homepage
Open menu
Go one level top
  • Train and Certify
    Train and Certify

    Immediately apply the skills and techniques learned in SANS courses, ranges, and summits

    • Overview
    • Courses
      • Overview
      • Full Course List
      • By Focus Areas
        • Cloud Security
        • Cyber Defense
        • Cybersecurity and IT Essentials
        • DFIR
        • Industrial Control Systems
        • Offensive Operations
        • Management, Legal, and Audit
      • By Skill Levels
        • New to Cyber
        • Essentials
        • Advanced
        • Expert
      • Training Formats
        • OnDemand
        • In-Person
        • Live Online
      • Course Demos
    • Training Roadmaps
      • Skills Roadmap
      • Focus Area Job Roles
        • Cyber Defense Job Roles
        • Offensive Operations Job Roles
        • DFIR Job Roles
        • Cloud Job Roles
        • ICS Job Roles
        • Leadership Job Roles
      • NICE Framework
        • Security Provisionals
        • Operate and Maintain
        • Oversee and Govern
        • Protect and Defend
        • Analyze
        • Collect and Operate
        • Investigate
        • Industrial Control Systems
      • European Skills Framework
    • GIAC Certifications
    • Training Events & Summits
      • Events Overview
      • Event Locations
        • Asia
        • Australia & New Zealand
        • Latin America
        • Mainland Europe
        • Middle East & Africa
        • Scandinavia
        • United Kingdom & Ireland
        • United States & Canada
      • Summits
    • OnDemand
    • Get Started in Cyber
      • Overview
      • Degree and Certificate Programs
      • Scholarships
      • Cyber Aces
    • Cyber Ranges
  • Manage Your Team
    Manage Your Team

    Build a world-class cyber team with our workforce development programs

    • Overview
    • Why Work with SANS
    • Group Purchasing
    • Build Your Team
      • Team Development
      • Assessments
      • Private Training
      • Hire Cyber Professionals
      • By Industry
        • Health Care
        • Industrial Control Systems Security
        • Military
    • Leadership Training
  • Security Awareness
    Security Awareness

    Increase your staff’s cyber awareness, help them change their behaviors, and reduce your organizational risk

    • Overview
    • Products & Services
      • Security Awareness Training
        • EndUser Training
        • Phishing Platform
      • Specialized
        • Developer Training
        • ICS Engineer Training
        • NERC CIP Training
        • IT Administrator
      • Risk Assessments
        • Knowledge Assessment
        • Culture Assessment
        • Behavioral Risk Assessment
    • OUCH! Newsletter
    • Career Development
      • Overview
      • Training & Courses
      • Professional Credential
    • Blog
    • Partners
    • Reports & Case Studies
  • Resources
    Resources

    Enhance your skills with access to thousands of free resources, 150+ instructor-developed tools, and the latest cybersecurity news and analysis

    • Overview
    • Webcasts
    • Free Cybersecurity Events
      • Free Events Overview
      • Summits
      • Solutions Forums
      • Community Nights
    • Content
      • Newsletters
        • NewsBites
        • @RISK
        • OUCH! Newsletter
      • Blog
      • Podcasts
      • Summit Presentations
      • Posters & Cheat Sheets
    • Research
      • White Papers
      • Security Policies
    • Tools
    • Focus Areas
      • Cyber Defense
      • Cloud Security
      • Digital Forensics & Incident Response
      • Industrial Control Systems
      • Cyber Security Leadership
      • Offensive Operations
  • Get Involved
    Get Involved

    Help keep the cyber community one step ahead of threats. Join the SANS community or begin your journey of becoming a SANS Certified Instructor today.

