~# 2024 Hak4Kidz Keynote - Johnny Xmas

Title: 1993 B.C. (Before Cell Phones)

Abstract: Remember 1993? No? Well then this talk is for you. Come listen to Johnny Xmas relay stories of being a teenager during a time when The Internet, smartphones, and even texting were effectively nonexistent. He'll relay tales of a time when calling a girl you liked meant having to deal with the rest of her family answering the phone first, taking a road trip before even standalone GPS devices were prevalent, and the necessity of scamming the public payphone system just to get your mom to pick you up from band practice. Pagers, printers, Nintendo, and the now-abandoned concept of "going outside" await. Bring your rollerblades; it's about to get rad in here.

(No rollerblades, please)

Full(-ish) Bio

Despite his best efforts, Johnny is unfortunately an adult. He spent most of his life as a kid though, and for most of THAT, he was a hacker (sometimes the bad kind). Anyway, here's some boring stuff the grown-ups might care about.

Johnny Xmas, a prominent figure in the Information Security community since 2002, has been a dedicated contributor to public forums, sharing his extensive research and knowledge. Notably recognized for his pivotal role in exposing the American TSA Master Key leaks (2014-2018) and uncovering Venmo stalking vulnerabilities (2018).

Currently serving as the Technical Director of Cybersecurity Training at Grimm Cyber, Johnny has a rich professional history. He collaborated with the Australian firm ‘Kasada’ in countering sneakerbots and led consulting efforts for Uptake Technologies’ Industrial Cybersecurity Platform.

His diverse background includes years as a penetration tester, specializing in both IT and physical security for financial and medical facilities. He also served as a Security Engineer for a global Fortune 500 retail corporation and held roles as a Mainframe auditor and Systems Engineer in IT asset recovery firms. Johnny Xmas continues to shape and elevate the Information Security landscape with his expertise and contributions.