Black Hat 2026 Presentations

William Burgess, Kyle Avery, Pieter Celeen, Max Grim & Cedric Van Bockhaven demonstrate research on topics ranging from offensive tradecraft to operator guidance.

No Turning Back: Practical Ideas on Embedding AI in Red Team Ops

AI promises to transform red team operations, but how much autonomy is too much when production systems are at stake? In this session, Pieter Ceelen explores the risks, tradeoffs, and realities of AI-assisted engagements, concluding with a look at how AI can take action in Cobalt Strike while keeping operators firmly in control.

Zero-Point Security Training

Fortra offers trainings created by Zero-Point Security, a CREST-approved training provider. These trainings range from an entry level course on red team operations to offensive tradecraft for important Cobalt Strike tools.

Explore our offerings:

PREVIEW: Fortra’s CTEM

Currently under development, Fortra’s CTEM aims to provide organizations with a self-improving cyber reasoning platform that powers exposure validation, autonomous penetration testing, and continuous learning and validation through AI.

William Burgess

Principal Research Lead
Fortra's Cobalt Strike

William Burgess is a principal research lead for Fortra’s Cobalt Strike. He has spent time working on both blue and red teams and his primary research interests are in EDR evasion, Windows internals, and everything low level. A key part of his role is to provide technical guidance and help to define priorities for both […]
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Kyle Avery

Principal Offensive Specialist Lead
Fortra's Outflank

Kyle Avery has been interested in computers for his entire life. Growing up, he and his dad self-hosted game servers and ran their own websites. He focused on offensive security in university and has spent the last few years learning about malware and post-exploitation. Kyle previously worked as a red teamer at Black Hills Information […]
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Pieter Ceelen

Product Owner
Fortra's Cobalt Strike, Outflank

With expertise spanning red team operations, adversary simulation, penetration testing, incident response, and threat intelligence, Pieter Ceelen brings a unique perspective that combines offensive security techniques with real-world attacker behaviors. He began his career at KPMG’s cyber division in 2008, conducting penetration tests, technical security advisory, and adversary simulation before working as an independent consultant […]
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Max Grim

Red Team Operator
Fortra's Outflank

Max Grim is a Red Team Operator and Offensive Developer at Outflank, part of the Fortra family, specializing in red teaming operations and custom tool development. He holds a master’s degree in System and Network Engineering (OS3) from the University of Amsterdam and brings extensive experience in both offensive security and software engineering. Max began […]
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Cedric van Bockhaven

Red Team Operator
Fortra's Outflank

Cedric van Bockhaven is a Red Team Operator at Outflank, part of the Fortra family, specializing in advanced offensive security techniques and red team operations. He holds a master’s degree in System and Network Engineering and brings extensive experience across penetration testing, mobile security, and industrial control systems. Throughout his career, Cedric has conducted security […]
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Cobalt Strike and Outflank continue to evolve through practitioner feedback, adversary simulation research, and modern offensive security requirements. Browse the release history to discover the latest features, operational improvements, and advancements.

Black Hat Vegas 2025 Review

Steve Salinas

Former Sr. Cybersecurity Researcher, Development
Former Teammate: Fortra's Cobalt Strike

Steve is a Marine Corps veteran who has leveraged his expertise throughout his career to develop and contribute to offensive security tools, often collaborating with diverse technical teams. In previous roles, Steve has implemented novel methods assessing machine learning models and spearheaded the development of counter-artificial intelligence capabilities, paving the way for more advanced research […]
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Austin Hudson

Former Sr. Security Researcher
Former Teammate: Fortra's Cobalt Strike

Austin Hudson is a security researcher specializing in the replication and analysis of nation-state capabilities, with a strong emphasis on understanding advanced adversary tradecraft. Alongside his research work, Austin is an experienced developer with a background in C and C++, enabling him to translate complex technical concepts into practical, high-fidelity tooling. Austin is no longer […]
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Stan Hegt

Director, Offensive Security Development
Fortra's Outflank

Stan Hegt is Co-Founder and Red Team Lead at Outflank, part of the Fortra family, where he specializes in red teaming and advanced attack simulation. With over 15 years of experience in offensive security, Stan began his career in ethical hacking at age 15 before earning a master’s degree in Information Security Technology in 2008. […]
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Kyle Avery

Principal Offensive Specialist Lead
Fortra's Outflank

Kyle Avery has been interested in computers for his entire life. Growing up, he and his dad self-hosted game servers and ran their own websites. He focused on offensive security in university and has spent the last few years learning about malware and post-exploitation. Kyle previously worked as a red teamer at Black Hills Information […]
Meet Kyle »

Max Grim

Red Team Operator
Fortra's Outflank

Max Grim is a Red Team Operator and Offensive Developer at Outflank, part of the Fortra family, specializing in red teaming operations and custom tool development. He holds a master’s degree in System and Network Engineering (OS3) from the University of Amsterdam and brings extensive experience in both offensive security and software engineering. Max began […]
Meet Max »

Cedric van Bockhaven

Red Team Operator
Fortra's Outflank

Cedric van Bockhaven is a Red Team Operator at Outflank, part of the Fortra family, specializing in advanced offensive security techniques and red team operations. He holds a master’s degree in System and Network Engineering and brings extensive experience across penetration testing, mobile security, and industrial control systems. Throughout his career, Cedric has conducted security […]
Meet Cedric »

Ready to see how research has impacted our solutions? Curious to see what’s new in Cobalt Strike 4.13? Fill out the form and a member of our team will give you a tour of Cobalt Strike and Outflank Security Tooling tailored to your needs.

Cobalt Strike's Cobalt Man
Outflank Security Tooling Logo in black and white