    • Overview
    • Join the Community
    • Work Study
    • Teach for SANS
    • CISO Network
    • Partnerships
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
  • About
    About

    Learn more about how SANS empowers and educates current and future cybersecurity practitioners with knowledge and skills

    • SANS
      • Overview
      • Our Founder
      • Awards
    • Instructors
      • Our Instructors
      • Full Instructor List
    • Mission
      • Our Mission
      • Diversity
      • Scholarships
    • Contact
      • Contact Customer Service
      • Contact Sales
      • Press & Media Enquiries
    • Frequent Asked Questions
    • Customer Reviews
    • Press
    • Careers
  • Contact Sales
  • SANS Sites
    • GIAC Security Certifications
    • Internet Storm Center
    • SANS Technology Institute
    • Security Awareness Training
  • Search
  • Log In
  • Join
    • Account Dashboard
    • Log Out
  1. Home >
  2. Blog >
  3. Instructor Spotlight: Keith Palmgren, SANS Senior Instructor
SANS_Filler_Avatar.jpg
SANS Institute

Instructor Spotlight: Keith Palmgren, SANS Senior Instructor

Meet Keith Palmgren, a cybersecurity professional with over 30 years of experience, specializing in the IT Security field.

April 3, 2020

Keith_Palmgren


Meet Keith Palmgren. Keith is a Cybersecurity professional with over 35 years of experience specializing in the IT Security field. He is a SANS Senior Instructor and the author of SANS SEC301: Introduction to Cyber Security.

During his career, Keith has authored 23 training courses. The American Council on Education certified seven of those courses as eligible for college credit.

Keith currently holds eleven computer security certifications (CISSP, GSEC, GCIH, GCED, GISF, GSLC, CEH, Security+, Network+, A+, CTT+).

SANS: What made you choose to work in tech/security?

Keith Palmgren: I didn't choose tech or security. I was assigned to the industry. When I joined the U.S. Air Force in January 1985 they assigned me to managing and securing crypto keys and codes. While stationed at Hickam AFB in Hawaii and working in the Headquarters Pacific Air Forces crypto shop, I opened a box one day that had just arrived. I told the Chief Master Seargeant, " I think this is a computer or something". He told me to figure out how to make it do something useful. I opened the manual for the thing and the rest is history. I was 25 at the time and had never touched a computer. I also later worked in the computer security office. This was a brand-new program the Air Force had just started by opening a three-person shop in seven locations around the world. For a while, I was one of those people in 1988 and 1989. I quickly figured out that while I did not pick this field, I really enjoyed it. Since the Air Force was one of the first organizations to create a computer security program, and I worked in it, I guess you could say I witnessed and was part of the dawn of the cybersecurity industry. I had never thought of it that way before now.

SANS: Tell us an interesting fact about yourself and your connection to the technology world.

Keith Palmgren: One fact that many are surprised to learn about me is that I worked in a prison for several years. Specifically, I was a Response Officer — meaning that if a Floor Officer hit their panic button I was one of the officers who responded. I was also a member of the SWAT team. In the years since, I have seen some really bad physical security designs created by some really sharp cybersecurity people. The two disciplines require a little different way of looking at the world around you. I have often felt that watching over a thousand men try every trick in the book to defeat physical security gave me a rather unique perspective on physical security that many in cybersecurity lack.

SANS: What was your first SANS course?

Keith Palmgren: I took SEC504 with Ed Skodis in early 2010 and SEC401 with Dr. Eric Cole in late 2010. During the SEC401 course, I spoke to Eric about teaching for SANS and, indeed, taught my first course for SANS the following March.

SANS: What course is on your wish list to take as a student and/or to teach as an instructor?

Keith Palmgren: I would really like take Micah Hoffman's new SEC487: Open-Source Intelligence Gathering and Analysis class. Of course, then I would like to teach it! That is one of the most fascinating fields in cyber as far as I am concerned. Next would be LEG523 - Law of Data Security and Investigation; I honestly believe that should be required training for everyone in Cyber Security. I also think SEC530 and SEC566 would be great. Of course, I can't really name a SANS course I would not want to take.

SANS: What song is missing from the NetWars playlist? What would you add and why?

Keith Palmgren: I have always thought they should play Mac Davis, "Oh Lord It's Hard to Be Humble" for the winners.

SANS: What SANS event are you looking forward to most this year?

Keith Palmgren: Each and every one. I really do enjoy teaching for SANS so much. The people I get to work with are so amazing, and I really do look forward to every conference. And by the way, when I mention the amazing people I get to work with, I don't just mean the instructors (though they are awesome, of course). I'm also talking about all the people who put the conference on and truly make it happen. Conference planning and management, the AV team, Simulcast, LODS, and the list keeps going. (I know I left some groups off the list that deserve to be there.) Without all of those incredibly talented and dedicated people, instructors would not matter because we would not have a classroom to teach in.

