Vern McCandlish
@malanalysis.bsky.social
A #DFIR, #infosec, #dadjokes, #scifi, #books, #rpg, #ttx, #malware, elder #genx, and #gaming nerd. AKA an elder geek. Retired #leo. Current #infosec in #OT.
Kindness first is useful but telling off toxic folks is on my response spectrum too.
Kindness first is useful but telling off toxic folks is on my response spectrum too.
I had a mentee tell me that they got a job that they didn't hit all the bullet points on so they had not intended to apply, but they remembered my mantra of "Apply anyway, let them say no"
So please, if you have doubts about whether you hit all the bullet points in a job posting, apply anyway.
So please, if you have doubts about whether you hit all the bullet points in a job posting, apply anyway.
November 10, 2025 at 3:49 PM
I had a mentee tell me that they got a job that they didn't hit all the bullet points on so they had not intended to apply, but they remembered my mantra of "Apply anyway, let them say no"
So please, if you have doubts about whether you hit all the bullet points in a job posting, apply anyway.
So please, if you have doubts about whether you hit all the bullet points in a job posting, apply anyway.
Yeah, I likely should have done this a while ago, but better late than never.
November 9, 2025 at 8:40 PM
Yeah, I likely should have done this a while ago, but better late than never.
I saw it again this morning, but the most preventable form of professional immaturity has to be hiring an expert in a field you know little about and then arguing with them when their advice isn't want you wanted to hear.
November 8, 2025 at 6:46 PM
I saw it again this morning, but the most preventable form of professional immaturity has to be hiring an expert in a field you know little about and then arguing with them when their advice isn't want you wanted to hear.
Every time I get amazed at the skill of the red team and/or pen testers, I am also reminded that this is way more common that anyone really wants to think about. #Infosec
November 6, 2025 at 10:07 PM
Every time I get amazed at the skill of the red team and/or pen testers, I am also reminded that this is way more common that anyone really wants to think about. #Infosec
My employer sent me an exit survey as I enter retirement that had the question:
"If you have already decided and are comfortable disclosing, which organization will you be joining in the future?"
I truly wish I could have seen their reaction when they read "AARP" as my response.
"If you have already decided and are comfortable disclosing, which organization will you be joining in the future?"
I truly wish I could have seen their reaction when they read "AARP" as my response.
October 17, 2025 at 3:21 PM
My employer sent me an exit survey as I enter retirement that had the question:
"If you have already decided and are comfortable disclosing, which organization will you be joining in the future?"
I truly wish I could have seen their reaction when they read "AARP" as my response.
"If you have already decided and are comfortable disclosing, which organization will you be joining in the future?"
I truly wish I could have seen their reaction when they read "AARP" as my response.
If you are trying to claim something is a complex conspiracy with multiple people and intricate planning, I beg you to review the following before posting about it.
June 6, 2025 at 2:37 PM
If you are trying to claim something is a complex conspiracy with multiple people and intricate planning, I beg you to review the following before posting about it.
The bandings on those socks reminds me more of resistor color coding more than any pride symbolism.
May 31, 2025 at 2:34 PM
The bandings on those socks reminds me more of resistor color coding more than any pride symbolism.
Glad to see being ratioed is still a thing:
May 12, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Glad to see being ratioed is still a thing:
I was reminded of the character Kolchak from the TV series The Night Stalker and realized that if that aired today, no one would ever buy his stories assuming they were just AI generated nonsense.
May 12, 2025 at 2:29 PM
I was reminded of the character Kolchak from the TV series The Night Stalker and realized that if that aired today, no one would ever buy his stories assuming they were just AI generated nonsense.
Musical sound tracks, especially Disney ones, all day every day.
April 18, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Musical sound tracks, especially Disney ones, all day every day.
April 17, 2025 at 5:03 PM
This here is what we call a "spike"
April 8, 2025 at 1:21 PM
This here is what we call a "spike"
Me: How would you rate your incident response maturity?
Them: This is the worn block of wood we knock on when discussing hypothetical situations.
Me: Okay, so very mature.
#DFIR #DFIRHumor #infosec #infosechumor
Them: This is the worn block of wood we knock on when discussing hypothetical situations.
Me: Okay, so very mature.
#DFIR #DFIRHumor #infosec #infosechumor
February 14, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Me: How would you rate your incident response maturity?
Them: This is the worn block of wood we knock on when discussing hypothetical situations.
Me: Okay, so very mature.
#DFIR #DFIRHumor #infosec #infosechumor
Them: This is the worn block of wood we knock on when discussing hypothetical situations.
Me: Okay, so very mature.
#DFIR #DFIRHumor #infosec #infosechumor
February 5, 2025 at 4:11 PM
February 1, 2025 at 1:59 AM
January 28, 2025 at 2:22 PM
January 27, 2025 at 8:46 PM
January 24, 2025 at 4:40 PM