SeaGL speaker Q&A: Bri Hatch

Bri gives his alliteratively titled talk, “Serving Secrets Securely” on Saturday.

Q: Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little about your background?

A: I’m Bri Hatch, a long time Linux/Open Source enthusiast, security guy, author, and vim user astonished at Apple’s removal of my beloved escape key. (Could it be an Emacs conspiracy?) I’ve been in the security and unix industry for decades, and currently am the Director of IT at ExtraHop Networks. I’ve had various levels of facial hair over the year, but am hopefully not yet a neckbeard.

Q: Without tipping your hand on the actual talk, can you give us an idea of what we might expect?

A: Software often needs access to passwords, authentication tokens, or other secrets. The question is how do you allow access to this sensitive information to non-interactive daemons in a secure manner? When you think about the attack surface you need to balance complete security with the ability for your services to run themselves so you’re not just a pager restart monkey.

Q: Is this your first visit to SeaGL? If so, what are your expectations? If not, can you give us your impressions of the event?

A: I’ve been attending and talking at SeaGL every year since it started, and it gets better every year! The talks and speakers are excellent, and I am always conflicted about which to attend given the across-the-board quality. There are tracks for every level of expertise, and a range from tried-and-true to bleeding edge technologies, so there is something for everyone. And don’t forget to visit the sponsor booths!

Q: How would we identify you in a crowd?

A: Look for the guy in shorts with purple-painted toenails and no shoes - that should narrow it down.

Q: How ‘bout dem Cubs?

A: I’m originally a Chicago Southsider so it took a while to allow the Cubs into my White Sox heart, but I’m there - defeat Cleveland!