SANS: How has the cybersecurity industry changed in the past five years?

Keith Palmgren: Acceleration. While I could point to a dozen different technology changes over the last five years, change really isn't new. Cybersecurity has been evolving since I first got involved with it over 30 years ago. What is changing is the pace of that change. The change is accelerating at an unbelievable rate. If you extrapolate that acceleration over the next 10 to 20 years, I honestly don't know how cybersecurity professionals will be able to keep pace.

SANS: How do you stay up-to-date with the latest cybersecurity information? Social media influencers, hashtags, blogs? Give examples.

Keith Palmgren: newsnow.co.uk, then click "Technology" and "Security"; http://www.newsnow.co.uk/h/Technology/Security; and Krebsonsecurity.com. I also follow many SANS instructors on Twitter!

SANS: Advice for someone taking a SANS course for the first time? Attending their first event?

Keith Palmgren: I will give the same answer I always give in my SEC301 class, since almost every student there is at their first event. Show up with a laptop configured to the requirements of the course. Attend every SANS@Night talk you can. Network with other students every minute you are not in class. Get plenty of rest at night so you are ready for each intense day in the class. Ask as many questions as you need to — DO NOT be shy. Read the course books. Have fun!

SANS: What advice do you have for students pursuing a career in cybersecurity?

Keith Palmgren: Be prepared to continually learn. The cybersecurity industry changes so fast, it is a challenge to keep current. And it has been said that "In security, the most dangerous thing in the world is what you think you know," because when you think you know, you do not challenge that knowledge. If you do not strive to keep up, then you begin implementing yesterday's solutions to solve tomorrow's problems. That simply does not work. At that point, you are irrelevant.

SANS: What was your first piece of technology as a child? Why was it important at that time?

Keith Palmgren: Ha! I grew up working in my dad's mechanic shop. So the first piece of "technology" I had as a child was a socket wrench. Why was it important? Work ethic. Before I even went to kindergarten, I could fetch my dad a 9/16-inch end-wrench or a 5/8-inch 1/2-inch-drive socket (no, that is not a typo). At no time growing up did I ever receive an allowance, I received a paycheck for the hours I worked. And my dad never bought any of us a car (I was the youngest of five boys), we had to buy our own. (That didn't stop him from taking our keys when we messed up, of course). I had no idea what was happening at the time, but dad taught my brothers and I a work ethic that has served each of us our whole lives. That work ethic can be summed up simply: Do the job. Do it right the first time. If you make a mistake, own up to it and fix it. Make sure the customer leaves happier than when they arrived.

SANS: If you could write your dream course, what would it be about?

Keith Palmgren: The title would be: "The History of the Great Cyber World War — How the Good Guys Won." I hope to start writing it any day now, but we have to win it first.

To learn more about Keith Palmgren and where you can take his next course, visit his SANS bio page: Keith Palmgren, Senior Instructor

Catch him on Twitter @kpalmgren

Share:
TwitterLinkedInFacebook
Copy url Url was copied to clipboard
Subscribe to SANS Newsletters
Receive curated news, vulnerabilities, & security awareness tips
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Spain
Belgium
Denmark
Norway
Netherlands
Australia
India
Japan
Singapore
Afghanistan
Aland Islands
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba
Bosnia And Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska)
Curacao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
East Timor
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
French Southern Territories
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Heard And McDonald Islands
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Jersey
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Korea, Republic Of
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia, Federated States Of
Moldova, Republic Of
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
Northern Mariana Islands
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Bartholemy
Saint Kitts And Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Vincent And The Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome And Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Sint Maarten
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
St. Helena
St. Pierre And Miquelon
Suriname
Svalbard And Jan Mayen Islands
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad And Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks And Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States Minor Outlying Islands
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands (British)
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Wallis And Futuna Islands
Western Sahara
Yemen
Yugoslavia
Zambia
Zimbabwe

By providing this information, you agree to the processing of your personal data by SANS as described in our Privacy Policy.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Tags:
  • Cybersecurity and IT Essentials

