Meet Nick Percoco: Chief Security Officer at Kraken and Cybersecurity Expert Ready to Share Insights

Hello everyone! My name is Nick Percoco, and I am thrilled to be engaging with you all today. As the Chief Security Officer at Kraken, a leading global digital asset exchange, I leverage over 25 years of extensive experience in cybersecurity and technology to help navigate the complex landscape of digital security.

Before my tenure at Kraken, I served as the Chief Security Officer at Uptake, an industrial AI company, and held the position of Vice President of Global Services at Rapid7 — a comprehensive cybersecurity firm. My journey through the world of cybersecurity has allowed me to share insights on critical topics such as security breaches, malware, mobile security, and emerging trends in information security at prestigious events like Black Hat, DEF CON, and OWASP. Additionally, I’ve had the privilege of sharing my expert knowledge with esteemed organizations such as the Department of Homeland Security, US-CERT, Interpol, and the United States Secret Service.

My fascination with technology started at a young age. I learned to code when I was just seven years old, using a Timex Sinclair 1000 computer in the early 1980s. My passion for tech continued to flourish during the late ’80s and early ’90s as I frequented Chicagoland bulletin board systems (BBS) with my trusty Commodore 64, before eventually transitioning to an Intel 386 PC running Linux.

For decades, I have actively participated in the Chicago hacker scene, founding the THOTCON hacker conference, which is set to celebrate its 12th edition in 2023. Throughout my career, I have been involved in investigating some of history’s most significant data breaches. Over the past four years at Kraken, my focus has been on developing and implementing robust programs to safeguard our cryptocurrency exchange against potential cyber threats.

I am here to share my experiences and insights into the world of cybersecurity and cryptocurrency. Feel free to ask me anything you’d like about hacks, breaches, security best practices, or investigations.

I look forward to an engaging discussion!

P.S. Thank you for the wonderful questions! I’m excited to continue interacting and will be checking back throughout the day to address any additional inquiries.