CyberNow Labs

♦ Conducting log analysis on Splunk Enterprise Security and IBM QRadar SIEM solutions and providing recommendations to the technical teams via the Jira ticketing system.
♦ Monitoring and analyzing SIEM alerts through Splunk Enterprise Security and IBM QRadar and identifying security anomalies for investigation and remediation.
♦ Analyzing malicious incidents using SentinelOne and CrowdStrike EDR solutions, identifying indicators of compromise, and preparing incident reports on the impact and scope of these activities using IBM QRadar SOAR. 
♦ Conducting analysis activities to determine the legitimacy of files, domains, and emails using OSINT resources such as VirusTotal, AnyRun, CyberChef, HybridAnalysis, and MX Toolbox.
♦ Analyzing phishing incidents using Proofpoint Email Security and Protection and documenting incidents using IBM QRadar SOAR. 
♦ Familiarity with various tools such as Tenable Nessus, Revelstoke SOAR, and analyzing PCAP files using Wireshark.
♦ Familiarity with the fundamentals of network and information security, network technology and tools, identity and access management, risk management, and SANS Incident Response. 
♦ SOC Shift Team Lead providing leadership, training, motivation, and guidance to other analysts.

Security Operations Center Analyst

Avertium

♦	Monitoring, triaging, and analyzing alerts in several SIEMs including LogRhythm, AlienVault Central and Appliance, Microsoft Azure Sentinel, FortiSIEM, and Splunk Enterprise Security, and identifying security issues for investigation, troubleshooting, and remediation. 
♦	Ensure all tickets are handled and resolved and in compliance with SLAs (Service Level Agreements).
♦	Conducting log analysis on these alerts and providing recommendations to the technical teams via the ConnectWise ticketing system. Writing documentation and logging activities in a Shift Daily OneNote file.
♦	Monitored the health of multiple SIEMs, EDRs, and other systems. Escalate to Shift Leads and Engineers as needed.
♦	Interface with clients as needed via emails and telephone calls.

Cyber Security Analyst

Michael Liebert Training Company

♦	CyberNow Labs – Learning how to use the tools of the trade in an immersive, hands-on Security Operations Center utilizing both classroom sessions and shifts in the SOC.
♦	Professional Institute of Technology – CompTIA Security+ classes.
♦	CompTIA CertMaster Learn, Labs, and Practice – Self-study on all three of these platforms for all four of my CompTIA certifications.
♦	Mike Meyers Total Seminars – Self-study courses for the CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+ exams.
♦	Professor Messer Videos - Self-study courses for the CompTIA A+, Network+, and Security+ exams.
♦	Building a Home Lab – Designed more as a Blue Team lab to use for LetsDefend, OSINT research, practicing Linux and Wireshark, and assessing my home network vulnerabilities.
♦	Online Training Platforms – Self-study via the LetsDefend, RangeForce, and TryHackMe gamified training platforms and studying as an (ISC)² candidate.
♦	Linux – Self-study of several Linux fundamentals course online through Udemy.
♦	Wireshark - – Self-study of several Wireshark fundamentals course online through Udemy.

Student - Cybersecurity

Wynn Las Vegas

♦ 	Provided exceptional customer service working at the only Forbes 5-Star rated casino resort in the world.
♦ 	 Protected company physical assets as well as sensitive information.
♦ 	 Protected customer confidential information.
♦ 	 Trained team members on cheating detection and prevention methods.

Casino Supervisor

Empress Casino Hammond Corporation

♦	Worked in an environment equivalent to that of a cybersecurity Security Operations Center.
♦	Began as a Surveillance Agent and was promoted to Surveillance Supervisor and Surveillance Manager. 
♦	Most important job duty also equivalent to that of a SOC: protecting all company assets. 
♦	Trained and motivated a small, dedicated team to develop the skills required to protect company assets.
♦	Conducted company-wide training/mentoring on new customer service initiative.

Casino Surveillance Manager

I am an accomplished guest service professional from the casino gaming industry that has transitioned to a career in cybersecurity. I am an intuitive learner that can pick things up quickly and make valuable contributions to your team immediately. I have extensive experience in team leadership and safeguarding a company's sensitive data and assets.

I know the cybersecurity fundamentals your company requires of its analysts as demonstrated by earning the CompTIA IT Fundamentals+, A+, Network+, and Security+ certifications. I have hands-on experience with the tools and technologies used in Security Operations Centers to monitor alerts, evaluate network, application, and endpoint security, perform in-depth analyses using OSINT resources, and document incidents using incident reporting systems.

My real strengths are that I am highly organized, detail-oriented, and passionate about cybersecurity. What I am looking for is an opportunity to use my guest service experience, my ability to learn quickly, and my passion for cybersecurity at a company like yours to help you meet any challenges that arise now and in the future. 

