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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July 31 2025
2025 July Webinar: Securing Agentic AI: Part 2 - Understand its Real-World Potential and Risks
In June 2025, we discussed what Agentic AI is and isn’t, security risks ‘from’ Agentic AI and ‘for’ Agentic AI, and some high-level recommendations for implementing new and extending existing guardrails for secure deployment. In this sequel to that webinar, IANS Faculty Jake Williams dives deeper into: Agentic AI security models and the surge of MCP adoption, what “adding guardrails” for Agentic AI really means, and use cases in Security Operations, with a focus on where the most beneficial areas for adoption exist.
August 19 2025
2025 Q3 Symposium: Agentic AI: Understanding and Securing the Next Wave of AI Systems
The buzz around Agentic AI – the latest form of AI systems designed to autonomously make decisions and act – is rampant. As security leaders grapple to understand the nuances of this next wave of AI excitement, there are many considerations to take into account to determine if, where and how to experiment and accelerate its use within your environment. In this symposium, IANS Faculty Jake Williams cuts through the noise and shares practical insights and recommendations to aid your understanding of the technology, its risks and guardrails for adoption within your enterprise.
August 28 2025
2025 Q3 Symposium: Ransomware Preparedness: Lessons From Real-World Incidents
According to Verizon’s 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report, ransomware remains the top threat across 92% of industries, with roughly one-third of all breaches involving ransomware or some other extortion technique. In this symposium, we’ll use digital forensics and incident response reports from real-world incidents to walk through the tactics, techniques and procedures of top ransomware gangs and share lessons learned to help you avoid the same fate.