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Nathan Acks
Attendere ad singula

About

Nathan Acks is a security engineer and penetration tester with broad cross-domain experience. His offensive security work spans web applications, thick clients, mobile applications, and smart contracts, blending manual and automated techniques to assess risk, build threat models, and defeat the security mechanisms of the systems he evaluates. He is a deliberate generalist, emphasizing breadth and flexibility of ability rather than single-domain expertise. Nathan has developed and led a variety of trainings, ranging from multi-day security trainings for client software development teams to one-on-one workshops on operational security for non-technical staff. Before working for Bureau Veritas Cybersecurity, Nathan founded and led the IT & Security Team at a national nonprofit, crafting organization-wide security policies, trainings, and strategy documents in partnership with legal and executive leadership. This experience grounds his technical work in deep understanding of real organizational and business needs.

Work Experience

Bureau Veritas Cybersecurity North America
Denver, CO
Penetration Testing and Red Teaming
https://cybersecurity.bureauveritas.com
February 2024 – Present
Security Engineer II
Coordinated scoping calls and process improvements as a technical project manager for a major global client. Developed and lead multi-day security trainings for client software development teams. Led teams of 1 - 4 engineers during multi-week engagements covering multiple services and applications. Developed in-house and open source tools to aid penetration test automation and effectiveness.
Highlights
  • Developed a standardized testing environment using Nix flakes.
  • Maintained an offline knowledge base for use by engineers during on-site engagements without direct internet access.
Bureau Veritas Cybersecurity North America
Denver, CO
Penetration Testing and Red Teaming
https://cybersecurity.bureauveritas.com
May 2022 – February 2024
Security Engineer I
Worked closely with other application security engineers to perform reviews and tests on web applications and thick clients. Created threat models that resulted in more secure application design. Analyzed and presented results of testing to team members, managers, and customers.
The Public Interest Network
Denver, CO
National Network of Nonprofits
https://publicinterestnetwork.org
June 2016 – May 2022
Director of IT
Founded and oversaw the organization's IT & Security team, crafting organization-wide security policies in collaboration with the Legal team and the President's Office. Wrote and maintained IT and security-related documentation and trainings. Held bottom-line responsibility for the roll-out, maintenance, security, and support of IT systems used by all staff, including email, user authentication, document management, and custom internal applications. Served as the technical point-of-contact for IT-related PCI DSS issues. Investigated and remediated potential IT security incidents.
Highlights
  • Created an internal system for the provisioning and management of the full lifecycle for accounts in services managed by the IT & Security team.
  • Oversaw the successful migration from a legacy vendor email system to Google Workspace, and from a legacy LDAP system to Okta.
  • Managed the successful roll-out of two-factor authentication to the staff, the transition to Microsoft 365, and the migration of multiple office-based phone systems nationwide.
The Public Interest Network
Denver, CO
National Network of Nonprofits
https://publicinterestnetwork.org
October 2009 – June 2016
Manager of Online Outreach Technology
Provided data analysis, database development, and IT vendor management for the organization's digital organizing program. Managed multiple Linux servers running mission-critical applications including LDAP/GOsa, MySQL, NFS, Postfix, Apache, CiviCRM, WebGUI, and Tenable Security Center. Maintained a large library of custom SQL and PL/SQL scripts for reporting and data import, export, and clean-up. Provided wide-ranging support in the development of content and outreach strategies as part of a rapid response organizing team.
Highlights
  • Oversaw the successful migrations of an in-house constituent relationship management (CRM) and action system to a vendor CRM (Convio, and later Salsa).
  • Led a successful project that integrated vendor CRM databases with a separate system hosted by ROI Solutions.

Awards

  • June 2022

    CompTIA

    Security+ (2022 – 2025)

Contact

Denver, CO US
nathan.acks@cardboard-iguana.com
https://cardboard-iguana.com
GitHub
necopinus

Education

  • 2005 2009

    University of Colorado, Denver, CO

    https://ucdenver.edu

    Master's of Science

    Applied Mathematics

  • 1999 2003

    University of Colorado, Denver, CO

    https://ucdenver.edu

    Bachelor's of Science

    Theoretical Physics

Skills

Topline Skills
Security Solutions Organizational Leadership Service Excellence
Areas of Expertise
Vulnerability Assessments Investigations & Research Smart Contract Audits Technical Project Management Risk Analysis & Management Technical Documentation Strategic Business Partnerships Strategy & Execution Stakeholder Communication
Penetration Testing
Burp Suite Kali Linux Metasploit Python Solidity
Cybersecurity
Incident Response PCI DSS Security Training Security Policy
IT Operations
Linux Administration Database Administration Amazon Web Services Google Workspace Office 365 Technical Support