I like reading good books from a variety of genres, though I love science fiction the best. I use crossword puzzles as a great method for both relaxing and keeping my mind sharp. Living in Las Vegas allows me to indulge in a little casual poker playing every now and then as well as attend shows by world-class entertainers. Taking a nice, long walk in the morning or evening is something I do to either start or end the day well.

Please feel free to reach me at michael.liebert13@gmail.com.

Michael Liebert, CIOS CSIS

Joshua Copeland

Who I Am
I’m a cybersecurity executive, professor, and board advisor with 25+ years of experience spanning federal, state, and commercial sectors. My mission is to cut through the noise, fear, and dogma of our industry to help organizations build resilient systems and the fearless teams to defend them.

 What I Do
• Lead enterprise cybersecurity programs as CISO & advisor
• Build and scale SOC, GRC, and risk management functions
• Develop secure infrastructure architecture and resilience strategies
• Teach graduate courses at Tulane University on cybersecurity
• Deliver keynotes and serve on boards shaping the future of security
• Challenge groupthink as the voice behind #UnpopularOpinion, sparking honest industry-wide dialogue
 
Why It Matters
Cybersecurity isn’t just about tools or compliance...it’s the oxygen that keeps organizations alive. I help leaders see beyond the checkbox mindset, align security to mission, and empower their people to thrive under pressure instead of breaking under it.

Let’s Connect
Whether you’re building a program, scaling a team, or looking to rethink how security fits into your strategy, I’m here to help you make it real.

Previously held TS/SCI Clearance, Public Trust, and CJIS.

Disclaimer:  Any opinions and posts expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer, vendor, or sponsor.

Security Director (Cyber)

Selected to lead the cybersecurity processes supporting a large state agency's network transformation.  Responsible to integrate cybersecurity baselines, best practices, GRC, and SSP within the division's various work streams related to the transformation and modernization program.

Gooooood morning from beautiful and sunny Austin.  Over the weekend I saw a post here on LinkedIn that was bashing the rise of cyber degrees and extolling the virtues of the traditional CS. 
So let’s get into it #unpopularopinion: The weirdest flex in tech is thinking your #degree makes you superior.

Computer Science is not the Vatican of technology.
Cybersecurity isn’t “CS-lite.”
CIS isn’t “business fluff.”
Cyber Engineering isn’t “CS with a firewall bolted on.”

They are different disciplines with different intent.

CS typically goes harder on:
• Algorithms
• Discrete math
• Computational theory
• Deep programming fundamentals

Cybersecurity leans into:
• Threat modeling
• Risk
• Defensive strategy
• Applied controls

Cyber Engineering focuses on:
• Building secure systems from the ground up
• Architecture
• Integration
• Engineering discipline

CIS often emphasizes:
• Systems + business alignment
• Process
• Governance
• Making technology actually work inside organizations

Different tools. Different emphasis. Same ecosystem.

I’ve hired from all of them and here’s what I’ve learned:

The degree rarely predicts performance.

The ceiling is determined by:
• Curiosity
• Work ethic
• Systems thinking
• Communication
• Adaptability

Not the number of math credits or hours of programming on your transcript.

We have this bad habit in tech of creating artificial hierarchies based on curriculum depth; as if rigor in one dimension equals superiority in all dimensions.

It doesn’t.

Cyber, and IT in general now, is multidisciplinary by nature.

Builders. Breakers. Architects. Operators. Translators.

If you think one path is the only legitimate one, you’re not protecting standards.

You’re protecting ego.

And ego has never built resilient systems.

BL: Pick the path that fits how you think. Then outgrow it.

#unpopularopinionguy

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Happy Friday! Katie Copeland and I are going to see Cheap Trick tonight. We saw ZZ Top not long ago and Candlebox next month.  We are both music nerds and love music from all decades and most genres.  Obviously, being a bigger nerd, and a cyber nerd to boot, tonight's concert got me thinking about the biggest music shift in my lifetime when grunge killed hair metal.  So, time for some #unpopularopinion: It’s wild how every scene forgets the same lesson.  #Skill always wins when things get real.


Hair metal didn’t die. It got exposed.

Loud costumes.
Louder egos.
Corporate glitter sprayed over mediocre fundamentals and killer post-production.

An entire genre built on looking dangerous
instead of being good.

Then grunge showed up like a fist through drywall.

No styling team.
No choreography.
No permission.
Just feedback, sweat, and people who could actually play their instruments.

And the glammed-up rock gods vanished.

Cyber is drowning in hairspray right now.
Executive cosplay.
Influencer theater.
Panel-circuit celebrities selling recycled takes like they’re rare vinyl.
Ring lights brighter than the incident rooms.
Personal brands stronger than technical depth.
“Vision” leaders who’ve never led under fire.

