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Allen West

About Me

I am a Security Engineer currently working with some of the world's best engineers and hackers on Datadog's Security Incident Response Team. My current focus is on scaling Datadog's incident response efforts and building out and maturing the company's threat hunting program. I also love writing code, designing systems, offensive security, and I even enjoy writing policy and research blog posts about all of it. Below is all of the work I have done in the Cyber Security domain, and I hope it protrays sufficiently the level of passion I have for this "career". It means a lot to me and I am excited to be able to share it with anyone who is interested. Thanks!

Education

Masters in Information Security and Assurance - Carnegie Mellon University

2022 - 2024

  • GPA: 4.00
  • Awarded: "Highest Distinction"
  • Relevant Courses: Software and Security | Network and Internet Security | Introduction to Python | Privacy in the Digital Age | Cybersecurity Governance and Policy I-II | Information Security Risk Management | Introduction to Information Security Management | Telecommunications Management | Managing Digital Businesses | Tech Startup Market Discovery | IT Project Management | Digital Transformation | Object-Oreinted Programming for Managers | Introduction to Cyber Intelligence

Bachelors in Cyber Security Engineering - Northeastern University

2018 - 2021

  • Capstone: Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence
  • Relevant Courses: Software Vulnerabilities (Grad) | Object Oriented Design | Computer Systems | Systems Security | Networks and Distributed Systems | Network Security | Theory of Computation | Cryptography | Foundations of Cyber | Cyber Law | Human and Computer Interactions

Certifications

  • OpenCTI - Analyst Essentials - Filigran, 2024
  • Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)* - ISC2, 2023
  • GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) - SANS Institute, 2022
  • RED TEAM Operator: Advanced Malware Development - Sektor7 2023
  • AWS: Associate-Level Developer - VMware, 2022
  • Secret Clearance - Department of Defense, 2014

Employment History

  • Senior Security Engineer (SIRT) @ Datadog (2024 - Current)
  • Security Researcher II, Security Intelligence Response Team (SIRT) @ Akamai Technologies, Inc. (2022 - 2024)
  • Senior Threat Analyst (MDR) @ VMware Carbon Black (2021 - 2022)
  • Freelance Vulnerability Researcher - HackerOne (2021)
  • Systems Safety and Resiliency Intern @ Akamai Technologies, Inc. (2021)
  • Cyber Security Engineering & Operations Co-op @ MIT Lincoln Laboratory (2020 - 2021)
  • Sergeant @ United States Marine Corps (2014 - 2018)

Honors and Awards

  • Datadog's Paws for Applause Award - H2, 2025
  • Akamai's Security Technology Group (STG) MVP - Q1, 2024
  • Akamai High Performance Award - Fiscal year 2022
  • VMware's "At Our Best" Award (x4) - Feb-Aug 2022
  • Carnegie Mellon’s US Military Veterans Scholarship (25% of tuition) - May 2022
  • Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal - Aug 2018
  • Marine Corps Certificate of Commendation - Nov 2017

Publications

Book Chapters

  • 'Sifting for Botnets', In: "97 Things Every AppSec Professional Should Know", O'Reilly Media, Inc., 2024
  • 'In Denial of Your Services', In: "97 Things Every AppSec Professional Should Know", O'Reilly Media, Inc., 2024

Podcast Episodes

Conference Presentations

  • BSides San Diego 2024 - San Diego, CA (Upcoming)
  • Southern California Linux Expo 2024 (SCaLE 21x) - Pasadena, CA
  • SANS HackFest Summit 2023 - Hollywood, CA
  • AppSec SoCal 2023 - Santa Monica, CA
  • Botconf 2023: The Botnet and Malware Ecosystems Fighting Conference - Strasbourg, FR

Invited Talks

  • MSIT Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy - Carnegie Mellon University, 2023
  • Security Consultant Roundtable - Akamai Technologies, Inc., 2023
  • Akamai Security Masters - Akamai Technologies, Inc., 2023
  • Computer Science/Cyber Security Co-op Student Panelist, - Northeastern University, 2021

