Hacking the Novel: A Journey From Tech Support to Published Author with Ryan Rutan, Senior Director of Community at Synack

<p>Ryan Rutan has worked in tech support, as a computer repairman, application developer, software engineer, entrepreneur, and head of community…and most recently, fiction writer. Listen to this episode to hear what inspired <i>Fork This Life</i>, a novel that follows the life of a teenager growing up with the early internet of the 90s who eventually gets into hacking, and how it relates to today’s cybersecurity challenges.</p><p>--------</p><p><strong>Why You Should Listen:</strong></p><p>Hear about Ryan’s approach to hacking the fiction writing process.</p><p>* Get the inside story of how working in tech support informed Ryan’s career in cybersecurity. </p><p>* Nerd out on nostalgia about the nineties tech scene.</p><p>* Pick up tips for developing your creative voice.  </p><p>* Get tips for how you can help spread a culture of good security hygiene. </p><p>--------</p><p><strong>Key Quotes:</strong></p><p>* “I’m a technical person, therefore I create.” </p><p>* “I need a computer but why? I want to get online, but why? Everyone knew they needed it and wanted it but they didn’t know why.”</p><p>* “The people who know and understand what it means to keep things secure... It’s incumbent upon them to pay if forward as much as possible.” </p><p>* “Security back in the 90s.. your death was going to come from a swift sledgehammer to the head...now it’s death by a thousand cuts from a million different websites.” </p><p>--------</p><p><strong>Related Links:</strong></p><p>* <a href="Synack.com">Synack.com</a></p><p>* <a href="https://www.synack.com/lp/enterprise-security-testing-101/">https://www.synack.com/lp/enterprise-security-testing-101/</a></p><p>* <a href="Forkthislife.com">Forkthislife.com</a></p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/ryanrutan">* https://twitter.com/ryanrutan</a></p>