Profile
Jake Williams (aka MalwareJake) is a seasoned security researcher with decades of experience in technology and security. Jake is a former startup founder, former senior SANS instructor and course author, and an intelligence community and military veteran. He loves forensics, incident response, cyber threat intelligence and offensive methodologies. Today, Jake is an IANS faculty member, an independent security consultant, and is performing security-focused research to benefit the broader community. He has had the honor of twice winning the DoD Cyber Crime Center (DC3) annual digital forensics challenge. You may also know Jake from one of his many conference talks, webcasts, media appearances or his postings about cybersecurity.
Expertise
- Incident Response
- Digital Forensics
- Threat Modeling
- Penetration Testing
- Security Architecture
Qualifications
Achievements & Contributions
- Two-Time Winner of the Annual DC3 Forensics Challenge
- Speaker at information security conferences such as Black Hat, DEF CON, ShmooCon, RSA, and DC3
- Designated a Master Computer Network Exploitation (CNE) Operator by the NSA
- Former Vulnerability Analyst at US Department of Defense
- Former Senior Systems Engineer at Dell Services
Certifications & Credentials
- MSIA, Information Assurance –Capitol College
- GSE, GSNA, GCFE, GREM, GCWN, GCIA, GCIH, GPEN, GCFA, GXPN, GSEC –GIAC
Upcoming Events
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April 17 2026
IANS Emerging Issue Briefing: Project Glasswing and the Next Phase of AI Risk
In this briefing, IANS Faculty members Jake Williams and Summer Fowler examine Anthropic’s decision to withhold its Mythos Preview model over cybersecurity concerns and launch Project Glasswing with 40+ industry partners. They’ll assess what’s known today and whether Mythos represents a true step-change in vulnerability management. Cutting through the hype, they’ll focus on the real security implications and what, if anything, organizations need to change. Attendees will leave with clear guidance for advising executives and boards on what matters most.
April 22 2026
2026 Q2 Symposium: Agentic AI: Adoption and Transparency Considerations for State and Local Government Agencies
State and local government agencies face a unique set of transparency obligations which are often more stringent, diverse and operationally fragmented than those at the federal level. As agencies consider deploying agentic AI—systems that autonomously produce actions and outputs—they must consider that these outputs may be considered public records, and explanations on how the outputs were generated may be called into question. In this virtual symposium, geared specifically for those working at state and local agencies, IANS Faculty Jake Williams provides a practical framework for assessing transparency risks and preparing for agentic AI adoption in state and municipal environments.
May 26 2026
2026 Q2 Symposium: Agentic AI Threat Modeling: How to Use It to Design Guardrails for Secure Use of Agentic AI Applications
Specific agentic AI threat models have been developed to address the unique risks and challenges that exist due to the autonomy, continuous learning and interaction of agentic AI systems. In this virtual symposium, delve into how to threat model agentic AI applications, the differences between industry-leading threat models/frameworks and how to apply them to your environment.