New York, New York, United States
I'm a cybersecurity executive with deep technical roots, product management experience, and a business mindset. I've built security products and programs from early stage to enterprise scale, helping businesses succeed rather than just protecting them. My work draws on over 25 years of experience, a Computer Science degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from MIT Sloan. I'm a Faculty Fellow at SANS Institute, creator of REMnux (the go-to Linux toolkit for malware analysis), and one of the first to earn the GIAC Security Expert certification. After 6+ years building the security program at Axonius from startup to scale, I'm on a sabbatical. I'm working on independent projects, advising startups, and writing about what I'm learning. My next chapter will be as a product leader at a security company or a CISO. Reach out if you'd value an executive who's led both functions. I share what I've learned through writing, speaking, and community projects. You can read my articles and learn more about me at zeltser.com.
I created and teach the Reverse-Engineering Malware course, which has trained many of today's incident responders and analysts. I also created Cybersecurity Writing training to help security professionals communicate more effectively.
I built and led the security and IT program, focusing on earning customers' trust in our products and empowering the company to grow while managing risks. I covered product security, cybersecurity operations, corporate IT, and GRC. I've helped the company progress from early startup to a maturing organization recognized on Forbes Cloud 100 and Deloitte Technology Fast 500.
I joined to lead product management, helping shape the platform that won RSA's Most Innovative Startup and found product-market fit. This role gave me deep knowledge of the business before transitioning to CISO.
I led product management at this endpoint security startup (acquired by Rapid7). I helped the company find product-market fit for its approach to stopping evasive malware.
I led a business area offering SaaS and managed security services to retail and restaurant businesses. I oversaw product managers and engineers, and worked closely with customers and sales. Starting with a seed offering, I built a portfolio that helped customers reduce security costs and complexity.
I led the US security consulting practice of this data center and hosting provider (now Lumen), redesigning services to help organizations adopt cloud safely during its early days. I oversaw service delivery for security monitoring, incident response, security assessments, and advisory.