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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August 12 2026
Washington, D.C. Insight Exchange: Agentic AI: Adoption and Transparency Considerations for Federal Government Agencies
In this in-person Insight Exchange, geared specifically for those working in federal agencies, IANS Faculty Jake Williams facilitates a dialogue among peers and provides a practical framework for assessing transparency risks and preparing for the adoption of agentic AI in government environments.
August 13 2026
IANS Emerging Issue Briefing: Iran-linked Campaign Against U.S. Critical Infrastructure
Suspected Iran-linked cyber activity targeting U.S. water and wastewater operators has renewed concerns about the security of critical infrastructure organizations with limited resources and aging operational technology environments. In this Briefing, IANS Faculty Wolf Goerlich and Jake Williams will examine the latest developments, the tactics and techniques being used against utilities and other operators, the defensive priorities that matter most right now and what CISOs should be briefing their executives on in an increasingly hostile threat environment.
September 16 2026
2026 Q3 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.