Jon McCoy — Hacker outreach

How can hackers and corporate security teams work together when each sees the other through a different set of assumptions? Jon McCoy explains hacker outreach as a way to connect people, share knowledge, and make security communities easier to enter. He describes DEF CON for newcomers, discusses its culture, and recalls a cautionary story about Robert’s connected wearable at the event. The conversation follows Jon’s journey into OWASP and his support for diversity initiatives, including Women in AppSec and conference scholarships. Chris asks how organizations can help and what a more welcoming community might look like. Jon’s message centers on practical generosity: introduce people, remove barriers, and help the next person find a place to contribute.The Application Security Podcast is brought to you by Security Journey.About Security JourneySecurity Journey provides application security education for developers and everyone in the software development lifecycle.→ Learn more about Security JourneyConnect with Jon Mccoy:→ Jon McCoy on GitHubMentioned in this episode:→ DEF CON→ OWASP Women in AppSec — project repository→ OWASP FoundationFollow the Application Security Podcast:➜ Home➜ X➜ LinkedIn➜ YouTube➜ Instagram➜ FacebookChapters:00:00 Hacker outreach with Jon McCoy02:42 What hacker outreach means05:12 Where outreach happens06:11 Introducing DEF CON07:42 What newcomers should expect09:06 Robert’s connected-wearable cautionary tale11:19 Jon’s journey from DEF CON to OWASP13:05 Bringing hacker outreach into OWASP15:18 Diversity initiatives and access to community16:32 Women in AppSec17:58 Conference diversity scholarships18:31 How organizations can help19:42 A more welcoming security community23:05 Jon’s call to action