Dave Kennedy
Chief Hacking Officer
Dave Kennedy is on a mission to advance the cybersecurity industry on a global scale. As Binary Defense Co-Founder and Chief Hacking Officer, his experience and expertise guide our cybersecurity solutions, including the development of our proprietary managed detection and response technology.
Named one of the Top 10 IT Security Influencers in the World by CISO Platform, Dave has more than 20 years of experience in the security industry.
Prior to forming Binary Defense, Dave founded TrustedSec , an information security consulting company located in Fairlawn, Ohio, which specializes in attack simulations with a focus on strategic risk-management.
Dave previously worked as Chief Security Officer for Diebold Incorporated, an international Fortune 1000 company, where he developed a global security program that handled all aspects of information security and risk management.
Before his work in the private sector, Dave served in the United States Marine Corps including two tours in Iraq. He specialized in cyberwarfare and forensics analysis activities for the U.S. intelligence community.
Education & Certifications
OSCE, OSCP, GSEC, MCSE, ISO 27001
Industry Contributions
As an author and creator of several open-source tools, Dave has made his mark on the cybersecurity industry. He was a founding member of the Penetration Testing Execution Standard, which has been adopted by the Payment Card Industry and the Data Security Standard Guidelines for Penetration Testing. His other industry contributions include:
- Co-Author of Metasploit: The Penetration Tester’s Guide
- Co-Creator of the Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES)
- Creator of the Social Engineer Toolkit (SET)
- Creator of the PenTesters Framework (PTF)
- Creator of the Magic Unicorn Exploitation Framework
- Creator of Artillery
- Creator of Fast-Track
Public Appearances & Media
Dave has appeared as a guest on multiple news networks including Fox News, CNN, CNBC, and MSNBC. His tools have been featured on the History Channel and the popular USA Network television series Mr. Robot, where he also assisted with content.
As a recognized leader in the industry, Dave has presented at international security conferences including Microsoft’s Bluehat, DEF CON, Blackhat and Grace Hopper. He is also the co-founder of DerbyCon, a large-scale security conference that ran nine years in Louisville, Kentucky.
In addition to his formal achievements, Dave donates his time and wisdom by speaking with civic leaders and students about the importance of security. Bedford High School, Dave’s alma mater, named its Kennedy Center for Gaming and Leadership in his honor.
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