Dev Dua - Responses to Community Questions

[devdua]

Basic Details

Name: Dev Dua
Designation: Security Engineer
Null Profile URL: https://null.community/profile/12690-dev-dua

Add any other relevant link you feel can help with your candidacy
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devdua/

Anything you want to say about your candidacy

null is not the first community I have been a part of - I established the computer science society of my high school, I also built a community of more than 200 students during my undergraduate degree to fulfil my duties as a Microsoft Student Partner from 2012-2015. I have been part of the null community since 2018, and I have been fulfilling the duties as Chapter Leader of null Pune since April 2023. This cumulative experience, spanning 15 years, has given me first-hand experience about what people expect from community events. I believe I can contribute my time and ideas in a meaningful manner that would benefit the wider, global null community as well by means of increased collaborative efforts both internal and external to the community.

Anything else you would like to inform the community?

I am submitting this self-nomination because I know null can do better for the community, and I have ideas on possible ways to initiate change. I have attended diverse community events in the past 2 years and have been able to distil this experience into some thoughts that I will be posting as comments to this issue. I hope my responses will resonate with the community and I will get the opportunity to serve them in a meaningful manner.

[devdua]

Answers to Community Questions

1. What does the null community mean to you personally, and how do you align with its mission and values?

I have been a regular member of the null community for almost 7 years now both as an attendee and a speaker. I have made many meaningful connections through these community meetups. The talks I have attended have widened my security knowledge, in domains beyond my regular learning and work. This experience of mine until now encompasses null's mission and values, and I have benefitted immensely from the null community.

[devdua]

2. What motivates you to nominate yourself for a board position within the null community, and what unique contributions do you plan to bring?

I believe that a healthy community of similar-aligned individuals, regardless of their experience level, has the potential to play a crucial role in one's professional journey. Throughout the duration of my association with the null community, I have seen an accelerated transformation of the security industry but a comparatively slower evolution of the null community. I believe there are ways to align the null's events and initiatives with the ever evolving security landscape.

I want to focus primarily on community building. A major portion of the attendees are either new to security, are students, or professionals evaluating a switch to a career in security. To foster meaningful interaction in the community, and help these members, I plan to propose new mechanisms through which more experienced members of the null community could volunteer their time and provide professional guidance. Since a lot of universities have introduced cybersecurity-related degree courses in their curriculum, another initiative that the null community could take would be to provide students with real-world insight into the industry and true state of employment opportunities. This will not only put them in touch with professionals but may also guide them to choose their academic focus, which could also accelerate academic security research.

[devdua]

3. Can you describe your leadership style and how you intend to collaborate with fellow board members and volunteers to achieve the community's objectives?

With 7 years of active involvement in this community, including 2 years as a chapter lead, I’ve gained perspective on null's goals and come to the conclusion that we need collaborative and inclusive leaders. Leaders of this community should focus on empowering chapters and enthusiastic community members, to meet null's objectives via teamwork.

I believe I can be such a leader - by leveraging data, community feedback, and past experiences to inform decisions we can ensure that outcomes of our initiatives align with our mission. Regardless of whose initiative it is, if it provides tangible benefits for the community, I will support and advocate for them. I aim to create a collaborative environment where diverse ideas thrive, and challenges are met with innovative solutions.

[devdua]

4. What is your vision for the null community over the next five years, and how do you plan to contribute to its growth and innovation beyond current activities?

In the next five years, I see null evolving into a globally connected, sustainable community that fosters collaboration, innovation, and meaningful engagement. I propose these key strategies to achieve a stronger community:

• Reactivating and Supporting Chapters: Revitalize inactive chapters by sharing resources from more active chapters, creating virtual speaker pools, and pairing student chapters with experienced ones for mentorship.
• Fuelling Security Research: Prioritize and rejuvenate impactful initiatives while encouraging security research to drive new frameworks and projects. Committee members can reach out to security companies, who can play a key role by sponsoring labs, as part of their CSR efforts, where professionals and researchers can train beginners and drive innovation.
• Connecting Beginners with Professionals: Connect beginners with experienced professionals and researchers through mentorship programs in addition to existing efforts. To drive up member retention, existing events can be augmented with themed series, gamification, and village-style events. Leverage the potential of student-led chapters through ambassador programs, internships, and career-building opportunities.
• Building Community through Collaboration: Promote inter-chapter competitions to strengthen the sense of belonging and foster friendly rivalry, while encouraging cross-chapter projects to drive global collaboration.

