How Cyber-Behavioral Analysis Can Inform Strategic Threat Characterization and Decision-making
In an era where technical indicators of compromise are increasingly perishable and vulnerable to manipulation, the demonstrated behavioral and psychological vulnerabilities of threat actors may continue to provide some of the best insight into threat actor capabilities — namely how vulnerabilities can be exploited to enhance your network defense and collection, and how characterizing those vulnerabilities based on cyber-behavioral analysis can more accurately inform decision-makers on threat.
Speaker Tim Pappa will introduce and demonstrate this unique cyber-behavioral modeling, which this former FBI profiler developed at the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, on a unit that specialized in analyzing cybercriminal and nation-state attacker behaviors.
Tim will discuss how to translate these complex behavioral patterns and performance into actionable risk profiles that can influence decision-makers, ensuring that strategic network defense is driven not just by what the attacker does, but by who they are and how they think.
Speaker
Tim Pappa
Tim Pappa is an incident response engineer specializing in cyber-deception strategy at Walmart Global Tech.
Tim brings a rare blend of deep technical expertise, behavioral science, and national-level operational experience. Before joining Walmart Global Tech, Tim served as a supervisory special agent and profiler with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, where he specialized in cyber-deception, adversary behavior, and online influence.
He has presented and published at leading academic and industry conferences, including Black Hat Asia, NDSS, IEEE S&P, CYBERWARCON, and the Honeynet Project, and has served as a fellow at both CSIS and the Aspen Institute, contributing to strategy and policy development in emerging cyber threat domains.
Tim is also a proud DEFCON Franklin volunteer and an active researcher. His interests span attitudes toward cybercriminal offenders, HoneyContent innovation, and cyber-deception design thinking. His first book, Influencing the Influencers: Applying Whaley’s Communication and Deception Frameworks to Terrorism and Insurgent Narratives, was published in 2025 by World Scientific. He is currently writing No Starch Press’s first-ever book on cyber-deception.
Contact
If you have questions about this event, please contact Mary McHale.
Accessibility
If you require an accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting, CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) or information about mobility access in order to fully participate in this event, please contact Heather Rapp with as much advance notice as possible and at least 7–10 days in advance of the event.