Selected Press Coverage

Mentoring

  • Datadog paralegal interested in breaking into InfoSec (2026)
  • Datadog Sales Engineer interested in learning more about Datadog Security products (2026)
  • Datadog Technical Recruiter looking to break into InfoSec (2025)
  • Datadog Sales Engineer interested in learning more about Datadog Security products (2025)
  • Liam Hedsbeth, University of Tampa (2023 - Current)
    • Helped break into first cyber role
  • Tom Brier, United States Navy SEAL (2022 - 2023)
    • Helped break into first cyber role
  • Erik Wong, United States Marine (2022)
  • Security Engineering, CareerVillage.org (2022)
  • Computer Science Peer2Peer Mentor, Northeastern University (2020 - 2021)

Affiliations

  • ISACA (2023 - Current)
  • ISC2 Associate (2023 - Current)
  • San Diego Cyber Meetups, by the CISO Series Podcast (2023 - Current)
  • SANS (2022 - Current)

Top Projects (In Progress... Far from complete)

Threat Research

  • Malware Analysis Framework (Python, Linode, R2pipe, OpenAI API, Bash, Docker, Elastic)
  • Akamai's Central Threat Intelligence Hub (Python, Pycti, OpenCTI, PostgreSQL, Elastic)
  • "Helios" Honeypot Exploitation Trend Analysis Tool (Go, Gin, MongoDB, Google Custom Search, OpenAI API, Linode, RabbitMQ, Elasticsearch)
  • Automated Linode Abuse Reporting from Global Honeypots (Python, XARF, Elastic, Linode, Web Hooks)
  • AI-Powered Static Malware Analysis Tool (Python, R2Pipe, Redress, OpenAI API)
  • "UniWebPot" Global HTTP Honeypot Cluster (PHP, Nginx, Linode, Elastic, DigitalOcean, VPS)
  • "Snifferpot" Global High-Interaction Honeypot Cluster (Go, Docker, Kubernetes, Nginx, Linode)
  • "Omni" VMware Carbon Black's Automated IOC Analysis Plugin (JavaScript, Carbon Black)
  • New Customer Threat Hunt Framework (Carbon Black, Excel)
  • File-Infector Virus (C)

Vulnerability Research

AI / ML

Algorithms, Performance, & Cryptography

Network & Internet Security

Systems Security

Security Management

  • Digital Expansion of Aldi into Rural Regions (Managing Digital Business)
  • AI-Powered Class Schedule Manager Design (IT Project Management)
  • Market Discovery for SMB Regulation Management Product (Tech Startup Market Discovery)
  • E-Payment System Design for Pittsburgh International Airport (Managing Digital Business)
  • Risk Management Policy for JPMorgan Chase (Risk Management)

Other Open Source Contributions

Relevant Books Read (last updated 2024)