By integrating company sponsorships, enhancing member engagement, and promoting collaboration, I aim to position null as a prominent community in cybersecurity, ready to adapt and thrive in the coming years.

[devdua]

5. How will you encourage and support community members to start, lead, and grow new null initiatives, projects, and chapters, ensuring the needs of both beginners and experts are met globally?

I will focus on providing resources, mentorship, and platforms for collaboration. By empowering members to lead and providing the right support, I aim to ensure that null grows and meets the needs of all members globally.

• Advanced, Niche Topics: Incorporating specialized sessions on cutting-edge research, emerging threats, and technical deep dives (e.g., zero-day vulnerabilities, advanced exploitation techniques, or threat hunting) would appeal to experts seeking to stay ahead of the curve. This will also attract beginners, as other communities may not focus on these areas.

• Hands-On Challenges: Hosting CTFs, bug bounty workshops, or practical, real-world problem-solving sessions like tabletop exercises can offer experts a chance to apply their skills in challenging scenarios and beginners to get a taste of real world experience, making events more interactive and engaging.

• Research-Driven Initiatives: Encourage experts to contribute to and lead research-driven projects or community-driven security frameworks, giving them a sense of purpose and ownership in shaping the direction of the community.

• Recognition of Expertise: Provide platforms for experts to share their knowledge through speaking engagements, workshops, or mentorship roles, and offer public recognition for their contributions, further enhancing their professional stature within the community.

[devdua]

6. Given that this is a volunteer position without financial compensation, how do you plan to balance your time and commitment to the community?

Although this is a volunteer position, I am fully committed to the community's growth. I will prioritize initiatives that have the most impact and align with my skills and by setting clear milestones and timelines, I can manage my responsibilities effectively. I plan to allocate dedicated hours each week, ensuring that my involvement remains consistent and meaningful without overwhelming my professional commitments. Additionally, I will leverage the support of enthusiastic community members by delegating tasks when needed to keep momentum going.

[devdua]

7. Have you previously held any board-level positions in open, non-profit communities? If yes, please specify and share your achievements during that tenure.

• I was the Vice President and then President of the Microsoft Tech Club, BITS Pilani - Dubai. This community was setup in partnership with Microsoft Gulf, Dubai. We held various events and monthly learning sessions, focused mainly on app and web development, and participated in hackathons organized by Microsoft as part of their community work.
• I was also the Vice President of the ACM chapter, BITS Pilani - Dubai for a year. We organized sessions focused on computer research and cybersecurity.

[devdua]

8. What contributions have you made to various communities, particularly in the field of information security, and how do these experiences prepare you for this role?

I have delivered talks at null meets as well as led the Pune chapter of null since April 2023. I have had direct interaction with attendees with varying backgrounds and arranged for talks based on community feedback. This has enabled me to understand the composition of the community in the city, and what they expect from events that we organize.

[devdua]

9. How will you promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within the null community to ensure it is welcoming and accessible to all individuals?

null is already very inclusive, and accommodates members with diverse backgrounds since there are no restrictions placed to be part of null initiatives and events. However, if there's ever a situation where a subsection of the community can be represented in a better manner, I will ensure their needs are accommodated and they benefit from null's work.

[devdua]

10. The null community has yet to achieve significant industry recognition and support. What strategies would you implement to gain such recognition and support, similar to initiatives like the OWASP Top 10?

I firmly believe inter-chapter collaboration on projects and research is the key to establishing a meaningful global presence for null, both in terms of community engagement and security research and standards. Chapter activities until now have been primarily focused on knowledge sharing and while that is a key component of building the community, it isn't sufficient to achieve the recognition that null aims for. As a community, we need to improvise projects and events to engage more universities and companies to facilitate growth and drive research. Only by connecting chapters with these entities, learning from interactions and feedback, and enabling cross-chapter collaboration, we will be able to identify projects and research worth pursuing. These will have a high chance of garnering global recognition and support, as it will be a collective effort.