2016 Keynote Speakers

Martin Roesch

Martin Roesch is Vice President and Chief Architect for Cisco Security Business Group. Roesch is responsible for shaping the technology strategy and design of the company’s security portfolio and also oversees threat research. He joined Cisco through the acquisition of Sourcefire, which he founded in 2001. A respected authority on intrusion prevention, and detection technology and forensics, Roesch is the author and lead developer of the Snort® Intrusion Prevention and Detection System (www.snort.org) that forms the foundation for next-generation IPS.

Roesch has received many awards for his innovation and vision. Most recently, he was selected as one of the Top 25 Disrupters of 2013 by CRN Magazine and one of eWeek’s Top 100 Most Influential People in IT.

Paul Joyal

Paul M. Joyal serves as Managing Director of NSI’s Public Safety and Homeland Security practice, where he helps clients to position their technology solutions for success at the international, federal, state and local government levels. Mr. Joyal Mr. Joyal is a nationally recognized expert in national security affairs

Between 1980 and 1989, Mr. Joyal served as a federal law enforcement officer specializing in counter-terrorism and later was director of security for the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. In 1991 he was one of the two principle investigators for Project Slammer, an IC Staff counterintelligence study on incarcerated spies and their motives for committing espionage. He is also past president of the Maryland chapter of the FBI’s InfraGard program, and has just completed serving his second 3 year elected term on the InfraGard national board of directors..

Mr. Joyal founded his own company in 1991 and established joint ventures in telecommunications and air transportation in Russia and Georgia, respectively. As Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Report on Russia and the former Soviet Republics, he published a daily intelligence newsletter for ten years and offered a range of consultation services to a number of Fortune 100 firms pursuing opportunities in the former Soviet Union. In 1998, he represented the Georgian government before the U.S. Congress and Executive Departments as its first lobbyist for President Eduard Shevardnadze. In 2012, Mr. Joyal was selected to head a team of lobbyists for the successful campaign of the Georgian Dream political coalition and has had frequent dealings with companies in that region.

Mr. Joyal has made numerous radio and television appearances as well as written many articles on the topics of intelligence, security issues, terrorism and law enforcement. His media appearances include: NBC, ABC, CBS news; CNN, Crossfire; CNBC, The Real Story; Lifeline, C-SPAN; PBS; BBC, World Report; ABC's Nightline; NET, Washington Watch; Worldwise; and Freedom's Call. Some of his most recent appearances include: Suits and Spooks conference on Russian information warfare: a new form of active measures in Washington, DC 2014 and London 2015. In January 2015 he presented on Russian Information Warfare at the Cyber Security Institute. E appeared on the NBC premier of Dateline: The Real Black List,in 2015 concerning the murder of Alexander Litvinenko. His article “Cyber Operations and Russian Information Warfare” was published in the Winter edition of inFocus Quarterly.

Paul was recognized, along with Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey and NYPD Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, by the Respect for Law Alliance of NYC in 2008 as one of the principal leadership awardees of the Golden Eagle Award, “Defender of Counterintelligence and Homeland Security.” He was the 2011 recipient of the Linda Franklin National Achievement Award, the FBI National InfraGard’s highest honor. Paul was decorated with the Republic of Georgia’s Order of Honor in 2001, their highest civilian award, for his service promoting Georgian independence and integration with the West by President Eduard Shevardnadze.

Micah Hoffman

Micah Hoffman has been working in the information technology field since 1998 supporting federal government, commercial, and internal customers in their searches to discover and quantify information security weaknesses within their organizations. He leverages years of hands-on, real-world penetration testing and incident response experience to provide excellent solutions to his customers. Micah holds GIAC's GMON, GAWN, GWAPT, and GPEN certifications as well as the CISSP and is a SANS Certified Instructor.

Micah is an active member in the NoVAHackers community, writes Recon-ng modules and enjoys tackling issues with the Python scripting language. When not working, teaching, or learning, Micah can be found hiking or backpacking on Appalachian Trail or the many park trails in Maryland. Catch him on Twitter @WebBreacher.

Jim Christy

Jim Christy is is a retired Special Agent that has specialized in cyber crime investigations and digital forensics for over 29 years with the Air Force Office of Special Investigation, the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3) and now the private sector as the Vice President for Investigations and Digital Forensics for Cymmetria. Jim left the government in July 2013 after 42 years of public service and has started his own consulting firm, The Christy Group, LLC. He has also co-founded The Digital Forensics Consortium, a 501 3(c) non-profit organization to promote STEM and specifically cyber investigations and digital forensics to students. The Digital Forensics Consortium has received a grant from the US Department of Homeland Security to resurrect both the Digital Forensics Challenge and the Digital Crime Scene Challenge he created for DC3.

In 1986, Jim obtained notoriety as the original case agent for the “Hanover Hacker” case. This case involved a group of German hackers who electronically penetrated DOD computer systems all over the world and sold the information to the Soviet KGB. The case was detailed in the best seller, “The Cuckoo’s Egg”, by Dr. Cliff Stoll.

In 2006, Christy created the DC3 Digital Forensics Challenge an international competition that in 2013 had 1,800 participants spanning 49 states and 53 countries. The exercises were designed to develop, hone, and engage participants in the fields of cyber investigation, digital forensics, and cyber security.

Jim has been asked by Mr. Jeff Moss and the Black Hat & Defcon organizers to create and moderate the “Meet the Fed” panel for approximately 12 years. Jim brought together the current and former senior cyber government leaders for multiple panel discussions before one of the world’s largest hacker conventions.