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Merritt Baer
@MerrittBaer
Chief Security Officer @enkryptai. company advisor. former: @AWS OCISO, USG security. work: emerging tech, infosec, AI security, crop tops, future of internet
Miami, FL
Joined March 2012
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    Merritt Baer
    @MerrittBaer
    May 11, 2024
    After working for 5.5 years in security at AWS, and before that, all 3 branches of USG, I am now working in young (private) companies. I decided to start a daily thread 🧵on some of the things I’ve learned. (Feel free to DM or reply with your own! Bookmark for daily updates.)
    62K
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    Merritt Baer
    @MerrittBaer
    Oct 17, 2019
    Colleagues had a car broken into and laptops stolen in downtown Mountain View last night while we were at dinner. We wondered how they knew to break into the hatchback when it is not see- through. They turn on bluetooth scanners and follow the beacon to find electronics.
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    Merritt Baer
    @MerrittBaer
    Dec 4, 2023
    The sheer number of AWS resignations in the last week is stunning.
    509K
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    Merritt Baer
    @MerrittBaer
    Jan 2, 2024
    Bill for $895 for ER visit (the one that made me miss defcon this summer!) Requested an itemized bill. They still haven’t sent that! but instead, sent an “offer of settlement” that I pay *half* of the amount they claimed I owe. Wow.
    190K
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    Merritt Baer
    @MerrittBaer
    Nov 21, 2020
    It's not that I dislike cryptocurrency, it's that I dislike *cryptocurrency people*
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    Merritt Baer
    @MerrittBaer
    Mar 30, 2021
    if you're in an interview (with me, anyway) and I ask a technical question you don't know, the answer "I don't know but I'd look it up [here insert where you'd look to find it]" and then describe the approach you'd take that is totally fine. it's not a "gotcha" game.
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    Merritt Baer
    @MerrittBaer
    Oct 25, 2022
    Hotel guy: "crypto, you invest in that?" Me:"nah cryptography. Like...math."
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    Merritt Baer
    @MerrittBaer
    Oct 19, 2019
    Everyone knows "technical debt" (stuff you have but don't need). I'm coining "policy debt" to refer to the policies enshrining "but we've always done it this way" practices. Password policies are a lot of this.
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    Merritt Baer
    @MerrittBaer
    Jul 3, 2021
    “Sleep when the baby sleeps” Yeah! I’ll just do laundry when the baby does laundry.
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    Merritt Baer
    @MerrittBaer
    Jun 28, 2022
    PSA: if you have prod data in a non-prod account, It is now a prod account.
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    Merritt Baer
    @MerrittBaer
    Feb 5, 2021
    Do other people re-read their “sent” emails just to reassure themselves that it was right? I have this habit of annoying myself by revisiting them after I’ve hit send.
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    Merritt Baer
    @MerrittBaer
    Nov 13, 2023
    Checks out.
    35K
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    Merritt Baer
    @MerrittBaer
    Jun 7, 2020
    Ok friends-- an ask. I have a friend who quit his job as a Denver cop tonight. His wife went to high school with me. Any ideas? He's up for whatever-- could do sales, office management, etc. 2 year degree. They're looking at maybe TX as a fresh start.
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    Merritt Baer
    @MerrittBaer
    Oct 8, 2021
    If you work in tech and I should follow you but I don't already, please send a hi to this. 👋