Shawn Abelson
SECURITY SCIENTIST & RISK RESEARCHER
About
Shawn started his career responding to incidents and now he prevents them. Over the last 15 years, Shawn has been an EMT, a penetration tester, a criminal investigator, a security director, university faculty, privacy advocate, and a consultant. He is a strong believer in the scientific method, research, data, and other boring-sounding things that have made our world immeasurably safer and more secure.
Shawn is the Head of Adversarial Emulation and Director of Operations for PRM, where he trains and leads red teams to test and improve the best world’s best security programs.
Locks & Leaks
The first open-source resource repository for physical red teaming. Promoting the red teaming profession, growing and maturing the capbility of internal and external red teams.
The only database of mass violence incidents that were prevented. Learning from our successes is essential to replicate them and prevent even more incidents.
As graduate faculty at the Technological Leadership Institute, Shawn instructs security risk management and red teaming courses: ST8111 and ST5663.
Repository for conference presentations, graphics, and resources for red teaming including jobs descriptions, tools, and articles around stress and integrity testing of technology and security programs.
Experience
2023 - Present
Head of Adversary Emulation
Pine Risk Management
Pine Risk Management provides security solutions that make a difference – to our clients, our community, and our profession. Based in Silicon Valley, PRM is a leading red teaming company focused on stress-testing and improving the best security programs. Through red teaming, risk management practices, and training, we prepare companies to protect their people and competitive edge. From physical security to AI safety, we partner with cutting edge organizations as security and safety scientists to test and improve the leading technology to protect systems and society.
2022 - Present
- ST5663: Hacking, Breaking, and Poisoning: Red Teaming Cyber, Physical, and AI Systems.
- ST8111: Methods, Theories, and Applications of Risk Management & Security
Graduate Faculty & Instructor
University of Minnesota
Graduate Faculty in Risk Management, Cybersecurity, AI safety, and Red Teaming.
ST8111 is a core curriculum course on security risk assessments and red teaming for the Masters of Science in Security Technologies (MSST) program at the University of Minnesota. ST8111 focuses on security methods, theory, techniques, and models including qualitative and quantitative risk modeling, decision analysis, and probabilistic risk assessment techniques. ST5663 is part of the Security Technologies Cyber-Minor focused on all types of red teaming, preparing students to be highly effective professionals and researchers in offensive and defensive security relating to GenAI/LLMs, cybersecurity, and physical security.
2019 - 2023
Head of Global Security Risk Management
Meta (Facebook)
Developed and led Meta’s first Global Security Red Team and Security Risk Management teams. Oversaw the largest physical red team in Silicone Valley, conducting 600 tests of data centers, offices, security teams, and vendors each year.
2019 - 2020
Criminal Investigator - Cyber and Financial Crimes
Hennepin County Sheriff's Office
Civilan investigator supporting law enforcement agencies as a subject matter expert for cyber crime and financial crimes. Manager of the public-private Shield program and law enforcement laision for businesses in Minnesota.
2017 - 2019
Government Liaison - Special Investigation Team
U.S. Bank
Primary laison for law enforcement, regulators, and intelligence investigating major cases. Investigated terrorism, human trafficking, mass violence, and organized crime cases with a nexus to banking systems.
2017 - 2019
Sr. Security Consultant
Rozin Security Consulting
Oversaw red teaming, intelligence, investigations, and TTX operations for global clients.
2010 - 2015
Field Training Manager
Department of Emergency Management - University of Minnesota
Medical instructor for law enforcement and EMS personnel on CBRNE, terrorism, and mass casualty incidents. Managed multiple declared mass-casualty events as the EMS Incident Commander. Event manager for medical and security response for NCAA, NFL, and concerts at TCF Bank stadium. Oversaw the Operation Center’s response to multiple riots and incidents affecting the campus and community.
Education & Certifications
CPP
Certified Protection Professional
PMP
Project Management Professional
EMT-B
Emergency Medical Technician
CICP
Cyber Investigator Certificate Program (FBI)
TVRA
Threat, Vulnerability, and Risk Assessment
Masters Of Science in Security Technologies (MSST)
University of Minnesota - Minneapolis, MN
This interdisciplinary program provided a strong foundation in security technologies, risk management, and leadership. Focused on applying advanced security principles to real-world challenges, with coursework covering emerging threats, cybersecurity, physical security, and risk assessment methodologies. Graduate thesis on automated linguistic analysis of predictive factors within threatening communication to determine likelihood of violence.
2013
Bachelors of Science in Psychology (BS)
University of Minnesota - Minneapolis, MN
Psychology and neuroscience focus with an emphasis on applied psychology and criminality. EMT Lead and FTO for the University’s Department of Emergency Management, leading medical planning and response to NCAA and NFL events at the University of Minneosta.
2011
Expertise
Red Teaming
Corporate red team leader with experience in establishing, conducting, and training elite red teams across diverse sectors.
Red teaming instructor, sharing expertise in adversarial tactics to help teams identify and mitigate risks before they become real threats.
Trust & Safety
Proven track record in developing trust and safety programs, protecting both organizations and individuals from emerging risks.
Experienced in uncovering gaps in safety controls, ensuring a proactive approach to maintaining security and trust.
Threat Modeling
Expert in building and leading threat modeling processes that forecast and mitigate risks before they impact operations.
Skilled in analyzing complex security landscapes to identify vulnerabilities and develop actionable defense strategies.
Social Engineering
Specialist in understanding and combating social engineering tactics, protecting organizations from human-based attacks.
Trainer in social engineering defenses, empowering teams to recognize and thwart manipulative tactics.
Privacy
Advocate for privacy, ensuring compliance with regulations while maintaining the highest standards of data protection.
Experienced in balancing security needs with privacy concerns to build robust, trust-worthy systems.
Security Consulting
Comprehensive security consultant with a focus on delivering actionable insights to strengthen organizational defenses.
Expertise in conducting in-depth security assessments, providing clear, practical recommendations for improvement.
Media
Unspoken Security (Part 1)
Unspoken Security (Part 2)
Security Student Podcast
IPSB Journal
GSX 2024 Speaker
DEF CON Red Team Village 2024 Speaker
Red Team Rush 2024
Bsides Twin Cities 2024 Speaker
Phone
(628) 777-7475 EXT 0
San Francisco, CA
Minneapolis, MN