Hacking 101
In the world of criminal hackers and cybersecurity, glitches are inevitable. Systems fail, people make mistakes, and vulnerabilities appear where we least expect them. But glitches aren’t just problems to fix—they’re opportunities to learn, adapt, and grow. In this candid and thought-provoking keynote, I’ll explore the role of glitches in our systems, our strategies, and ourselves. Drawing on more than 30 years in the trenches of information security, I’ll share real-world stories of chaos and complexity—both successes and spectacular failures. Together, we’ll examine how glitches reveal the cracks in our assumptions, expose the flaws in our processes, and challenge us to think and act differently. This isn’t just a talk about technical systems—it’s about human systems, too. I’ll dive into how we can embrace the inevitable chaos to build stronger teams, develop more resilient strategies, and stay ahead of the curve in a world that’s anything but predictable. Whether you’re a seasoned “expert” or just starting out, this keynote will leave you with a fresh perspective on failure, resilience, and why thriving in complexity isn’t just possible—it’s essential. Because at the end of the day, glitch happens. What you do with it is what really matters.
Evan Francen
Founder of FRSecure LLC/Co-founder and CEO of SecurityStudio
Author of UNSECURITY: Information security is failing. Breaches are epidemic. How can we fix this broken industry?
Evan is a veteran information security expert, with more than 30 years of “practical” information security experience, and an ambitious mission; fix the broken industry. Highlights of Evan’s career (thus far) include:
• Founded FRSecure in 2008, an expert-level information security consulting company with more 100 employees and 2,500 clients across the United States.
• Founded SecurityStudio in 2017, a software as a service (SaaS) company dedicated to building a community of information security practitioners who speak the same “security language”.
• Co-creator of S2Score, a definitive measurement of information security risk.
• Co-creator of S2Org, the organizational security assessment used by more than 50 partners and 7,000 organizations across 32 industries to assess and manage information security risk.
• Co-creator of S2Vendor for third-party information security risk management, S2School for information security risk management in K-12, S2Team for unparalleled insight into personal security habits, and S2Me, for personal information security risk management.
• Created the Certified virtual Chief Information Security Officer (CvCISO™) Program, the first certification for vCISOs in the industry.
• Developed and lead the free FRSecure CISSP® Mentor Program. Established in 2010 with six students, the program and has grown to more than 20,000 students representing 100+ countries in 2023.
• Prior to establishing FRSecure, Evan spent more than 15 years as a leading information security professional and corporate leader in both private and public companies.
• Creator of Project Broken Mirror, a community effort to secure the public sector.
• Advised legal counsel in high-profile breaches including Target and Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
o 2014/2015 - Consultant to the Special Litigation Committee of the Board of Directors of Target Corporation; derivative action related to the “Target Breach”.
o 2015/2016 – Consultant to legal counsel and Blue Cross/Blue Shield related to remediation efforts (post-breach).
o Served as an expert witness in several federal criminal cases, most involving alleged stolen trade secrets by foreign adversaries.
• Served 100s of companies; big (Wells Fargo, Target, US Bank, UnitedHealth, etc.) and small.
• Delivered dozens of information security talks at dozens of conferences; audiences ranging from less than 10 to more than a 5,000.
• Written more than 750 published articles about a variety of information security topics.
An “information security evangelist”, thought leader and specialist in advising Boards of Directors, legal counsel, and executive management. His unique sense of humor, and “tell it like it is” demeanor, gets the point across and produces results for all audiences.
Outside of work, Evan is still a “hacker”, but he’s also a proud father of five children, with six grandchildren, an avid scuba diver, motorcyclist, guitar player, welder, and tinkerer.
We proudly present SecretCon, an entirely unparalleled conference for the state of Minnesota, built for our new digital reality. This conference is dedicated to the many specialties of our hacker, cybersecurity, and privacy community. We have taken it upon ourselves to construct a conference that not only embraces our past, but also looks to the future. Join us!
