’t come this far just to come this far.” Reminding myself to do a better job of balancing my eye on the future with appreciation for how far I’ve come. You’ve come a long way, too. Appreciate yourself! Check out daily Podcast Trip updates on our instagram @astroinfosec ??

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Do you know what the toughest certification to earn in the cybersecurity industry is? This week I had the blessing to film episodes with two of the holders of that very certification (there are less than 400 in the world)! ?? Week 6 of the K.O’s Corner Podcast filming trip presented by Astro Information Security down! Key stats: ?? 5,600+ miles traveled (total 11,000+) ??? 2 episodes filmed with BlackBerry VP and SANS SEC530 author Ismael Valenzuela and Cisco Principal Security Architect Mike McPhee ??1 plate of Jollibee with my mentor Gappify CEO - Jotham Ty This past week was action packed! I flew back and forth from Toronto and SF for the weekend to celebrate my birthday, stopped through Rochester and the NYC area to film, and climbed at the VITAL gym in Brooklyn. Flashing back as a SOC analyst at the NASA Ames Research Center, it was encouraged to earn the certifications GCIH or GCIA to establish a strong technical foundation, but almost none of us stopped there. So what is the toughest cert to earn? Many say that the creme de la creme of all technical security certifications is the GSE (GIAC Security Expert), a grueling cert with multiple phases that tests through so many domains of security that it makes the CISSP look like the CompTIA Security +. The resumes of GSE holders are so stacked they are intimidating just to look at and this week I had the pleasure of filming with Cisco’s Mike McPhee (GSE 339) and SANS SEC530 author Ismael Valenzuela (GSE 132), both of whom I studied and have admired for years! If I listed all of their credentials, I would run out of character space so long story short they are two of the most well-regarded and renowned experts in the industry and I can’t wait to share their episodes with you! I will be honest, I was nervous before entering both conversations but what struck me about them is their unquenchable thirst for learning and genuine humility and kindness. Here are a few of my favorite lessons: Mike - Set healthy boundaries at work and communicate your standards. Be yourself. What’s the worst that could happen? They can’t take away your birthday! Ismael - Think red, act blue. Give back. Being nervous can be a good sign you are pushing your boundaries. Now I bet you have heard the saying “never meet your heroes”. I say go and meet them. It was such a delight to find that they were both who I hoped they would be and much, much more. ?? By the way, if you or someone you know is looking for penetration testing services, MXDR, or is looking to step up their SecOps maturity, feel free to give myself or ASTRO’s excellent CRO Xavier Andrada a holler. Check out our site or email us at [email protected] for a complementary security review and to see testimonials on recently completed engagements! That’s it for this week’s update, thank you for tuning in. I’ll see you next week ???? #cybersecurity #podcast #astroinfosec #pentesting #offsec #sans #oscp #dfir #gdsa #gcia #gcih #sans #giac

?? Week 5 of the K.O’s Corner Podcast filming trip presented by Astro Information Security down! ?? Key stats: ??1700+ miles driven (total 6000+) ??1 new mentee relationship with Cole Seagren ??? 1 episode with CEO Stephanie L. This week was full of quality time with an old friend as well as with a budding new mentee. There are some episodes I film where they feel effortless. This could be due to the quality of the relationship already built, the confidence in the speaker, or the captivating content that is my guest’s life story. All three were found in spades in my good friend, MOST INSPIRING WOMAN IN CYBER NOMINEE, and CEO of WomenWhoSecure Stephanie L.! Steph is the living embodiment of the saying “closed mouths don’t get fed” in that she has always advocated for herself, encouraging RAPID growth in her career. She does so much to uplift women in security and is a constant inspiration to me to this day. Do you ever feel like with some people, “big” ideas seem impossible to discuss, and with others, they feel trivial… like it’s only a matter of time and effort before achieving it? That’s how I feel around Stephanie L., Peter K., Meng Fei Shen, and Emmett Chen-Ran. Nothing is impossible. You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Surround yourself with greatness. Over time, I have found one of the qualities I respect the most in someone is in their capacity to give. Are you a mentor? Do you uplift those around you? How do you help others and is it solely transactional? In that same vein, I love to give back to my community and I had the pleasure to spend a day with my mentee who I was meeting in person for the first time, Cole Seagren. I introduced him to rock climbing, grabbed some burritos for dinner, and he took me on a tour of Purdue University’s campus which was astounding. Speaking with him was fulfilling in so many ways. I had so much to share with him and he had a good amount to teach me as well. I am confident he will go on to do great things and I offer a full endorsement of his talent, drive, and commitment to pushing his boundaries. My favorite moments this week include sharing dinner with Steph and talking about how far we’ve come as well as sharing dinner with Cole and talking about how far we can go. ?? By the way, if you or someone you know is looking for penetration testing services, MXDR, or is looking to step up their SecOps maturity with guidance from a team of bleeding edge security talent, feel free to give myself or ASTRO’s excellent CRO Xavier Andrada a holler. Check out our site or email us at [email protected] for a complimentary security assessment or to see testimonials on our recently completed engagements! That’s it for this week’s update, thank you for tuning in. I’ll see you next week ???? #cybersecurity #mentoring #podcast #thetrip #astroinfosec #pentesting #offsec #sans #oscp #dfir #mxdr

