Offense & Defense
Bridges red team insights with blue team readiness to shorten detection and response cycles.
Profile
Building resilient systems since the dial-up era
Matthew J. Harmon is a technologist who has been hands-on with offensive and defensive cyber security since the 1990s. He has designed and hardened UNIX-like environments—from Linux and FreeBSD to OpenBSD and HardenedBSD—while teaching teams how to interpret threat intelligence, hunt for intrusions, and recover from incidents without losing momentum.
Matthew shares his perspectives through public speaking, media contributions, and written guidance that translate complex emerging threats into actionable playbooks. He maintains a steady focus on practical, evidence-based security that meets teams where they are.
Infrastructure Resilience
Designs secure-by-default network and cloud topologies, stress-tested against modern adversaries.
Security Education
Develops courses, workshops, and mentoring programs that raise the bar for cyber practitioners.
Global Standards & Advisory Work
Helping shape international security guidance
Matthew represented ANSI as liaison to ISO and the ITU, contributing to the development of foundational security standards within ISO JTC 1 / SC 27, SC 31 / WG 7, and technical committees focused on fraud countermeasures and secure item management.
His work helped establish baseline expectations for radio-frequency identification security, software infrastructure protections, and smart transducer interfaces (ISO/IEC 21450, IEEE 1451).
- ISO/IEC 24791-6 software system infrastructure security
- AIM Global RFID Experts Group data access security guidance
- ISO/IEC TR 24729-4 RFID tag data security implementation guide
- Contributor to ISO/IEC 21450 & IEEE 1451 smart transducer standards
- Co-author, GCVE-BCP-02 Practical Guide to Vulnerability Handling & Disclosure
Credentials & Training
Certifications that reinforce proven experience
Certifications
- GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC)
- GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH)
- GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA)
- (ISC)2 CISSP
- Aviatrix Certified Engineer (ACE) Multi-Cloud Networking Associate
- Gaming Commission Class E License
- National Weather Service Certified Storm Spotter
Selected Training & Service
- SANS MGT 414 · CISSP prep
- SANS SEC 440 · 20 Critical Security Controls
- ANSI “Delegate to Diplomat” program
- Hennepin County Medical Reserve Corps volunteer
Selected Projects
Tools and resources built for practitioners
ModifiedJulian.Date
A precise time-synchronisation reference that presents Modified Julian Dates with clean visual context.
CMFWYP.com
Check My Footprint pairs live IP telemetry with Shodan InternetDB and VirusTotal intelligence for instant situational awareness.
Applied Linux Audiobook Edition
Hosted reading of Applied Linux with synced manuscript and audio chapters direct from the S3 distribution.
DotDotSlash.ing
A lighter look at path traversal mishaps—memes, cautionary tales, and teachable moments.
TX (TAR Extended)
Hybrid-signed, parity-hardened archives with resumable workspaces, selective restore, and Reed–Solomon repair. Built for cold storage, remote recoveries, and trust-enforced workflows.
Snowflakes Specification Library
SF128 snowflake variants, compression math, and a live encoder/decoder that underpins telemetry pipelines with deduplicated log IDs ready for MsgPack/Zstd storage.
String Can (proof of concept)
Experimental peer-to-peer messenger showcasing post-quantum key negotiation, proof-of-work gatekeeping, and defensive telemetry aimed at raising the bar for small-team collaboration tooling.
Seasonal Cipher
A playful, fully documented substitution cipher that rotates mappings quarterly—great for illustrating why agility, shared keys, and audit trails matter even in lightweight puzzle tooling.
Toilet Duck
A field toolkit for sanitizing compromised systems: guided checklists, detection scripts, and recovery notes distilled from real-world IR rotations.
Publications
Research and commentary
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SSH CRC32 Vulnerability CVE-2001-0144 — joint analysis with Dittrich; see archived write-up and Snort Signature 1324.
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“Plugging Security Gaps,” ISO Focus+ — co-authored guidance on closing RFID security exposures. Read article.
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“Taking Control of IT Ops with Critical Security Controls,” CSO Outlook — a pragmatic checklist for mid-market teams. Read article.
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“Cyber Security Experts Panel,” Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal — perspectives on prioritising investments amid rapid change. Read panel recap.
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Co-author of GCVE-BCP-02 Practical Guide to Vulnerability Handling and Disclosure — actionable guidance for Global CVE Allocation stakeholders on coordinated vulnerability response.
Presentations & Media