Ed Skoudis

FellowPresident at SANS Technology Institute

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Offensive Operations

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About Ed Skoudis

Ed Skoudis is the President of the SANS Technology Institute, which has been designated an NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense and whose students are multi-year winners of the National Cyber League competition. Ed is also a SANS Fellow and the Founder of the Counter Hack cybersecurity consultancy and cyber range-building company. Widely recognized for shaping modern penetration testing and incident response training, Ed is the original author of SEC504: Hacker Tools, Techniques, and Incident Handling and SEC560: Enterprise Penetration Testing, and translates decades of frontline breach investigation and adversary emulation into hands-on learning experiences, with over 40,000 students taking his cybersecurity courses over the past 25 years. Ed leads his team in the construction of large-scale cyber ranges, including NetWars, the SANS Holiday Hack Challenge, and other cyber ranges, which directly influence SANS course labs, enabling students to practice real-world attack and defense techniques in safe, high-fidelity environments. Ed’s contribution to the U.S. military personnel’s cybersecurity training was recognized with the Military Cyber Professional Association’s Order of Thor award.

Ed’s career began in security consulting and strategy roles, cutting his teeth at Bell Communications Research on their information security team. Ed was a founder of the InGuardians security consultancy where he and his team provided in-depth penetration tests and other cyber-related services to enterprise, government, and .edu customers. For over 20 years and continuing to this day, Ed has been repeatedly called upon to analyze major cyber incidents and assess national-scale defenses, including work supporting the U.S. government security programs. These experiences shaped his approach to teaching—grounding his courses and instruction in real attacker behavior, incident patterns, and defensive strategies that students can immediately apply in operational environments.

Ed holds a Master of Science in Information Networking from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. He is also the author of the books Counter Hack Reloaded and Malware: Fighting Malicious Code, foundational texts in offensive and defensive security, and he also wrote the book The Code of Honor: Embracing Ethics in Cybersecurity. Ed Skoudis also serves on the board of directors for Manasquan Bank and a theatrical and film charity.

Ed’s absolute favorite hobby is collecting antique encryption systems and tech gear, hacking together various devices for his steampunk office. Utilizing new hardware and automation married to the antiques he collects, Ed breathes new life into old technologies, writing code that stitches it all together with the cloud. Among other projects, he’s implemented his “MorseCodinator”, which is an 1861 telegraph key that follows him on X, diligently typing out anything he tweets in morse code. He has also has taken a 1951 porthole TV and connected it to a Raspberry Pi to enable Netflix viewing while participating in Google Meets basking in the rasterized hues of the ultra widescreen (for its time) 19-inch black and white TV.

Qualifications Summary

President, SANS Technology Institute; SANS Fellow; Founder, Counter Hack
Original author of SEC504: Hacker Tools, Techniques, and Incident Handling and SEC560: Enterprise Penetration Testing
Creator of the SANS Penetration Testing Curriculum (now the Offensive Operations Curriculum)
Over two decades of experience in penetration testing, incident response, cyber range development, and expert witness services for large-scale breaches
MS in Information Networking, Carnegie Mellon University; BSEE, University of Michigan
Creator of NetWars, SANS Holiday Hack Challenge, and CyberCity
Author of Counter Hack Reloaded, Malware: Fighting Malicious Code, and The Code of Honor: Embracing Ethics in Cybersecurity

Press & Media

Students Say

Slide 1 of 3
A++++ instructor!!!
Daniel PolingMylan
Slide 2 of 3
I work in the nuclear field. We simply cannot make mistakes. Our InfoSec goes hand in hand with our safety awareness. SANS and Ed Skoudis have prepared me to take current day cyber issues and build rock solid solutions.
Mike DozierSavannah River Nuclear Solutions
Slide 3 of 3
Ed Skoudis is a superb instructor. He breaks down complex ideas into simple to understand ones, all with a smile and a great welcoming attitude.
Sarah DavenportNCIS