The Second Factor Name
“The Second Factor” name comes from the security concept known as two-factor authentication (2FA). The first factor in 2FA is something you know, and the second factor is either something you have or something you are. It’s the validation process to prove you are who you say you are. Everything I share here is who I am.
My day job is in Cybersecurity, specifically I’m a Threat Intelligence analyst. We are always on the lookout for the latest threats, monitor open and closed intelligence sources, dark web mentions, and put it all together to determine the "so what" of the data. One of my favorite voices to follow in the field is Kevin Beaumont who describes the job as sort of being a “cyber weatherman”. Spot on.
I’ve been in the Cybersecurity field for 14 years, four of them in Threat Intelligence. There’s a lot I can share about this field from my experience and also what this field is currently going through. Like many professions, Cybersecurity is going through a massive shift with AI. Just look at this headline from a recent New York Times article: “Anthropic Claims Its New A.I. Model, Mythos, Is a Cybersecurity ‘Reckoning’”. Who wants to deal with a reckoning in their job? The past couple of years has felt like a lot to keep up with. The Second Factor will help me make sense of it.
It won’t always be security doom and gloom, I’m also very passionate about photography. I won’t get into it now, but suffice it to say I have four cameras and a bag full of lenses. My most recent purchase, a Ricoh GRIV, is a stellar camera that fits in your pocket and runs circles around the iPhone camera. It goes with me everywhere. If you’re on Instagram, feel free to follow me.
The Second Factor will be intentional, technical, insightful, and always me.