Recently while in the bar of the Crown Plaza in Heidelberg for the Troopers conference I became aware of the number of how grateful I should be for what I have in this industry. For what I’m grateful for is not technical or recognition but of the group of people in the industry, I have the honor to call friends.

I would like to share some of them in this blog post. While coming back from dinner at Heidelberg JD also known as @SadProcessor send me a DM that several of our friends are at the hotel bar and even so I don't drink I should come down and hang out. I was jet lag but had not seen many of them in months so I said to myself “Why not” so I went down.

Let me start with JD, he is one of the most humble persons I know, his love for his kids rivals my own for mine. He was one of the main reason that I loved the conference so much, he helped me navigate the conference, the foreign languages, we talk about our passion for technology, PowerShell and much much more. We had some heart to heart talks and always greeted and parted ways with a hug. He is a true professional and great human being.

When I came into the bar I was immediately greeted by the professional tag team that created BloodHound, @Wald0 (Andy) and @CptJesus (Rohan) these two guys are awesome. While at a previous conference I got some bad news over the phone that crushed my energy levels. These to guys pulled me from my rut with the help of my good co-worker and friend Oddvar and took me to karaoke for the first time in my life. Rohan and I share a dark sense of humor and I really wish I could have his comedic timing in my presentations in addition to his technical skills. Both are very professional and caring people. What I admire the most from Andy is his dedication to the community, always typing personally welcome messages into the BloodHound Slack for a new member,  to helping others through his projects to help charity.

@harmj0y is next, “The Sexy Will Harmj0y” as I called him in my dark comedic way during class were referencing his tools. I have not met anyone else in this industry with his level of passion and determination when researching a subject. He an I spent some time talking about the industry, Kerberos, DPAPI and many other subjects. I meet Will many years ago in Maryland, from that time to now I’m amazed at the level of expertise in multiple subjects through hard work.

@Tifink_ (Lee Christensen) is the quiet one of the group but one of the most skilled people a know. We chat quite a bit on tradecraft and admire his ability to think out of the box. I have not met one single person in the SpecterOps crew that has not told me a story on how they have been stuck on something and Lee has come up with a solution. A true master of thinking outside the box.

@Pytotek3 (Sean Metcalf) of ADSecurity.org is next. He has been a friend for many many years, I admire his warm heart, always positive attitude, the impeccable work ethic that pushes me to be a better presenter and passion to share knowledge. I have to say his hugs rival those of Dave Kennedy. I'm honored to call him a close friend.

@JaredHaigh (Jared Haight) t was returning to the hotel, I had dinner with him earlier with him, his wife and @CuriousJack (Jason Lang) a coworker and friend. Jared has to be one of the most humble and caring professionals I know in this industry. His positive attitude is matched by his technical skills. After Maria, he and some friends from SpecterOps and Microsoft sent a care package to my family, I will always be grateful to all for that.   

@gentilkiwi (Benjamin Delpy) What can I say, this guy is simply awesome. We went in deep discussions on Kerberos, DPAPI, not commonly known capabilities of Mimikatz, shared our similar views on disclosure and release of tools, dev labs and much more. Planning on doing a Mimikatz and Kekeo Training this year and he has been always available to help, clarify doubts and answer questions. He is another humble member of our community that truly cares about making the world a more secure place.

@FuzzzyNoise (Kelly) she is a member of the SpecterOps crew and a lady that I know admire greatly. She shows a passion for the work, sharing and building up the community like no other I have seen. I was honored to spend time chatting with her.

Now, these are only a handful of the people I got to talk that night. But they are the ones I reminisce the most when I think of the positive impact their personalities and presence brought. We complained many times about the community but rarely we focus on those close to us that are part of our tribe that has to influence upon us. At the bar that night I looked around me and felt honored to be in their presence and grateful for the company. Many of them in their way had an influence on how I thought and viewed stuff for many years. I’m grateful for the company, for the learning and most of all for the passion they have with sharing and working to make all more secure.

In the rest of the week their more people from Rachelle who wilded her organizational magic to make Troopers happen, to the speakers I got to talk to, the twitter friends I got to meet in person and to the great students in the class. The class was a small one and got to know most well and felt so proud of the opportunity to share some information with them.