From Banking to Social Engineer: How Chris Horner Broke Into Cybersecurity

What does it really take to leave an established career and break into cybersecurity? Chris Horner spent nearly two decades working in banking before making the transition into penetration testing and offensive security. Today, he works as a Senior Cybersecurity Consultant and vCISO with Triaxiom Security. In this episode of the Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast, Chris shares how he made that transition, the role networking played in landing his first cybersecurity job, what surprised him once he started working as a professional penetration tester, and why your previous career experience may be far more valuable than you think. We also get into Chris's specialty in social engineering, including a phishing campaign where more than 80 people submitted credentials, even though there was a rather noticeable typo hiding in plain sight. We discuss: • Making a mid-career transition into cybersecurity • Why networking should be treated like a long-term job interview • How to ask cybersecurity professionals for advice without making it awkward • Closing the loop when someone gives you career advice • Developing the curiosity and mindset of a penetration tester • Why your first real cybersecurity job feels completely different from a lab • Adopting a beginner's mindset when changing careers • How to interview the company while they're interviewing you • What professional social-engineering engagements really look like • How OSINT and knowledge of a client's business make phishing tests more realistic • Chris's HIPAA phishing campaign and what it taught him about human behavior • Practicing OSINT and social-engineering skills safely and legally • Why business, communication, and leadership skills transfer so well into cybersecurity Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:18 What Chris Does Today 02:54 Nearly Two Decades in Banking 05:32 Using OSINT Before Working in Cybersecurity 07:58 Transferable Skills From Banking 11:05 How Chris Started Breaking Into Cybersecurity 13:09 Asking Someone to Coffee Can Change Your Career 16:05 Networking as a Long-Term Job Interview 20:33 Why Penetration Testing? 24:13 The Reality of Your First Cybersecurity Job 26:53 Interview the Company Too 29:42 Inside Professional Social Engineering 31:42 What Cars Taught Chris About Social Engineering 34:41 The HIPAA Phishing Campaign 37:21 Practicing OSINT and Social Engineering Safely 39:27 Curiosity and Continuous Learning 40:52 You're Not Starting From Zero Connect with Chris Chris Horner on LinkedIn:   / chrismhorner   Triaxiom Security: https://www.triaxiomsecurity.com/ Chris's article, "The vCISO: Security Leadership That Grows With Your Business": Read Chris's vCISO article https://www.triaxiomsecurity.com/blog... Resources Mentioned TCM Security Practical OSINT Research Professional (PORP): PORP Certification: https://certifications.tcm-sec.com/porp/ BSides Greenville: https://www.bsidesgreenville.org/ Join the Cybersecurity Mentors Community Continue the conversation, ask questions, and connect with others working toward cybersecurity careers in our free Skool community: https://www.skool.com/the-cybersecuri... If you enjoyed the episode, subscribe to the Cybersecurity Mentors Podcast and share it with someone working toward their first cybersecurity opportunity.