Speaker: Robin Noyes
Presenting: The Cyber Lab Starter Pack They Forgot to Tell You About
Abstract: Building an effective cybersecurity learning lab means having the right mix of operating systems and specialized distributions—because no single toolset fits every scenario, and redundancy matters when a VM breaks, a package fails, or an update disrupts your workflow. This talk explores the major categories of ISO‑based environments used across Red Team operations, Blue Team analysis, digital forensics, reverse engineering, OSINT, privacy research, and general system recovery.
We will compare Debian-, Ubuntu-, Arch-, and Gentoo‑based offensive security distros like Kali, Parrot, Black Arch, BackBox, and PenToo, alongside Windows‑centric options such as Commando VM. On the defensive side, we will highlight investigative platforms including CAINE, CSI Linux, SIFT/Remnux, Paladin, and FLARE. The session also examines privacy‑ and OSINT‑focused systems like TAILS, Qubes, Kodachi, ThreatPursuit, and TraceLabs OSINT. Finally, we will cover essential rescue, IR, and network‑security builds—from Clonezilla and SystemRescue to Security Onion, OSSIM, pfSense, and SELKS.
Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of how these environments differ, where each excels, and how to assemble a resilient, multi‑purpose lab that keeps learning moving forward even when one tool fails.
Bio: Robin Noyes is a cybersecurity leader with over twenty years of experience across the telecommunications and government sectors, including six years of military service. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Maryland University College, a Master of Science in Management Information Science with a concentration in Information Assurance from Nova Southeastern University, and a Master of Science in Information Security Engineering from the SANS Institute, along with numerous GIAC, Splunk, and industry certifications. Her career spans application operations, systems administration, Splunk engineering and content development, incident response, threat hunting, cybersecurity analysis, and digital forensics.
Audience: All experience levels
Duration (Minutes): 120
Recording/Streaming Status: N/A, Classes & Villages are not recorded
No sign-up needed. Walk-ins welcome! Seats are first come, first served.