You can fake expertise on a stage. You can’t fake it at 3 AM with a live breach and legal on the bridge.
That’s unplugged.
That’s raw.

That’s where frauds get quiet.

Because reality is a mosh pit.
No script.
No safe space.
No backup dancers.
Just impact.

You either keep your footing or you get trampled.

Grunge didn’t ask the industry for approval.
It dragged it into the pit and let gravity decide.

BL:  Cyber’s pit is coming.  It will be interesting to see who survives.

#unpopularopinionguy

Yes, I know, I skipped posting yesterday, not because I ran out of things to talk about, just that I was swamped.  But we are back with more #unpopularopinion: A lot of what the cybersecurity industry calls #threatintelligence isn’t really intelligence.

It’s well-written reporting about hackers.
Don’t get me wrong...the reports are often excellent.

Clear writing.
Great graphics.
Super slick PDFs.
Detailed breakdowns of threat groups, malware families, and campaigns.

Here is the part that we often get wrong.... We skip the part of figuring out what we need change because of this?

Block something?
Patch something?
Reconfigure something?
Hunt for something?
Brief leadership on something?

If the output of CTI is just “this threat actor exists and here’s what they’ve been doing”, that’s not intelligence.

That’s cybersecurity journalism.

Real intelligence does something different.

It changes decisions.
It influences how defenders prioritize risk.
 It shapes what teams monitor.
 It alters what gets patched first.
 It informs what leadership prepares for next.

BL: If a CTI product doesn’t ultimately lead to a defensive action, a change in posture, or a decision, then it may be interesting…but it isn’t intelligence. Because intelligence, by definition, exists to drive action.

#unpopularopinionguy

Happy Tuesday and I have been pondering #thirdpartyrisk, so let’s hit today’s #unpopularopinion: Third-party risk is a confidence game.

Vendors don’t prove controls.
They perform them.

They show up with a glossy Trust Center, a SOC report nobody reads past the opinion paragraph, and a stack of screenshots that look like security but prove almost nothing.

And most customers + auditors?

They get bamboozled.

Because the evidence is designed to feel true, not be true.

But let’s go deeper.

Sometimes you can’t even get the documents.

You’ve been a customer for years.
You already process sensitive data.
You already trust them with your crown jewels.

And to get a copy of the SOC 2?
To review a pen test summary?
To see control mappings?

You have to:
	•	Book a demo.
	•	Sit through a sales pitch.
	•	Sign a new NDA (which I totally agree with, but make it easy)
	•	Submit a ticket.
	•	Wait two weeks.
	•	Access it in a portal that won’t let you download it.

Security transparency shouldn’t require a sales funnel.

If I need a revenue conversation to validate your controls, that’s not trust…that’s friction by design.

And then, when the evidence finally shows up?

Blurry screenshots.
Redacted into oblivion.
Out-of-date exports.
No timestamps.
No system-of-record validation.
No proof of enforcement.

And auditors still accept it.

Because the audit isn’t about assurance.
It’s about closure.

“Evidence received.”
Workpaper complete.
Checkbox checked.

A reasonable person would reject half of what gets submitted outright.

But it gets accepted anyway.

So we end up in this absurd ecosystem where:
	•	A beautiful PDF beats a true control.
	•	A screenshot beats a system of record.
	•	A policy beats enforcement.
	•	A SOC 2 beats reality.
	•	And “evidence submitted” quietly becomes “evidence verified.”

That’s not risk management.

That’s risk cosplay.

And when the breach hits, everyone is shocked…even though the entire system rewards vendors who are best at looking compliant, not being secure.  Because every big name breach was ISO or SOC2 or something else. 

If your vendor can pass your review with Canva, screenshots, and a well-trained sales engineer…your third-party risk program isn’t protecting the business.

It’s protecting the illusion that you did.

BL: If “submitted” is enough, you don’t have a control environment, you have a filing cabinet.

#unpopularopinionguy

Happy Saturday and now for something completely different from my usual content, yet still the same vein.  Many of you know I spent 20 years on active duty and have spent the last few years as member of the State Guard but also have been a firearms instructor. 

#unpopularopinion: Most “duty” holsters weren’t designed for modern duty guns. They were retrofitted for them.

Blade-Tech Holsters  Valor Level III  - Built for Modern Duty

Configuration Tested

• Glock 19 Gen 6
• Swampfox Kingslayer open-emitter optic
• Streamlight TLR-7X
• Tek-Mount system

Most “duty” holsters were designed for yesterday’s guns and reluctantly adapted to modern setups.

The Valor wasn’t.