?? Week 4 of the K.O’s Corner Podcast filming trip presented by Astro Information Security down! ?? Key stats: ??300+ miles driven (total 6000+) ??? 2 episodes filmed ??????1 culinary game improved This week was mainly spent navigating back and forth through treacherous Chicagoland rush hour where you MUST be a confident driver. I had the pleasure of filming with two Cisco veterans whose storied careers appeared intertwined from the start - Jeremey Hagerman and Andro Dio. Jeremey is someone who has a burning fire and passion for cybersecurity. He is a true practitioner through and through, having helped build up the Discover Financial Services Security Operations program from the ground up. He shares a wealth of information around hiring personas for SecOps and is a student of the game and lore of cybersecurity. Similar to myself, Andro was raised by a strong, single filipino mother who showed him that hard work and dedication were the secret to success. There are no cheat codes. He took this mindset and ran with it, starting as a Tier 1 help desk analyst right after the dot-com bubble had burst, persevering up the ranks as a network engineer, security consulting engineer, and now as a security sales executive. The two now make for a dynamic duo sales team at Cisco Security with credibility and experience that stretches far and wide. Both are exemplary pros that prove that it’s not about how you start. It’s about how you finish. My favorite moments this week had to be learning some new culinary techniques with Jeremey, touring the green space above The Old Post Office in downtown Chicago with Andro, and climbing in a skyscraper! I also had to check out the first ever filipino Michellin star restaurant in Chicago Kasama (it was superb). Look forward to their episode releases in the near future! Next week, I’ll be sharing time with Most Inspiring Woman in Cyber Award nominee and CEO of WomenWhoSecure Stephanie L. and a mentee of mine who I am sure will go on to do excellent things in his career Purdue University student Cole Seagren. ?? By the way, if you or someone you know is looking for penetration testing services or is looking to step up their SOC maturity with guidance from a team of bleeding edge security talent, feel free to give myself or ASTRO’s excellent CRO Xavier Andrada a holler. Check out our site or email us at [email protected] to see testimonials on our recently completed engagements! That’s it for this week’s update, thank you for tuning in. I’ll see you next week ???? #cybersecurity #podcast #thetrip #astroinfosec #pentesting #offsec #sans #oscp #dfir

