Dave Kennedy

Dave Kennedy is on a mission to advance the cybersecurity industry on a global scale. As Binary Defense Co-Founder and Chief Hacking Officer, his experience and expertise guide cybersecurity solutions, including the development of proprietary managed detection and response technology. Named one of the Top 10 IT Security Influencers in the World by CISO Platform, Kennedy has more than 20 years of experience in the security industry.

Prior to forming Binary Defense, Kennedy founded TrustedSec, an information security consulting company located in Fairlawn, Ohio. The company specializes in attack simulations with a focus on strategic risk management. Kennedy previously worked as the Chief Security Officer for Diebold Incorporated, an international Fortune 1000 company, where he developed a global security program that handled all aspects of information security and risk management.

Before his work in the private sector, Kennedy served in the United States Marine Corps, and he made two tours in Iraq. He specialized in cyber warfare and forensics analysis activities for the U.S. intelligence community.

As an author and creator of several open-source tools, Kennedy has made his mark on the cybersecurity industry. He was a founding member of the Penetration Testing Execution Standard, which has been adopted by the Payment Card Industry and the Data Security Standard Guidelines for Penetration Testing. He co-authored "Metasploit: The Penetration Tester's Guide" and co-created the Penetration Testing Execution Standard. He created the Social Engineer Toolkit, the PenTesters Framework, the Magic Unicorn Exploitation Framework, Artillery, and Fast-Track.

Kennedy has appeared as a guest on multiple news networks, including Fox News, CNN, CNBC, and MSNBC. His tools have also been featured on the History Channel and the popular USA Network television series Mr. Robot, where he assisted with content.

As a recognized leader in the industry, Kennedy has presented at international security conferences, including Microsoft’s Bluehat, DEF CON, Blackhat, and Grace Hopper. He is also the co-founder of DerbyCon, a nine-year-old large-scale security conference in Louisville, Kentucky.

In addition to his formal achievements, Kennedy donates his time and wisdom by speaking with civic leaders and students about the importance of security. Bedford High School, Kennedy’s alma mater, named its Kennedy Center for Gaming and Leadership in his honor.