IANS Logo Icon

Dave Kennedy

IANS Faculty

    Dave is the Founder and Owner of TrustedSec, an information security consulting firm, and Binary Defense, a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) that detects attackers early to prevent large-scale invasions. In addition to creating several widely popular open-source tools, including 'The Social-Engineer Toolkit' (SET), PenTesters Framework (PTF), and Artillery. David has also released security advisories, including zero-days, with a focus on security research.


    Prior to his work in the private sector, Dave served in the United States Marine Corps (USMC), focusing on cyber warfare and forensics analysis activities, including two tours to Iraq. He also served on the board of directors for (ISC)2, which is one of the largest security collectives and offers certifications such as the CISSP.

    Expertise
    • Penetration Testing
    • Incident Response
    • Digital Forensics
    • Cybersecurity Program Management
    • Security Research & Tool Development

    Achievements & Contributions

    • Founding Member of the Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES)
    • Co-Author of Metasploit: The Penetration Testers Guide (2011)
    • Guest appearances on Fox News, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, Huffington Post, Bloomberg, BBC, and other high-profile media outlets
    • Presenter at information security conferences such as Black Hat, RSA, DEF CON, ShmooCon, INFOSEC World, ISACA, ISSA, United Security Summit, INFOSEC Summit, Hack3rCon, BSides, and DerbyCon, which he co-created and expanded into DerbyCon Communities

    Certifications & Credentials

    • BA, Business Management – Malone University
    • CISSP – (ISC)2
    • Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) – PCI Security Standards Council
    • ISO/IEC 27001 Certified – ISO
    • GSEC - GIAC
    • Certificate Professional (OSCP) & Certified Expert (OSCE) – Offensive Security
    • Global Information Assurance Gold Certification
    • Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE) – Microsoft