?? Week 3 of the K.O’s Corner Podcast presented by Astro Information Security filming trip down! ?? Key stats: ??1700+ miles driven (total 5000+) ??? 2 episodes filmed ??1 near t-bone incident (I’m okay ??) This week was full of very, very long road days between the following: Page, AZ Denver, CO Omaha, NE Chicago, IL While I did miss the constant awe that the National Parks I passed through last week provided, it was replaced by the awe impressed on me by the two security practitioners I filmed with who have very unique backgrounds - Joe Homan and Alexis Merritt! Joe was once a lost teenager, uncertain about his future, who dropped out of college, and pursued the military. Through sheer focused dedication, he reverses the trajectory of his life, completes his degree, and rises up the ranks from United States Air Force Sysadmin to United States Space Force Security Engineer, and eventually NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration cybersecurity analyst! My second guest was the incredible Alexis Merritt! Long before we knew each other, I had stumbled upon her LinkedIn profile and knew immediately, she was going to make a name for herself in this industry. Fast forward a few years and she skyrockets from EY security consultant, to Cisco Talos Incident Responder and Product Manager, and now a Sr. Incident Response Lead on Microsoft Security’s team known to take on only the most serious investigations - SRP. My favorite moments this week had to be these pauses I had of sincere respect and admiration for both Joe and Alexis’ commitment to pushing the boundaries of their knowledge on both offensive and defensive sides of security. Nothing holds us back from achieving what we want except us. I cannot wait to share their stories once editing has completed when I return in December! Next week, I’ll be spending most of my time interviewing a couple more seasoned security pros in the greater Chicagoland area, both with 30+ year careers, who I’m sure will have exciting stories to tell! ?? By the way, if you or someone you know is looking for penetration testing services or is looking to step up their SOC maturity with guidance from a team of bleeding edge security talent, feel free to give myself or ASTRO’s CRO Xavier Andrada a holler. Check out our site or email us at [email protected] to see testimonials on our recently completed engagements!?? That’s it for this week’s update, thank you for tuning in. I’ll see you next week ???? #cybersecurity #podcast #thetrip #astroinfosec #pentesting #offsec #sans #oscp #dfir

$10.5 TRILLION… That’s the projected cost of cyber damages to business by 2025, making it one of the most significant threats to global economic stability. Cyber threats evolve every day, but so do the solutions. At ASTRO Information Security, we're committed to helping organizations strengthen their defenses through cutting-edge penetration testing, network assessments, and proactive security strategies. Whether you're looking to secure your business or just curious about how we can help, let's chat! #CyberSecurityMonth #CyberAwareness #PenTesting #offsec #ASTROInfoSec #gxpn #soc #dfir #infosec

Founder life is not as glamorous as some may make it out to be. ?? Below is an actual picture of me launching Astro Information Security yesterday. Was I comfy? Lol nope. As a founder, The hours are long… There is constant anxiety over xyz… The sacrifice is immeasurable… Questions of doubt quietly ring between my ears. Am I making the right decision? Am I about to throw away years of my life? Am I delusional for dreaming this big? Fair thoughts for any reasonable person. However a great man once told me “If you want to go places you have never been to, you have to be willing to do things that you’ve never done before.” And this has been ringing in my head ever since I heard it. So if I fall? Good. I’ll learn from it and move on. Life is a learning game and mistakes are not failures, they are just opportunities to learn and improve. Why not take the risk when it could be far more risky to never take the jump at all? Anyways, I’m curious to hear from you, what quote or song do you hear when you need a pick me up? Please share below! Also why the hell am I launching my company from my trunk in Eugene, Oregon? Find out tomorrow! I have another HUGE announcement ????

?? Announcing ASTRO Information Security ?? Hello world, I’m K.O., and I’m here to change the cybersecurity industry. This passion was inspired a few years ago when I received a call from a hospital executive who was in tears, struggling to save lives during a ransomware attack. That experience changed me - and I’ve dedicated the last decade to pushing the limits of my skills in cybersecurity, from leading teams at NASA's Security Operations Center to designing security solutions in multibillion dollar architectures at Cisco. Today, I’m excited to introduce ASTRO Information Security—a collective of passionate cybersecurity pros with over 50+ years of combined experience, 30+ industry acclaimed certifications, and over 30,000 security investigations under our belt! We’re here to protect you whether you’re a small businesses, nonprofit, and/or hospital that is tired of feeling vulnerable. At ASTRO, we offer comprehensive cybersecurity services, including penetration testing (internal/external/web/API/red teaming), SOC maturity assessments, and 24x7 managed detection and response. Our goal is simple: to secure not just your organization, but your dreams and livelihood. So if you or someone you know has any needs for cybersecurity, I would love to have a conversation with you! Let’s make the world a safer place online, together. K.O. #Cybersecurity #ASTROInformationSecurity #TechLaunch #infosec #giac #sans #pentesting #offsec #offensivesecurity #zerotrust #xdr #edr #mdr #redteaming #blueteaming #blueteam #dfir #isc2 #cissp #gcih #gcfa #gcia #gnfa #gxpn #gpen #oscp