Instructors

Mark Bristow was born to work in information security as he found his first bug in an ICS system at the age of 10. As a teen he had a passion for technology and spent a lot of time exploring the possibilities on his computer. Once he realized he could make a career out of this passion, he jumped at the opportunity and earned a Computer Engineering degree from Penn State.

Mark loves the ever-changing landscape of security and views it as a puzzle that must be solved. He especially loves the challenges in ICS security as defending the systems where cyber meets physical means there is no greater success than a safe and effective process.

Currently Mark is the Chief of ICS-CERT Incident Response at the Department of Homeland Security where he leverages his expertise in incident response, industrial control systems, network monitoring and defense to support national security interests. In Mark's twelve- year security career he has also worked for SRA and Securicon where he supported a variety of private and public sector clients.

Mark's experience has led him to the path of sharing his knowledge and helping others learn to protect critical infrastructure. He loves teaching not only to help others, but because he learns something from his students in every class. Mark shares his real-world experiences with students so they can relate the information to scenarios in the field.

When Mark isn't defending ICS systems, he enjoys spending time with his family and scuba diving as much as possible.