SecureWorks: Kevin Houle, Former Technical Manager at CERT, is Sr Director of Malware Analysis

August 23, 2010

Kevin Houle has joined SecureWorks as the new Senior Director of Malware Analysis for the Counter Threat Unit (CTU).

Houle is the former Technical Manager for Malicious Code at CERT (formerly known as the Computer Emergency Response Team), one of the first computer emergency response teams, at Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute. CERT studies Internet security vulnerabilities, researches long-term changes in networked systems and develops information to defend against cyber attacks.

The SecureWorks CTU is comprised of a team of top security experts who identify and analyze emerging cyber threats while developing rapid countermeasures in support of SecureWorks’ clients. The CTU leverages visibility across a broad client base and in-depth knowledge of malware and attackers to continuously update SecureWorks’ technologies, providing faster and better protection than other security services, in a highly scalable delivery environment. The CTU also delivers a Threat Intelligence Service that offers early warning and actionable security intelligence tailored to a client’s environment.

“Kevin’s expertise in malicious threats and insights into the inner workings of malware will be great additions to our research efforts,” said Jon Ramsey, CTO of SecureWorks. “His experience in the information security industry is invaluable, and we look forward to his leadership in the CTU.”

While working with CERT, Houle was responsible for the direction and growth of the security team that focused on malicious code analysis. Under Houle’s leadership, CERT responded to more than 1,000 malware analysis requests, developed and transitioned more than 20 new malware analysis systems and tools, delivered hundreds of presentations to raise threat awareness, and influenced the adoption of malware analysis capability on four continents.

"SecureWorks’ CTU is known throughout the industry as a team of world-class information security researchers,” said Houle. “I look forward to contributing to the threat research team and being a part of a corporate culture that fosters high values and tremendous integrity.”