  • "Surveillance Valley: The Rise of the Military-Digital Complex", by Yasha Levine
  • "The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master", by Andy Hunt
  • "Malware Forensics Field Guide for Linux Systems: Digital Forensics", by Eoghan Casey
  • "Power and Predictions: The Disruptive Economics of Artificial Intelligence", by Ajay Agrawal
  • "Fundamentals of Softwre Architecture", by Mark Richards
  • "Certified Information Security Manager Exam Prep Guide", by Hemang Doshi
  • "The Industries of the Future", by Alec J. Ross
  • "CISM Review Manual 2015", by ISACA
  • "Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us Abouut Who We Really Are", by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
  • "Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World", by Cal Newport
  • "CISM Certified Information Security Manager All-in-One Exam Guide" by Peter H. Gregory
  • "The Staff Engineer's Path: A Guide for Individual Contributors Navigating Growth and Change", by Tanya Reilly
  • "Essential CISM: Updated for the 15th Edition CISM Review Manual", by Phil Martin
  • "Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential", by Tiago Forte
  • "System Design Interview - An Insider's Guide", by Alex Xu
  • "Thinking Better: The Art of the Shortcut in Math and Life", by Marcus du Sautoy
  • "The Hacker Playbook: Practical Guide to Penetration Testing", by Peter Kim
  • "Competing in the Age of AI: Strategy and Leadership When Algorithms and Networks Run the World", by Marco Lantisi
  • "RTFM: Red Team Field Manual v2", by Ben Clark
  • "Bug Bounty Bootcamp: The Guide to Finding and Reporting Web Vulnerabilities", by Vickie Li
  • "Eleventh Hour CISSP: Study Guide", by Eric Conrad
  • "(ISC)2 CISSP Ceritified Information Systems Security Professional Official Practice Tests", by Mike Chapple (x2)
  • "Cybersecurity Myths and Misconceptions: Avoiding the Hazards and Pitfalls that Derail Us", by Eugene H. Spafford
  • "Managing Kubernetes Resources Using Helm: Simplifying how to build, package and distribute applications for Kubernetes", by Andrew Block
  • "The Official (ISC)2 CISSP CBK Reference" by Arthur J. Deane
  • "Cyber Threat Intelligence Field Manual (CTI FM): For Decision-Makers, Analysts, and Operators across All Industries", by Chris Anthony
  • "(ISC)2 CISSP Certified Information Systems Security Professional Official Study Guide", by Mike Chapple
  • "AI 2041: Ten Visions for Our Future", by Kai-Fu Lee
  • "The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book that Will Change the Way You Do Business", by Clayton M. Christensen
  • "The Kill Chain: How Emerging Technologies Threaten America's Military Dominance", by Christian Brose
  • "Bug Bounty Playbook", by Alex O. Thomasex
  • "Bug Bounty Automation With Python: The secrets of bug hunting", by Syed Abuthahir
  • "The Dark Net: Inside the Digital Underworld", by Jamie Bartlett
  • "Information Security Policies and Porcedures: A Practitioner's Reference", by Thomas R. Peltier
  • "Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones", by James Clear
  • "The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier", by Bruce Sterling
  • "Quantum Computing for Everyone", by Chris Bernhardt
  • "Cyber Threat Intelligence: The No-Nonsense Guide for CISOs and Security Managers", by Aaron Roberts
  • "Software Security: Building Security In", by Gary McGraw
  • "Learn Python the Hard Way", by Zed A. Shaw
  • "Future Crimes", by Marc Goodman
  • "CSSLP Certification All-in-one Exam Guide", by William Arthur Conklin
  • "Eniac: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the World's First Computer", by Scott McCartney
  • "Official (ISC)2 Guide to the CSSLP CBK ((ISC)2 Press)", by Mano Paul
  • "Cyber Hacking: Wars in Virtual Space", by Scientific American
  • "Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup", by John Carreyrou
  • "The Rust Programming Language", by Steve Klabnik
  • "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach", by Stuart Russell
  • "You'll See This Message When It Is Too Late: The Legal and Economic Aftermath of Cybersecurity Breaches", by Josephine Wolff
  • "Hackable: How to Do Application Security Right", by Ted Harrington
  • "How the Internet Happened: From Netscape to the IPhone", by Brian McCullough
  • "Creativity Code", by Marcus du Sautoy
  • "Cyberjutsu: Cybersecurity for the Modern Ninja", by Ben McCarty
  • "Engineering a Safer World: Systems Thinking Applied to Safety", by Nancy G. Levenson
  • "The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage", by Clifford Stoll
  • "The Art of Intrusion: The Real Stories Behind the Exploits of Hackers, Intruders, and Deceivers", by Kevin D. Mitnick
  • "The Art of Invisibility: The World's Most Famous Hacker Teaches You How to Be Safe in the Age of Big Brother and Big Data", by Kevin D. Mitnick
  • "The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security", by Kevin D. Mitnick
  • "Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker", by Kevin D. Mitnick (x2)
  • "Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyberrime Underground", by Kevin Poulsen
  • "Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon", by Kim Zetter (x2)
  • "Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers", by Andy Greenberg
  • "Cult of the Dead Cow: How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World", by Joseph Menn
  • "Spam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime - from Global Epidemic to Your Front Door", by Brian Krebbs
  • "Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War", by Fred Kaplan
  • "Hello World: Being Human in the Age of Algorithms", by Hannah Fry
  • "Blockchain Basics: A non-Technical Introduction in 25 Steps", by Daniel Drescher
  • "Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-connected World", by Bruce Schneier
  • "Computer Networks: A Systems Approach, Fourth Edition", by Larry L. Peterson
  • "Tribe of Hackers: Cybersecurity Advice from the Best Hackers in the World", by Marcus J. Carey
  • "Continuous Discovery Habits: Discover Products that Create Customer Value and Business Value", by Teresa Torres
  • "Practical IoT Hacking: The Definitive Guide to Attacking the Internet of Things", by Fotios Chantzis
  • "Penetration Testing: A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking", by Georgia Weidman

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security mentorship incident-response public-speaking malware-research carnegie-mellon-university cissp threat-intelligence security-engineering northeastern-university veteran gcih

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