Related Content

Blog
Cybersecurity and IT Essentials, Purple Team
October 22, 2018
Q & A with James Shewmaker, Certified Instructor
Meet James Shewmaker. James Shewmaker is the founder of and principal consultant at Bluenotch Corporation in Long Beach, California, which provides customized security services focusing on investigations, penetration testing, and analysis. James authored and maintains the post-exploitation content...
SANS Cyber Defense
read more
Blog
Cybersecurity and IT Essentials, Cyber Defense
July 5, 2018
Instructor Spotlight: Eric Conrad, SANS Fellow & Author
Meet Eric Conrad. SANS Faculty Fellow Eric Conrad is the lead author of SANS MGT414: SANS Training Program for CISSP® Certification, and co-author of SEC530: Defensible Security Architecture, SEC511: Continuous Monitoring and Security Operations and SEC542: Web App Penetration Testing and Ethical...
Danyell Shin
read more
Blog
Cybersecurity and IT Essentials, Purple Team
June 8, 2018
Instructor Spotlight: Erik Van Buggenhout, SEC599 Co-Author
Meet Erik Van Buggenhout. Erik is the co-author of SEC599: Defeating Advanced Adversaries - Purple Team Tactics & Kill Chain Defenses. In addition to SEC599, Erik teaches SEC560 - Network Penetration Testing & Ethical Hacking and SEC542 - Web Application Penetration Testing & Ethical Hacking. He...
Danyell Shin
read more
  • Register to Learn
  • Courses
  • Certifications
  • Degree Programs
  • Cyber Ranges
  • Job Tools
  • Security Policy Project
  • Posters & Cheat Sheets
  • White Papers
  • Focus Areas
  • Cyber Defense
  • Cloud Security
  • Cybersecurity Leadership
  • Digital Forensics
  • Industrial Control Systems
  • Offensive Operations
Subscribe to SANS Newsletters
Receive curated news, vulnerabilities, & security awareness tips
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Spain
Belgium
Denmark
Norway
Netherlands
Australia
India
Japan
Singapore
Afghanistan
Aland Islands
Albania
Algeria
American Samoa
Andorra
Angola
Anguilla
Antarctica
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Aruba
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Benin
Bermuda
Bhutan
Bolivia
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba
Bosnia And Herzegovina
Botswana
Bouvet Island
Brazil
British Indian Ocean Territory
Brunei Darussalam
Bulgaria
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Cayman Islands
Central African Republic
Chad
Chile
China
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Colombia
Comoros
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska)
Curacao
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
East Timor
East Timor
Ecuador
Egypt
El Salvador
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Estonia
Ethiopia
Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
Faroe Islands
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
French Southern Territories
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Germany
Ghana
Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guadeloupe
Guam
Guatemala
Guernsey
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
Heard And McDonald Islands
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Iraq
Ireland
Isle of Man
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Jersey
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Korea, Republic Of
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Macedonia
Madagascar
Malawi
Malaysia
Maldives
Mali
Malta
Marshall Islands
Martinique
Mauritania
Mauritius
Mayotte
Mexico
Micronesia, Federated States Of
Moldova, Republic Of
Monaco
Mongolia
Montenegro
Montserrat
Morocco
Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Netherlands Antilles
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niger
Nigeria
Niue
Norfolk Island
Northern Mariana Islands
Oman
Pakistan
Palau
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Pitcairn
Poland
Portugal
Puerto Rico
Qatar
Reunion
Romania
Russian Federation
Rwanda
Saint Bartholemy
Saint Kitts And Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Martin
Saint Vincent And The Grenadines
Samoa
San Marino
Sao Tome And Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Sint Maarten
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
South Sudan
Sri Lanka
St. Helena
St. Pierre And Miquelon
Suriname
Svalbard And Jan Mayen Islands
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tokelau
Tonga
Trinidad And Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Turks And Caicos Islands
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States Minor Outlying Islands
Uruguay
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vatican City
Venezuela
Vietnam
Virgin Islands (British)
Virgin Islands (U.S.)
Wallis And Futuna Islands
Western Sahara
Yemen
Yugoslavia
Zambia
Zimbabwe

By providing this information, you agree to the processing of your personal data by SANS as described in our Privacy Policy.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
  • © 2023 SANS™ Institute
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn