homepage
Open menu Go one level top
  • Train and Certify
    • Get Started in Cyber
    • Courses & Certifications
    • Training Roadmap
    • Search For Training
    • Online Training
    • OnDemand
    • Live Training
    • Summits
    • Cyber Ranges
    • College Degrees & Certificates
    • NICE Framework
    • DoDD 8140
    • Specials
  • Manage Your Team
    • Overview
    • Security Awareness Training
    • Voucher Program
    • Private Training
    • Workforce Development
    • Skill Assessments
    • Hiring Opportunities
  • Resources
    • Overview
    • Reading Room
    • Webcasts
    • Newsletters
    • Blog
    • Tip of The Day
    • Posters
    • Top 25 Programming Errors
    • The Critical Security Controls
    • Security Policy Project
    • Critical Vulnerability Recaps
    • Affiliate Directory
  • Focus Areas
    • Blue Team Operations
    • Cloud Security
    • Digital Forensics & Incident Response
    • Industrial Control Systems
    • Leadership
    • Offensive Operations
  • Get Involved
    • Overview
    • SANS Community
    • CyberTalent
    • Work Study
    • Instructor Development
    • Sponsorship Opportunities
    • COINS
  • About
    • About SANS
    • Why SANS?
    • Instructors
    • Cybersecurity Innovation Awards
    • Contact
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Customer Reviews
    • Press Room
  • Log In
  • Join
  • Contact Us
  • SANS Sites
    • GIAC Security Certifications
    • Internet Storm Center
    • SANS Technology Institute
    • Security Awareness Training
  • Search
  1. Home >
  2. Blog >
  3. Instructor Spotlight: Erik Van Buggenhout, SEC599 Co-Author
Danyell Shin

Instructor Spotlight: Erik Van Buggenhout, SEC599 Co-Author

June 8, 2018

Cyber-Defense-Additional-Images.png

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 has been involved with SANS since 2009, first as a Mentor, working his way to Community Instructor in 2012 and finally becoming a Certified Instructor in 2016.

Erik loves explaining deeply technical concepts by using war stories, adding a few funny anecdotes here and there. As a testimony of his technical expertise, he has obtained the GSE, GCIA, GNFA, GPEN, GWAPT, GCIH, and GSEC certifications.

In addition to his work with SANS, Erik is the co-founder of Belgian cyber security firm NVISO, which focuses on high-end cyber security services, specializing in government, defense and the financial sector. Together with his team of 20+ technical experts, Erik delivers a wide array of technical security services, including penetration testing, security monitoring & incident response.

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

Erik Van Buggenhout: It's quite typical really: My dad was a consultant for Digital Equipment Corporation and I was always fascinated by everything he did with those computers. He allowed me to play around with his corporate computer whenever he was home from work. I fondly remember a moment where I accidentally deleted Minesweeper from Windows 3.11 and I thought I had really broken it. I was so shocked! Thank God he fixed it afterwards!

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

Erik Van Buggenhout: Between 2014 and 2015, I had a fully operational ATM in my apartment. I used it to do research around ATM attack vectors with a focus on malware attacks (with the ultimate goal of dispensing cash). I succeeded in a few weeks' time, but as it only had "fake" notes, my girlfriend was not pleased!

SANS: What was your first SANS course?

Erik Van Buggenhout: The first SANS course I ever took was back in November 2008, when I took SEC560 in London. At the time this was the first "offensive" course offered by SANS, and back then the London event was the only one that SANS held in Europe. It was led by John Strand and Pieter Danhieux. To this day I still suffer a trauma from that event, as I did not manage to win the Capture the Flag event on day 6 (I was stuck at the final hurdle!!). Since then, I've had to confess to my SEC560 students that I never won the coin myself!J

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

Erik Van Buggenhout: As I only recently became an author for SANS, I haven't had the chance to teach at any of the big US events (SANS 2018 in Orlando, SANSFIRE in Washington, Network Security in Las Vegas and CDI in Washington). I'm very much looking forward to these events and getting a taste of how these events are run!

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

Erik Van Buggenhout: I try to attend a number of conferences on a yearly basis. Examples include the Security Analyst Summit, FIRST, and Defcon. Below is a list of some of the people I follow on social media. I tried to stay away from the usual suspects (other SANS Instructors) and big-shot names everyone already knows like Brian Krebs and Mikko Hypponen, who I of course follow as well:

  • Florian Roth (@cyb3rops) — Blue team — Incident Response & Digital Forensics
  • Didier Stevens (@DidierStevens) — Malware analysis
  • Costin Raiu (@craiu) — APT hunting and malware analysis
  • Andrew Case (@attrc) — Core Volatility developer

Furthermore, I've learned that as a SANS Instructor we are in a very interesting position because we talk to many different people with diverse backgrounds every time we teach. I try to talk to students as much as possible, as this helps broaden my view and I usually learn a thing or two while teaching the class. So talk to people around you!

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

Erik Van Buggenhout: If you've never taken a SANS course before, I would advise you to prepare up front. SANS is very transparent on what types of topics are handled throughout the week — the full day-by-day course contents are listed on the SANS website. So you can already prep and think of questions you may want to ask the instructor. It will also help you prepare for possibly more complex sections of the course, where you know you might struggle and need some more preparation time.

SANS: What is a quote that inspires your work and why?

Erik Van Buggenhout: I'm not the type to use "inspirational quotes." But as I like to think of myself both as a hard worker and a fun person to hang out with, I would go for something simple like "Work hard, have fun, no drama."

Erik a self-confessed speed walker, if you see Erik rushing around at a conference: feel free to stop him and say "Hi!"

To learn more about Erik and where you can take his next course — visit his SANS bio page: https://www.sans.org/instructors/erik-van-buggenhout/date/asc

Follow him on Twitter @ErikVaBu

Share:
TwitterLinkedInFacebook
Copy url Url was copied to clipboard
Subscribe to SANS Newsletters
Join the SANS Community to receive the latest curated cybersecurity news, vulnerabilities, and mitigations, training opportunities, plus our webcast schedule.
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
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Sint Maarten
Slovakia (Slovak Republic)
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

Tags:
  • Cyber Defense Essentials
  • Purple Team

Related Content

Blog
Cyber Defense Essentials
April 3, 2020
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.
SANS Institute
read more
Blog
Cyber Defense 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
Cyber Defense Essentials, Blue Team Operations
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
  • Register to Learn
  • Courses
  • Certifications
  • Degree Programs
  • Cyber Ranges
  • Job Tools
  • Security Policy Project
  • Posters
  • The Critical Security Controls
  • Focus Areas
  • Blue Team Operations
  • Cloud Security
  • Cybersecurity Leadership
  • Digital Forensics
  • Industrial Control Systems
  • Offensive Operations
Subscribe to SANS Newsletters
Join the SANS Community to receive the latest curated cybersecurity news, vulnerabilities, and mitigations, training opportunities, plus our webcast schedule.
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
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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
Senegal
Serbia
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Sint Maarten
Slovakia (Slovak Republic)
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
  • © 2021 SANS™ Institute
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn