Hamid Jahankhani (editor) - Cyber Security Practitioners Guide

Ali G. Hessami () Introduction

A trusting and persuasive leader with a talent for big picture strategic and creative thinking and experience/leadership in large scale national and international projects with high level interfacing and accountabilities. A team player taking pride in the group accomplishment whilst striving for continual betterment and excellence in himself, the team and the task. An innovator in business strategy, resilience/continuity, advanced risk assessment & management in financial/safety/environmental aspects, systems safety, security, sustainability and operational decision support. A track record in technology R&D, international business development, design and implementation of advanced processes, methodologies and frameworks for safety and security risk management, knowledge management, competence/talent management, legal compliance, and European/International standards.

David A.E. Haddon (

David graduated with an honours degree in electronics from Imperial College in 1980. He worked in defence and broadcasting before joining The Processor Centre in 1983, a computer services company operating in the Channel Islands that he has owned since 1990. The business provides managed IT services to clients in the hospitality and financial services sectors with several clients dating back to the 1980s. Davids passion as an engineer extends to his hobby of maintaining and touring with his old cars. He bought an Atlas lathe from his grandfather in 1985. He has a vintage Lagonda and spare engines and gearboxes that he has personally rebuilt. Married since 1986, David is a proud father and grandfather. He is a regional secretary of the BCS. Whilst studying for a Masters degree and running a business David organised the Jersey Old Motor Clubs tour to France for the 2018 Le Mans Classic!

Thomas Welsh (

Tom Welsh is Cyber Security Analyst at a London FinTech company, where Tom not only focusses on policy, procedures and providing guidance to other teams but is also heavily involved in the day-to-day defence and response to cyber security incidents. The company, which has over 19 offices spread across three continents, keeps Toms life interesting.

Tom has worked in Infrastructure and Operational roles for more than 30 years and in that time has amassed a wealth of knowledge from a large range of companies from multi-national telcos like BT and Nokia to dot com startups. Throughout this time Tom has contributed back to the community in which he works by testing, beta testing, coding and adding features to open source software. You will find his name mentioned in much open source software but majorly in Nagios Monitoring software as well as Op5 Software such as Merlin.

This diverse knowledge base and Toms drive to learn more made him take up an MSc in Cyber Security during 2017-2018 in which he earned a distinction. His dissertation on A cyber security threat model for the detection of a ransomware cyberweapon in a networked computing environment built on a subject close to his heart: threat detection and response.

Tom is currently researching detection and remediation of a security breach and will focus on how an incident responder should act on detection of a security breach.

When Tom is not working on his computer he can be found pottering about with his 1998 Land Rover Defender or down by the river fishing.

George is a freelance senior manager with a strong technical background and proven track record in programme, project and service management. His significant experience and expertise was gained in both development and support environments ranging from mainframe to global networks. He has enjoyed a wide variety of roles and has been successful in the management of change and introduction of best practices in the most challenging environments. This has included projects in various countries as well as at home in the UK. Most recently, he has focused on cyber-physical system implementations and associated cyber security, and has driven the introduction of cyber security controls and supporting management capabilities for Industry 4.0 on behalf of his clients in the railway industry. He has recently completed an MSc Degree in Cybersecurity.

Jon Cosson (

As JM Finn Head of Information Technology (IT) and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Jon Cosson has had more than 32 years experience in the IT Industry. He has held numerous IT positions since he started his career programming Mainframe computer systems at Jones Lang Lasselle in the mid-1980s. Jon has directed the IT department for JM Finn, an established wealth management organisation, for more than 20 years. Jon is a technical leader and security specialist with extensive experience delivering transformative security solutions. He has a passion for IT security and is risk-focussed, understanding the bigger picture and delivering secure business objectives through a grasp of broad industry trends and new technologies. Jon holds numerous industry-recognised cyber security certifications including CISSP, CISM, CCISO, CEH, CHFI and MBCI. Jon has also just completed a Masters degree (with Distinction) in Cyber Security and plans to start a PhD in a related field later this year. Jon is a regular speaker at cyber security events and through his extensive knowledge and passion, is able to address common cyber security concerns.

An experienced cyber security professional with a demonstrated history of working in the information technology industry. Skilled in Security Operations, IT operations, Incident Response and Forensics, Vulnerability Assessment, and Information Governance and Assurance. Strong technologist and researcher with a Master of Science (MSc) focused in Cybersecurity from Northumbria University.

Haider M. al-Khateeb (

Dr. al-Khateeb specialises in Cybersecurity, Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR). He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and holds a first-class BSc (Hons) in Computer Science, and a PhD in Cybersecurity. Haider is a Senior Lecturer and conducts his research at the Wolverhampton Cyber Research Institute (WCRI), on the University of Wolverhampton city campus.

Haider has delivered a range of hands-on technical training on topics such as Ethical Hacking as part of a proactive approach to protect computer systems. He has many years of experience with Transnational Education (TNE) as a Link-coordinator of franchised courses and a flying faculty team, supports MSc programmes at Northumbria University, and delivers Executive Masters degrees in Cybersecurity through leading IT training providers in the UK such as QA Ltd.

He has published numerous professional and peer-reviewed articles. His research interests include User Authentication Methods, Distributed Digital Forensics and Remote Incident Response and Security for Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). Additionally, Haider is interested in multiciliary projects to mitigate cyber-related challenges such as online anti-social behaviour.

Usman Javed Butt (

Usman Butt has extensive industry and academic experience. He worked in the industry as a Network Engineer and Systems Administrator and has had the hands-on experience of managing and configuring Windows/Unix servers and Cisco devices. He is a Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), holds a Certificate in Information Security Management Principles (CISMP) awarded by the British Computer Society (BCS), and trained as a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). The latter two courses are both Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) certified courses. He also trained in CompTIA Security+.