Sean Hittel
About Sean Hittel
Sean Hittel is a Distinguished Security Engineer with extensive experience in threat detection and malware analysis. He has worked at notable companies such as Netskope, Symantec, and currently ActZero.ai and IntelliGO Networks Inc., contributing to significant advancements in security engineering and operational processes.
Work at ActZero
Sean Hittel has been employed at ActZero.ai as a Distinguished Security Engineer since 2020. In this role, he has focused on enhancing security measures and developing innovative solutions to protect against cyber threats. His responsibilities include analyzing and reverse engineering various malware payloads and targeted attack exploits. Hittel's work contributes to the security of numerous endpoints, ensuring robust protection against evolving threats.
Previous Experience at Netskope
Before joining ActZero.ai, Sean Hittel worked at Netskope as a Principal Security Engineer from 2015 to 2020. During his tenure, he specialized in machine learning, threat detection, and attack research. Hittel operationalized the IPS signature test and release process, which played a critical role in safeguarding approximately 130 million endpoints. His work involved analyzing browser exploit toolkits and enhancing detection capabilities.
Background in Threat Detection at Symantec
Sean Hittel's career in cybersecurity began at Symantec, where he served as a Threat Detection Engineer from 2003 to 2015. Over 12 years, he gained extensive experience in identifying and mitigating threats. His analytical skills were pivotal in developing strategies to combat various cyber threats, laying a strong foundation for his future roles in security engineering.
Technical Skills and Expertise
Sean Hittel is fluent in programming languages such as Python and JavaScript and has experience with database management systems like PostgreSQL and SQL Server. He has developed a honeypot-based IPS signature generation system optimized for browser attacks. Hittel has also created a toolchain for a machine learning-based detection engine, which has been deployed to around 200 million endpoints, showcasing his technical proficiency and innovative approach to cybersecurity.
Contributions to Cybersecurity Knowledge
In addition to his engineering roles, Sean Hittel has contributed to the cybersecurity community through written work. He authored a blog post focused on strategies to prevent attackers from harvesting cached browser credentials. His insights reflect his commitment to sharing knowledge and improving security practices within the industry.