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

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 Fork This Life, 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.

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Why You Should Listen:

Hear about Ryan’s approach to hacking the fiction writing process.

* Get the inside story of how working in tech support informed Ryan’s career in cybersecurity. 

* Nerd out on nostalgia about the nineties tech scene.

* Pick up tips for developing your creative voice.  

* Get tips for how you can help spread a culture of good security hygiene. 

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Key Quotes:

* “I’m a technical person, therefore I create.” 

* “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.”

* “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.” 

* “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.” 

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Related Links:

* Synack.com

* https://www.synack.com/lp/enterprise-security-testing-101/

* Forkthislife.com

* https://twitter.com/ryanrutan