Mr. Gold is a cybersecurity professional specializing in critical infrastructure protection, with over twenty years of experience across the utility, healthcare, legal, education, entertainment, broadcast, and retail sectors.
Since joining NST in 2013, Mr. Gold has built deep expertise in NERC CIP compliance and operational technology security. He has guided clients through the transition from CIP v3 to v5, conducted Gap Analyses encompassing CIP-002 through CIP-011, implemented secure substation communications, assisted clients with multiple NPCC audits, and performed network penetration tests and Active Vulnerability Assessments across a wide range of environments.
Currently, Mr. Gold serves as a full-time embedded member of a utility client's Cybersecurity Team, where he manages the day-to-day operation of remote substation security devices, oversees security baseline monitoring using Tripwire and QRADAR, performs annual Active Vulnerability Assessments for high and medium impact facilities, leads annual CIP-009 recovery testing, and serves as a liaison between the client's security and compliance departments.
In addition to his client work, Mr. Gold leads NST's internal Artificial Intelligence initiative. This effort has included developing a custom, locally hosted LLM for NST consultants, authoring NST's AI policy, and creating staff training materials on responsible AI use. He also serves on the NERC SITES AI/ML Sub-team, which is currently developing an industry whitepaper on the application of AI and machine learning in the utility sector.
Prior to joining NST, Mr. Gold worked at Microsoft as a Senior Consultant, where he was brought in to lead the technical integration of two newly acquired business units (Skype and Yammer) into Microsoft's IT infrastructure in New York City. Managing the project from conception through completion, Mr. Gold served as both project lead and senior technical resource, personally executing the more complex hands-on work while directing the broader team effort. This engagement involved a complete network replacement, server migration, and security review across both business units, as well as the development and implementation of new access control procedures for all Microsoft employees in the NYC office.
Mr. Gold holds a Master of Science in Cybersecurity and a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity, with a minor in Homeland Security, both from the University of Maryland Global Campus. Mr. Gold has held certifications from FEMA, Offensive Security, CompTIA, and ABCHS.
Apple vs. The FBI - The National Debate Over Surveillance and Privacy - Inside Homeland Security, March 1, 2016
Security vs. Compliance and the Role of the Penetration Tester - Pentest Magazine, Nov 16, 2015
Ransomware: The Next Big Threat to Critical Infrastructure - Inside Homeland Security, June 1, 2014
