Hacking the Hacker

42Profile: Stephen Northcutt

I’ve known Stephen Northcutt for almost 20 years. He’s not only a vital part of the incredible computer security training organization, the SysAdmin, Networking, and Security (SANS) Institute, but he’s an indispensable person if you’re trying to locate a particular industry luminary. I don’t know how many times in my writing career that when I needed to speak to someone all I had to do was call Northcutt and he set up the introductions. Sometimes it seems he has met, and impressed, nearly everyone.

Northcutt is a super‐friendly and thoughtful deal‐maker. He comes up with great ideas and has a way of motivating others around him to march off and make those plans happen. Some people have that special charisma that makes people want to be around them and to want to make things happen. Northcutt is that type of guy, and I’m sure that’s why SANS got him involved early on when it was just a speck of the organization that it is today. Northcutt has also been an early investor in some of the most profitable computer security companies of our time, including Tenable (http://www.tenable.com) and Sourcefire.

The SANS Institute (http://www.sans.org) has been around since 1989 and from the start has taught some of the best computer security classes available. Their initial security conferences turned into industry‐respected certifications, and their certifications turned into university‐accredited curricula offering two master of science degree programs (in ...