From Forensic Computing to Leading Adversary Tactics

From Forensic Computing to Leading Adversary Tactics: Jamie Levy's Path to Cybersecurity Leadership

Jamie Levy stands out in cybersecurity. She's the Director of Adversary Tactics at Huntress Labs today. She got there without following the traditional computer science degree to junior developer pipeline.

Her path shows you something important. Specialized skills, open-source community work, and years of hands-on experience beat traditional credentials. This is what career changers need to hear.

The Foundation: Forensic Computing from Day One

Levy went straight to specialization. She earned a Master's in Forensic Computing from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. No broad computer science theory. Just practical, hands-on digital forensics from the start.

This decision shaped everything that followed. She focused on real-world digital investigations and evidence handling. These skills became the foundation of her entire career.

Building Expertise Through Teaching and Consulting

Levy's early career shows smart learning. She worked as a consultant for Guidance Software while teaching Computer Forensics and Computer Science at Queens College and John Jay College.

This dual role forced deep understanding. When you teach something, you master it. The combination accelerated her learning beyond what a single job provides.

The Career Ladder: Learning by Doing

Her progression through the industry proves commitment to hands-on expertise. She served as senior security researcher at SecureWorks and manager of threat intelligence at Verizon Terremark.

Each role added practical knowledge. Real incident response. Threat actor attribution. Enterprise security operations. No certifications. Just demonstrable skill building.

The Volatility Breakthrough: Open Source as Career Accelerant

In 2007, Levy started contributing to the Volatility Framework. This open-source memory forensics project changed everything. Over 15 years, she went from contributor to core developer to board member of the Volatility Foundation.

Open source gave her three advantages:

Public proof of skills. Every code commit showed her expertise to the entire cybersecurity community.

Peer validation. Working with researchers like Andrew Case, Michael Ligh, and Aaron Walters provided mentorship and credibility.

Deep specialization. Volatility focused on memory forensics. She became world-class in a niche that's critical for threat detection.

She co-authored The Art of Memory Forensics with Michael Hale Ligh, Andrew Case, and Aaron Walters. This book established her as a thought leader in the field. She also helps run Volatility's annual plugin contest.

Leading at Huntress: Director of Adversary Tactics

Before Huntress, Levy was Director of EDR Content at Tanium. At Huntress, she leads a team of elite researchers. Her role covers developing new detection capabilities and educational content.

Her team investigates emerging attack vectors. They look at weaponized remote access tools and AI-enhanced malware. The goal is translating adversary tactics into actionable defenses for managed service providers and their clients.

What You Learn from This Path

Levy's journey offers clear lessons:

Community beats credentials. Her career was built through sustained open-source contribution and DFIR community participation. Cybersecurity values demonstrable skill over formal qualifications.

Specialization creates value. She went deep into memory forensics instead of staying broad. This made her indispensable.

Self-directed learning wins. From teaching herself forensic computing to staying current with evolving attacks, the most important skill is learning independently.

Teaching accelerates mastery. Her teaching roles forced her to understand concepts deeply enough to explain them. This accelerated her expertise.

The Bottom Line

Jamie Levy's trajectory from forensic computing student to Director of Adversary Tactics at a leading cybersecurity firm shows what matters. Her success wasn't built on prestigious degrees or FAANG internships.

It was built on 15 years of sustained open-source contribution, practical forensic consulting, and self-driven mastery of specialized skills.

For career changers questioning whether their background matters, Levy's story gives a clear answer. In cybersecurity, the ability to learn, adapt, and contribute to the community outweighs the name on your diploma.

The path may not be traditional. But it leads to the top.