Patrick Jones
Software Engineer in Berkeley, CA
I’m a passionate programmer working with wireless & AI/computer security, with a flair for problem solving- sometimes in an unconventional fashion!
I spent the last two years building software to decode and analyze 802.11 traffic for 802Secure. The product is cloud-based wireless (e.g., 802.11, Bluetooth, ZigBee) security that detects wireless threats and vulnerabilities . It was deployed for multiple years at DefCon, and at DefCon 2018 I worked on it in SecOps.
I wrote an 802.11 parser & scanner. The scanner looks for things like KRACK attacks, evil twins, malformed packets, de-auth attacks and WiFi Pineapples. I wrote most of my tests, using tools like Aircrack-ng as needed. I had to dig down into threats to figure out how to mimic (for testing) and detect them. I also had to dive into the IEEE 802.11 spec (802.11-2016 is 3.5K pages of standard-ese).
It was my first job after my CS undergrad at UC Berkeley. Working working as a professional is not like being at college. I learned a lot, e.g., how to work with a diverse team, Go, learning on the job, accepting not knowing everything, making code clear & simple, how to work a trade show booth (RSA 2019).
I really like thinking about how things (people or computers) process information, draw conclusions and take action (e.g., AI, game theory). With so many different approaches, it’s fun to figure out how to make an agent to solve a given problem. I’ve always loved logic puzzles and games, really anything that makes me think hard and take apart problems looking for a solution.
I enjoy cryptography because it’s like a challenge or a game in a lot of ways. I’ve always loved playing with numbers and logic, and crypto is like trying to write a logic problem that can’t be solved. I find dealing with viruses and malware, or pen testing very similar. It’s about looking for certain patterns or weaknesses in a given system, and I’m good at that.
When I was at UCB, I had fun at Swarm Lab (decision and control logic for synthetic insects) & GamesCrafters (strongly solving stochastic perfect-information games), and also writing a Dominions 4 mod adding content and mechanics.
If you’re looking for a formal resume, it’s here.
https://github.com/Galadros