Aside from what is on the front page, my name is Cariad or just "Cari" to a lot of my friends.
Many people on the Internet know me from the cyber security field. I've been working in the field formally for over a decade, but I've had an interest in computer security since I was a child. What got me into all this was Cliff Stoll's book, The Cuckoo's Egg (ISBN: 0-385-24946-2), which is based on the true story of Stoll's adventure in catching KGB-sponsored hackers breaking into US government computers. It gave me the inspiration to go into digital forensics/incident response (DFIR), which then led to me going into security engineering. I now oversee a cyber security team which handles logging and automation.
I've spoken at a number of information security conferences, have been interviewed by the media on security topics, and have been a contributor to a number of publications. Much of my work has been focused on data analytics, primarily in logging, with my biggest achievement in processing breach data from an unorganized mess into a predictable structure.
Right now, I am back in university, completing a computing science degree. This has been a life goal since I left post-secondary education to work in my field. It is not an easy task as I am continuing to work fulltime as I do this.
My career does not define me of course, and outside of computer security I have an avid interest in a lot of things including speedrunning video games, cycling, roller skating (I briefly had a stint playing roller derby), watching anime, camping, photography, vegetarian cooking, and travelling. I also like to make cryptographic puzzles when I have the time to make them and I love to share them for everyone to try and defeat.
I identify as a queer woman and am a lesbian. Much of the way I approach my life has been through the lens of intersectional feminism. Being that I am a white woman, I must make a lot of space for other folk who face systemic issues that I do not endure. I sincerely believe in building equity for all persons as it is beneficial to everyone if everyone is able to live to their full potential.
I've spent most of my life living in Vancouver, although for a time I was living in elsewhere in Canada. I've been to many parts of the world, which has been a privilege that I wish many more could have.