Skyler Onken
Skyler Onken has been in the tech and security industry since 2003. He began as a Data Warehousing Engineer, but quickly found an interest in security by working as a Web Application Security Tester. Skyler's passion and empty pockets led him to beg and sneak his way into Black Hat where he became hooked and a lifelong hacker. After gaining an undergraduate degree, Skyler commissioned into the US Army as a Military Intelligence, and then Cyberspace Operations, officer. Skyler spent over 10 years in the Army working with the Department of Defense and United States Cyber Command (USCC). He served in various leadership and management positions, while simultaneously fulfilling technical roles like capability developer, and offensive operator. Most impactful from this service was his experience as a Mission Director for the Cyber National Mission Force, Director of the Joint Mission Operations Center - Georgia, and Master Operator for USCC and Joint Force Headquarters - Army.
Skyler is currently a Senior Principal Cyber Research Engineer at Palo Alto Networks, and an Army Reservist. He has a B.S in Computer Information Technology, and a M.S in Applied Computer Science. He holds a number of security certifications to include the OSCP, OSCE, GXPEN, GREM, and CISSP. He volunteers as member of the Association of U.S. Cyber Forces policy team working on legislation for the establishment of a U.S cyber service.
Session
In the ever-evolving landscape of cybersecurity, the hunt for malicious actors and their infrastructure is a relentless pursuit. In our experience, most of known-bad infrastructure is derived from endpoint or firewall alerts, and reported either during or after an attack. This presentation delves into the fascinating world of proactively scanning the internet to uncover malware Command and Control (C2) servers. We will shed light on the "why," "how," and the invaluable results achieved through these endeavors.