I'm a cybersecurity professional who builds and manages cybersecurity programs that enable successful business outcomes while identifying and addressing real risk, from nation-state adversaries to regulatory burdens. I've owned security programs and assess them now as a consultant, so I know what separates a program that checks the box from one that is truly resilient and enables your business.
About
I'm a cybersecurity professional who builds and evaluates programs that identify and address risk, whether the threat is a nation-state adversary or a regulatory obligation. Since July 2026 I have been a Staff Consultant on the CMMC practice at A-LIGN, where I run readiness assessments and CMMC Level 2 assessments against NIST 800-171.
I came to that work from the other side of the table. As ISSM at a defense manufacturer I built a cybersecurity program from nothing: sourcing and deploying EDR, SIEM, ITDR, and MFA, standing up vulnerability management and security awareness, hardening classified systems under DCSA and NIST 800-53, and carrying a CMMC Level 2 effort from gap assessment through control implementation and C3PAO engagement. Before that I spent three years as a SOC analyst at an MSSP, handling incident response across roughly 100 client environments.
Having implemented 800-171 under a deadline before I ever assessed against it shapes how I read a control, and what I think separates a program that passes from one that actually works. In my free time I build and break security tools.
Experience
Staff Consultant, CMMC — A-LIGN
Jul 2026 – presentDeliver CMMC readiness assessments and CMMC Level 2 assessments for defense contractors, evaluating implementation of NIST 800-171 controls against DFARS 252.204-7012/7021 obligations. Assess scoping and enclave boundaries, evidence quality, and control implementation, and advise organizations on closing gaps ahead of a formal assessment.
Cyber Security Specialist / ISSM — Fiber Materials Inc.
Jul 2025 – Jul 2026ISSM for the organization, owning cybersecurity across classified and unclassified systems. Led the CMMC Level 2 effort from gap assessment through control implementation and C3PAO assessor engagement, aligned to NIST 800-171 and DFARS 252.204-7012/7021. Built and maintained classified systems under DCSA and NIST 800-53 requirements. Sourced and deployed EDR, SIEM, ITDR, and MFA solutions; built vulnerability management and security awareness programs; reported cybersecurity risk and compliance status directly to executive leadership.
SOC Analyst I & II — Systems Engineering
Aug 2022 – Jun 202524/7 SOC operations for roughly 100 client environments. Shadowed incident response on active breaches including BEC, ransomware, and insider threat. Created an incident response playbook that reduced triage times by 20 percent, developed automation tooling, and served as SME on SIEM, SOAR, and XDR platforms. Started as a network engineering intern in May 2022.
Projects
Scam Awareness Training
A free, five-minute security awareness training for people who do not work in technology, covering the warning signs of social engineering, how to check whether a call is real, and what to do after a scam. View or download the training.
CMMC 2.0 Level 2 Program Build
Organization-wide owner of CMMC 2.0 Level 2 readiness as ISSM, leading the effort from initial gap assessment through NIST 800-171 control implementation, policy and procedure development, evidence collection, executive reporting, and ongoing C3PAO assessor engagement. Managed relationships with third-party assessors and consultants while staying current on CMMC 2.0 rulemaking and DFARS 252.204-7012/7021 timelines.
Classified Systems
As ISSM, built and hardened classified systems under DCSA oversight and NIST 800-53 control requirements, and owned their ongoing security management. Established the risk management processes, documentation, and continuous monitoring needed to maintain accreditation for a defense manufacturer.
Incident Response Playbook
Developed and maintained a triage and response playbook for an active team of 10 SOC analysts, reducing time to respond and increasing consistency across the board. Follows established incident response standards and focuses on detection, initial response, mitigation, and escalation and triage processes.
MDR Deployments at Scale
Deployed MDR solutions to dozens of clients in under two months across cloud, hybrid, and on-prem topologies. Drove the team to beat a strict deadline by encouraging cross-team collaboration and being personally available to troubleshoot or advise at every step.
Logging Verification Tool
Built a tool that verifies logging integrity across 50 client environments in under 30 seconds, replacing a manual process that took at least 20 hours a month and could never be as thorough. Guaranteed a baseline of visibility into client networks that had not been achievable before.
ML-Powered Network Intrusion Detection System
Full-stack NIDS using transformer-based models to catch complex anomalies at competitive rates on common intrusion and anomaly detection datasets, with CI/CD and containerization for flexible scaling. Source on GitHub.
Education & Certifications
- 2026CISSP · CMMC Certified Professional (CCP)
- 2024B.S. in Computer Science, University of Maine
- 2023CompTIA Security+
Blog
Weekly blog on building cybersecurity programs and interesting side projects or news.
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Continuing my path in cyber
A follow up to my 2024 article about my career. Reflecting on the past couple of years and my next steps
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How I Passed the CISSP
For those wondering what I did to pass the exam on my first try.
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Discovering my path in cyber
Now that I've broken into the field of cybersecurity, what next?
Contact
- Email[email protected]
- LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/theobrucker
- GitHubtheodore-brucker