Fit and retention on a brand-new platform like the Glock 19 Gen 6 are dialed in. No excessive play. No compromise around optics or lights. It supports a modern configuration without feeling forced into it.

Retention

Level III systems walk a fine line. Too complex slows presentation. Too simple defeats the purpose.

Blade-Tech got this right.

The release sequence is intuitive. About 30 minutes of structured reps builds real proficiency. The draw path is clean and repeatable; no wrist contortion or thumb gymnastics.

Security without sacrificing speed.

Optic Shroud

Open emitter optics are fast and exposed.

The optic shroud provides meaningful protection without interfering with the draw or sight picture.

Not cosmetic. Practical.

Built for Where the Industry Is Going

Large optics fit easily.
Duty lights clear cleanly.
Open bottom supports threaded barrels and compensators.

The industry is moving toward modular and compensated carry.

The Valor supports that evolution.

Tek-Mount

Fast configuration changes. Solid lockup. No wobble.

If you rotate between training, executive protection, or duty setups, that adaptability matters.

Final Take

The first thing you notice is rigidity.

This isn’t range toy gear.

Every design choice prioritizes safety, retention integrity, speed, and durability.

BL: The professionals operating where failure isn’t theoretical …this is serious equipment

#unpopularopinionguy

Disclaimer: this is NOT a sponsored post. This is just a product I think based on my professional experience is a rare top tier product that emphasizes security and accessibility.  Things that speak to me as both a cybersecurity professional and someone who has carried and trains firearms professionally for years.

Happy Friday. After a great night tasting some fantastic American whiskey at Westland Distillery with my friends at 2nd Forge Group and TierPoint, I got to thinking, so you have today's #unpopularopinion: #Cybersecurity is a lot like whiskey?

First, the mash: That’s your daily grind....logs, alerts, patches from you raw ingredients.

Water (Infrastructure). The quality of it can dramatically change your outcome.
Grain (SaaS Tools). Most people treat them like a commodity, but your yield depends on your specific mix. 
Yeast (Identity) It’s what makes things live or die. Mishandle it, and your entire batch is ruined.

Then fermentation: That’s your run and maintain. Things bubble and churn, incidents, identity flux, tool updates. It’s chaotic, and if you don’t watch carefully, things spoil fast.

Distillation: Now we refine. We strip away noise, implement controls, and distill down to the essential risks. It is our incident handling, tuning, and refining risk. You separate the weak from the strong.

Here’s where the barrel matters:

Bourbon, that new charred white oak, is like a highly regulated environment. You must follow the rules.  But then, when it comes to just whiskey, you can be more innovative.  Use used sherry, wine, or beer barrels, or even a mix of barrel types, or even staves in the barrel.   It is a less regulated expression and more unpredictable in the product. Here you can build something bold and complex. Context rules here, but that’s where the real pros shine. These can yield wild, rich, tailored flavors. But they still demand time, context, and judgment, especially when there aren't rules compelling you.

In both whiskey and cybersecurity, we don’t always get to choose when it’s bottled. Sometimes we’re forced to release a young batch, knowing it could age more and be amazing. But a true pro adapts, knowing which barrels to use, how to blend batches, and how to tailor the aging...even under pressure. We aren’t hiding barrels; we’re managing them; openly, strategically. The difference isn’t hiding; it’s knowing which barrel to trust, and when to stand your ground.

BL:  Whiskey or cybersecurity; simple ingredients, complex results. The barrel and the timing aren’t always yours to choose, but the craft is. In the end, the pros turn pressure, culture, and tech into something worth sipping...even if it burns on the way down.

#unpopularopinionguy

Big news for the cyber community in the Boot!

The Military Cyber Professionals Association is expanding its boot-print, and #Louisiana is officially on the map as we launch the MCPA Louisiana Chapter.

This isn’t just another professional group. #MCPA was built to connect the warfighters, operators, defenders, and builders who live at the intersection of:

• Cyber Operations
• National Defense
• Critical Infrastructure Protection
• Public & Private Sector Collaboration

It’s a community forged by practitioners...not spectators.

People who’ve done the endless on-call rotations.
People who’ve run incidents at 3 AM.
People who understand that keyboards can have a strategic impact.

And now… Louisiana has a seat at that table.

Our first official Grey Call will take place at #BSidesNOLA, where we are bringing together Title 10 and Title 32 forces, federal, state, industry, and academic cyber leaders right here in the Silicon Bayou.

Grey Calls are where conversations turn into coordination. Where relationships turn into readiness. Where community becomes capability.

If you care about cyber resilience in the Gulf South…
If you support the mission…
If you believe cyber is a team sport…

You’ll want to be in the room. Louisiana cyber isn’t emerging...It’s organizing.

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Michael Liebert, CIOS CSIS

Joshua Copeland

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