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Justin Elze

CTO, Director of Research

EXPERIENCE
Justin Elze is currently serving as Chief Technology Officer at TrustedSec. Over his 8 years with the company as an InfoSec expert, Justin has used his vast expertise in enterprise penetration testing, network security, social engineering, and red teaming to identify clients’ vulnerabilities and ultimately, protect their technology infrastructure. Prior to becoming CTO, Justin held the roles of Director of Innovation, Research, and Advanced Testing and Principal Security Consultant for TrustedSec.

With more than a decade of experience in the IT industry, Justin’s expertise is increasingly sought out by others in the field. He has taught at Black Hat and spoken at DerbyCon, where he also served on the CFP Review Board, and is also featured as an industry leader in the published books Tribe of Hackers: Cybersecurity Advice from the Best Hackers in the World and Tribe of Hackers Red Team: Tribal Knowledge from the Best in Offensive Cybersecurity.

Prior to joining TrustedSec, Justin was a Senior Penetration Tester for Accuvant LABS, Optiv, Dell SecureWorks, and Redspin, where he led numerous red team engagements and penetration tests. He has worked across a variety of industries, including roles for ISPs, hosting companies, Department of Defense contracting companies, and consulting companies. Today, he leans on what he learned throughout his roles in various capacities to inform his choices as CTO and further his thought leadership in the industry.

Outside of his work experience and “ethical hacker” persona, Justin is passionate about building, tuning, and racing cars (and, yes, occasionally hacking them) and spending time with his 3 dogs. You can find his latest musings—security-related and otherwise—on his Twitter account, @HackingLZ.

Featured Blogs And Resources

Discover the blogs, analysis, webinars, and podcasts by this team member.

Blog May 18 2023

Walking the Tightrope: Maximizing Information Gathering while Avoiding Detection for Red Teams

Understanding network reconnaissance without detection is crucial in commercial testing, leveraging tools like BloodHound and scripts to gather valuable…

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Blog March 17 2023

Critical Outlook Vulnerability: In-Depth Technical Analysis and Recommendations (CVE-2023-23397)

Protect your organization from the Microsoft Outlook CVE-2023-23397 vulnerability with expert guidance and a simple remediation script.

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Webinars March 15 2023

Ask Me Anything: Penetration Testing Innovations and Insights

Join David Kennedy & Justin Elze for a live Q&A on penetration testing, tackling the ever-changing tactics used by attackers, and get answers to your burning…

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Webinars December 14 2021

Log4j: Live Update Webcast

Learn how to detect and respond to the Log4j vulnerability with experts from TrustedSec & Binary Defense, including David Kennedy, during our live webcast.

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Blog September 04 2025

HIPAA Protected Health Information - When Health Information Isn’t Protected

Many organizations don’t understand that not all health information is PHI and apply HIPAA more broadly than is required. This has implications for which…

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Blog August 28 2025

Protecting Backup and Recovery in the Age of Ransomware

Ransomware attackers frequently target backups and recovery systems to force victims into paying ransoms, making robust protection strategies essential for all…

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Blog August 26 2025

Penetration Testing and Burnout

It's that feeling of your nerves being stretched like sinew over mounting expectations and due dates. When your attention keeps an exhausted but stubborn focus…

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Blog August 21 2025

A Big Step on the CMMC Rollout Timeline

A major step on the CMMC rollout timeline was completed recently as the regulatory change that will create the CMMC contract clause made its way to the Office…

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Blog August 19 2025

CMMC Level and Assessment Requirements for Defense Contractors

Many DoD contractors are struggling to understand what requirements will apply to them once CMMC rolls out. CMMC defines three levels, but CMMC Level 2 may…

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Blog August 12 2025

Dealing With Unmarked and Mismarked CUI

Implementing CMMC and other Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) protection obligations depends on the accurate identification of CUI, and in some cases…

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