Peiter “Mudge” Zatko
Network security expert, open source programmer, writer, and a hacker
Peiter “Mudge” Zatko is a seminal figure in the field of Infosec and cybersecurity.
Mudge testified to the US Congress three times in addition to having a long history of teaching and lecturing at universities, military academies, and government agencies (IC).
Peiter's bio
Peiter was the initial author of L0phtCrack and a pioneer in early BGP attacks, which he made famous in testimony to the US Senate referencing how to 'take down the Internet in 30 minutes.
In 2010 Mudge accepted an appointed position as a senior official in the Department of Defense at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). There he was responsible for defining and driving research and investments in cybersecurity for the DoD and Intelligence Community. At DARPA Mudge helped reboot how the DoD invested in cybersecurity R&D and how the agency measured and quantified cyber.
Many of Mudge’s DARPA contributions and programs have continued and since been adopted throughout different parts of the the military and intelligence communities. For his contributions Mudge was awarded the Medal for Exceptional Public Service; the highest medal that can be bestowed upon a non-career civilian from the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
Post DARPA Mudge has held senior leadership and executive positions at Motorola, Google, Stripe, and Twitter. Mudge co-founded the non-profit organization Cyber-ITL with Sarah Zatko after receiving a call from the White House.
The work at the non-profit resulted in foundational measurements showing fundamental assumptions about common cyber security practices being incorrect. This work was since transitioned to the US Government and also used by Consumer Reports in their evaluation of companies and products.
More recently in continuation of his mission to improve the world and perform his civic duties, Mudge followed appropriate legal processes and became a lawful whistleblower.