Justin Kurtz
About Justin Kurtz
Justin Kurtz is a Lead Penetration Tester at Poly, where he has worked since 2019. He has a background in cybersecurity and military operations, with previous roles at PayPal and the Army National Guard.
Current Role at Poly
Justin Kurtz serves as the Lead Penetration Tester at Poly, a position he has held since 2019. In this role, he develops environments and tests custom Android devices and applications to identify and remediate vulnerabilities within Poly products throughout their lifecycle. He provides penetration testing goals and schedules for team members and key personnel, ensuring that security practices are integrated into development and business processes.
Previous Experience in Cybersecurity
Prior to his current role, Justin worked as an Information Security Engineer at PayPal for 10 months in 2018-2019. He also served as a Cyber Security Analyst at McCallie Associates, Inc. for 5 months in 2018. His experience includes designing and implementing custom tests to identify potential insider threat vulnerabilities and independently pursuing relationships with development teams to enhance security practices.
Military Background and Cyber Operations
Justin has a notable military background, having served in the Army National Guard as a Cyber Operations Specialist from 2017 to 2019 and as a Helicopter Pilot from 2016 to 2017. He also served in the US Army as an Apache Helicopter Pilot and Tactical Operations Officer from 2007 to 2016. His military experience includes responding to and leading real-world cybersecurity attacks as part of an incident response team for the Nebraska National Guard.
Education and Academic Achievements
Justin Kurtz has a diverse educational background. He studied Diesel Mechanics Technology at Southeast Community College, earning an Associate of Arts and Sciences (A.A.S.) degree. He later obtained a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration from Bellevue University and a Master of Science in Cybersecurity from the same institution. His academic pursuits have equipped him with a strong foundation in both technical and law enforcement disciplines.