Network Security

Curtis Levinson, United States cyber defense advisor, NATO

What was your first job?
Delivering flowers to funeral homes and never getting tipped. 

What does your grandmother think you do for a living?
Teach word processing world-wide. 

If you were to describe yourself as a household object, what would it be?
A dishwasher, I'm darn good at it! 

What would your last meal be?
Crab Cakes at the Timbuktu Restaurant near NSA…  Nothing beats a covert crab cake. 

If the battle between IT security pros and cyber threats were to be embodied in comic book characters, what classic super hero/nemesis match-up do you think would be most fitting?
Batman versus the Riddler…  The answers are SO hard to find…

If you had to have an occupation other than the one you're doing, what would you do?
Build wooden boats and teach sailing. I try to do both on weekends and I'd love to expand to weekdays. 

Have you ever heard a good joke about IT security?
The President's teleprompter just got hacked and now he can only speak in Chinese. 

What game (chess, roulette, whack-a-mole, etc.) would you use to describe your job and why?
Go Fish, but I never seem to have enough. 

What is the most important personality trait for a successful cyber security professional?
Being really patient at research. The trick is not to know all the answers, no one can. The trick is to know where all the answers are. 

What technology did you used to rely on, and are now happy is obsolete?
The typewriter, I much prefer fountain pens.

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