Darwin Ammala, CISSP, CRISC, CISA

Darwin Ammala has a strong background in information security, with extensive experience in various roles. Darwin currently works as a Senior Software Engineer and Information Security Manager at Owl Cyber Defense, where they focus on FedRAMP, CMMC, NIST 800-171, and HIPAA compliance. Darwin also serves as the acting CISO at Caliburn.

Prior to their current position, Darwin worked at Caliburn International - CHS as an Information Security Manager. During their time there, they authored System Security Plans for NIST 800-53/DHS 4300A Moderate and High Impact systems, as well as Contingency and Disaster Recovery and Incident Response Plans. Darwin also managed a small team of SOC analysts and provided information security domain expertise for 10 proposals.

Before joining Caliburn, Darwin worked at Lumension Security as a Senior Security Analyst. In this role, they led a team responsible for Vulnerability Scanner content production, working closely with various departments and software development teams. Darwin researched vulnerabilities in applications and system software and added descriptions, impact assessments, detection signatures, and remediation procedures to the Lumension Scan™ Vulnerability assessment scanner.

Prior to their time at Lumension, Darwin worked at Harris Corporation as an Information Systems Security Engineer. Their responsibilities included researching vulnerabilities in applications and system software and adding them to the STAT® Scanner and STAT® Guardian™ Vulnerability scanners. Darwin also served as the Technical Team Lead for the Common Criteria EAL 2+ Augmented certification of STAT® Scanner and STAT® Guardian.

Darwin's work experience also includes a role as an Infrastructure Manager and Software Engineer at MPI Software, where they managed the firm's Cisco router, performed systems administration tasks on various platforms, and set up private subnets for tenant businesses. Darwin also worked as a Senior Computer Scientist at the US Department of Defense, participating in the refinement stages of the INFOSEC Assessment Methodology and deriving security requirements for the INFOSEC Directorate's Virtual Campus ADP infrastructure.

Overall, Darwin Ammala has demonstrated a strong technical and managerial skillset in various information security roles throughout their career. Their experience encompasses compliance, vulnerability management, team leadership, and policy development.

Darwin Ammala, CISSP, CRISC, CISA began their education journey in 1978 at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Darwin pursued a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, and successfully completed their studies in 1982. Following this, Darwin enrolled in Mississippi State University in 1998, where they pursued a Master's degree in Computer Science with a focus on Information Assurance and High Performance Computing. Darwin completed their studies in 2004, acquiring their MS CS degree.

In addition to their academic achievements, Darwin Ammala has also obtained multiple certifications to enhance their professional skills. In 2010, they earned the CISSP certification from the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC2). Subsequently, in February 2018, Darwin obtained the Certified In Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) certification from ISACA. Finally, in February 2019, they obtained the Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) certification from ISACA as well.

Based on the provided information, Darwin Ammala has demonstrated a strong commitment to their education and professional development in the field of computer science and information security.