Chris will be presenting during the Security for Developers session, which you can watch LIVE on May 31. During his presentation, Chris will teach us about the many types of vulnerabilities that plague the web, what they do, and why you need to care.
Check out his interview answers below.
Where can we find you on the internet?
Work: http://ithemes.com
Personal: http://chriswiegman.com
Twitter: @ChrisWiegman
WordPress: https://profiles.wordpress.org/chriswiegman
When and how did you get started with WordPress?
I started dabbling in WordPress in about 2008 or so while working for Southern Illinois University. I started really using it in projects in about 2010, also for SIU.
What resources do you turn to when you want to learn something new?
Google and blogs. I keep a long (400 site) list in Feedly which keeps me up to date with what’s going on and helps me both find new things to learn and expand on those topics.
What is your favorite WordPress feature/aspect?
Easy barrier to entry. It’s one of the few projects that really can be brought up in about 5 minutes and rarely has issues in that respect.
What sparked your interest in web security? How did you get from there to here?
My first interest in security wasn’t web security. It was aviation security. My first day as a professional pilot was 9/11/01 which really got my attention for the first time. When I left flying and returned to SIU in 2007 to work in tech the university was experiencing numerous security issues with their sites and I vowed that it wouldn’t happen to my department. Everything just kinda spiraled from there.
What advice do you have for others looking to become WordPress experts?
Just do it. Put yourself out there and be willing to give back while listening to both your role-models and others.
What is one interesting non-WordPress-related fact about yourself?
I’m probably the only pilot who can say I’ve gone through a 6.7 earthquake in the airplane. I was giving a safety briefing to passengers before takeoff at an airport about 15 miles north of Kona on the Big Island when the 2006 Hawaii Earthquake hit.
Thanks, Chris!
If you want to see Chris present on understanding web security exploits, get your event ticket today!