About Robert Vamosi

I’m a Senior Analyst for Mocana, a start up focusing on the security of non-PC devices, and author of When Gadgets Betray Us. For more than a decade I’ve been an award-winning journalist and analyst who has been covering digital security issues as a contributing editor at PCWorld, a blogger at Forbes.com, and for many years a senior editor at ZDNet/CNET. Over the years I have discussed computer security issues on ABC, NBC, the BBC, CNN, CNBC, NPR, and various other local and national radio and tv networks. I have also been quoted in the New York Times on wireless computer security concerns, and have moderated security panels, including one at Defcon and another on privacy and security at the Harvard Business School.

Experience
Senior Analyst | Mocana
March 2011 – Present

Author | When Gadgets Betray Us
March 2011

My book about the security of every day gadgets such as mobile phones and black boxes in cars.

Blogger | Forbes.com
March 2010 – Present

I write about computer security for Forbes.com.

Contributing Editor | PCWorld
January 2009 – present

I write computer security-related content for PC World magazine.

Contributing Editor | Windows Secrets
August 2009 – Present

I write a monthly column on recent, unpatched security vulnerabilities affecting the Windows platform.

Contributor | Threatpost
December 2008 – Present

Various videos and articles for ThreatPost

Analyst | Security, Risk and Fraud | Javelin Strategy & Research
February 2009 – February 2011

Focused on security, risk and fraud for the financial services industry. Presented at conferences at the Federal Reserve and NACHA on topics such as cybercrime and PCI DSS.

Senior Editor | CBS Interactive / CNET / ZDNet
November 1999 – December 2008 (9 years 2 months)

As Senior Editor, I performed the following duties:
• Blogger: posted three security-related CNET News stories day (on average), syndicated on CBS News.com
• Podcaster: hosted Security Bites, a weekly security-themed podcast available on iTunes, Mediafly, and elsewhere
• Columnist: wrote Defense in Depth and Security Watch, both columns have been syndicated on MSN, CNN, and CBS affiliate sites worldwide
• Reporter: covered major computer security conferences such as RSA, Black Hat, Shmoocon, and others
• Newsletter editor: created a weekly security newsletter
• Reviewer: managed a team of freelance writers for software reviews, and reviewed security software

Highlights
• August 2010, moderated a panel of authors, including Joseph Menn and Jefferey Carr, at Defcon 18.
• April 2008, co-presented a talk on teenage social network hackers at RSA San Francisco, the largest security conference in North America.
• November 2006, moderated a privacy and security panel at the Harvard Business School as part of Cyberposium 12.
• August 2006, cited as expert on laptop thefts by the New York Times
• July 2006, cited as an expert by the BBC on Apple computer security.
• July 2004, served as the technical editor for Ken Feinstein’s book, How to Do Everything to Fight Spam, Viruses, Pop-Ups, and Spyware (2004), published by Osborne McGraw-Hill.
• Interviewed live on CNN, MSNBC, and NPR, various times.

Education
• Northwestern University
• Various Black Hat training sessions

Interests
• Digital forensics, psychology of computer hacking, vulnerability disclosure, criminal hackers, threat models

Groups and Associations
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (SFWA)

Honors and Awards
2005 MAGGIE Award for best regular online consumer column.

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