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Local Cyber Expert Wins 2016 Sharkfest Packet Challenge Competition

Colorado Springs, Colo. (July 14, 2016) – Jonathon Ford, longtime Colorado Springs resident and penetration tester, competed against 100 other entrants to win the title at the 2016 Sharkfest Wireshark Developer and User Conference. Ford was able to complete and win this challenge laid down by Laura Chappell, who is the author of Wireshark Network Analysis.

Ford’s true expertise is with penetration testing and is currently employed as the Web Application Penetration Testing Lead with MainNerve, a defense and commercial cybersecurity firm located in Colorado Springs. This is the first time Ford has won this award. He was happy with the win, saying, “Finally – proof that I’m Wireshark Ninja!”

Wireshark is the most widely used Open Source tool for protocol analysis on the market today.
The contest is held every year at the Sharkfest Conference in Mountain View, Colorado. Sharkfest is an annual educational conference focused on sharing knowledge, experience and best practices among members of the Wireshark global developer and user communities. Participants come together to hone their skills in the art of packet analysis by attending a rich and varied schedule of sessions taught by the most seasoned experts in the industry.

About MainNerve

MainNerve has a long history of providing industry leading cyber security services to the U.S. Government, specifically the Department of Defense. Currently, MainNerve acts as a consultant in cyber security to the U.S. Special Operations units and provides advanced training to elite combat forces in a wide variety of cyber security disciplines. MainNerve is the only cybersecurity firm to have been awarded the U.S. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) contract, to provide training for the “Cyber Signature Reduction” course. MainNerve’s signature is an exclusive combination of advanced technology and expert analysis, delivering real-time, active defense to protect their clients’ most valued assets. More information may be found at www.mainnerve.wpengine.com

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