Mick Douglas

A believer in practical, tool-driven learning, Mick developed open-source resources such as Powercat, a PowerShell reimagining of Netcat that teaches defenders to understand offensive tradecraft from the inside out. His publications, including “Social Engineering Security into Your Business” and “Intro to Powercat,” reflect that same philosophy—empowering professionals to think critically about attacker behavior, automation, and human factors. Mick Douglas is also a faculty member of the SANS Technology Institute, an NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense and multi-year winner of the National Cyber League competition. His recent work applies AI-assisted techniques to streamline detection and investigation workflows, helping defenders evolve alongside emerging threats.

Mick’s classes are known for their energy, realism, and humor—he combines live demonstrations, storytelling, and guided experimentation to make complex concepts stick. As he often reminds his students, “If cybersecurity feels too hard, you’re probably doing it the hard way.” Beyond his courses, Mick mentors aspiring analysts and community contributors, helping them turn curiosity into confidence. His tools and talks have influenced thousands of defenders worldwide, reflecting his belief that knowledge only matters when it’s shared. Outside of work, he enjoys hiking, photography, and sailing; reminders that perspective and patience are as vital to security as technical skill. For Mick, teaching is about passing the torch, helping every defender discover that security done well can be as creative and rewarding as it is technical.

Qualifications Summary

• SANS Principal Instructor, SEC504: Hacker Tools, Techniques, and Incident Handling, SEC555: Detection Engineering and SIEM Analytics and SEC497: Practical Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)
• Managing Partner, InfoSec Innovations
• Former Practice Lead, DFIR, Binary Defense Systems
• Former Senior Security Analyst & Research Specialist, Black Hills Information Security
• Former Senior Security Engineer, Diebold
• Former Vice President, Systems and Data Security, Bank of America
• GIAC Certifications: GSE, GCIA, GCIH, GCDA, GCED, GPEN, GCUX, GWEB, GSNA
• CISSP certified
• Faculty member, SANS Technology Institute
• Faculty member, IANS Research