Keynote
Discusses keynote and evaluates key implications for security practitioners.
Summary
Personal Journey Into Security
Ken Weston keynotes BSides Portland with an Alice in Wonderland “rabbit hole” theme. A Portland native with dysgraphia, he found computers gave him a voice, leading from web development and a sake brewery online store through startups to security work.
What Rabbit Holes Mean
In security, rabbit holes describe hyperfocus—sometimes productive, sometimes leading to burnout. Weston ties the metaphor to experimentation, community support, and a field where people innovate by using technology in unintended ways.
Investigations and Innovation
He recounts building USB-based tracking tools for stolen devices, presenting at DEF CON 23, media attention, a failed startup, and later work at Tripwire. Investigations rarely start from one alert; analysts pivot across data sources, building “crazy walls” of linked evidence like detectives.
Forensic Mindset
Weston introduces Edmond Locard as foundational to criminal forensics, framing investigation as creative synthesis across disparate clues rather than purely technical checkbox work.
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