Top 5 Gifts for Infosec Practitioners

It's hard to know what to get the Infosecurity practitioners in your life. If you're like us, you might be looking for a unique and special gift that they'll love, but not something too personal or too practical (i.e., something they'd buy themselves).

We asked members of the Cybrary Threat Intelligence Group for their ideas about gifts for Infosecurity professionals, and they came up with five excellent suggestions.

Flipper Zero

What can we say? The Flipper Zero was truly the surprise hit of the year. Flipper Zero actually started as a Kickstarter project in 2020, but by the beginning of 2022, it had become the most sought-after tool for both hobbyists and pentesters alike. If you remember how popular and useful the Leatherman tool or Swiss Army Knives were, you’ll appreciate this device for the wide array of wireless devices you can investigate with the Flipper Zero.

From key fobs to RFID cards, IR devices, and Bluetooth interaction, the Flipper Zero can engage almost everything. The community that uses the Flipper is large and growing, so there’s now software and techniques put forth almost every day. It has everything short of a corkscrew.

https://flipperzero.one/

Mobile Tripod Case by Peak Designs

Video is everything these days. You may not have a fancy Samsung that folds in half to give you a solid base for filming or watching a video, but with this tripod and case, you get the whole phone involved and held securely with solid protection. Peak Designs adds an all-metal tripod that magnetically attaches to the case which is robust and offers an incredibly stable base with variable geometry. Great for filming a sunset or just watching the world cup game during a zoom call…

https://www.peakdesign.com/products/mobile-tripod

Lockpick Practice Kit: The Ultimate Lock Sport Bundle

Can’t talk infosec without including lockpicks. Sooner or later you’ll need to find a way past that door to the server room with the old-timey keylock, that your Flipper Zero can’t bypass. The Old Ways are still valid, and practice makes perfect. There are quite a few starter kits out there, and an abundance of videos to pick up and refine your technique.

This kit comes with an instruction manual and has everything you need to get started on doors, padlocks, and combination locks. Includes a lock pinning mat to learn disassembly, and creating more difficult locks to challenge your skill.

There isn’t a better kit out there for the money - and we can’t wait to see this as our stocking stuffer, Dave!

https://store.itstactical.com/collections/security/products/ultimate-lock-sport-bundle

Books

Remember books? Of course, you do. When it comes to learning, they're still the foundation, and if you’re in the IT or Infosec industry, you’re going to want to keep reading them.

If you know someone in the industry, books make a great gift. Our favorite source, judging by what’s on the wall in the CTIG lab, are books from No Starch Press. With a range of topics covering everything from Art & Design to Computer Science, even kids books and Manga (we just bought the Manga Guide to Relativity) there is something for everyone at every age and interest. This publisher was industry-specific since their beginnings, so you can expect a level of humor alongside the presentation.

The best part - if you buy the physical copy, you still get a PDF so you can take one with you everywhere you go.

https://nostarch.com/catalog/security

Mission Darkness RF Shielded Products

Okay, not everyone has seen Johnny Mnemonic, we get it. So we don’t expect you to rush out and buy the EMF-shielded beanie…but they have one.

You might not need a faraday bag for your portable generator, either…but they have one.

You might not need an entire forensic suite for conducting triage and analysis, but they have that too.

What you might need and appreciate are some of the RF-shielding bags and pouches that can safeguard your keycards, phone, or laptop while you travel or even move about the city, protecting them from eavesdropping or tampering. Especially if you travel abroad, an RF-shielded passport case, or wallet, is a very good idea.

https://mosequipment.com/