Cybersecurity Trainer | Detection Engineer | AI Security Researcher
Rod Soto is a detection engineer and security researcher specializing in AI/LLM threat detection, agentic system security, and SOC modernization. He brings over 15 years of hands-on experience bridging offensive security research and enterprise-scale defensive operations, currently as part of the Splunk Threat Research Team at Splunk Cisco.
Rod is a DEF CON trainer for AI + SOC 101 Bootcamp: Building Modern Security Operations Skills with AI Integration at DEF CON Training Las Vegas 2026 — one of the few practitioners delivering hands-on curriculum at the intersection of large language models, MITRE ATLAS threat frameworks, and real-world SOC workflows.
His HackMiami training portfolio extends that curriculum across three courses: AI-Driven Defensive Cybersecurity: One-Day Intensive Workshop, AI + SOC 101 Bootcamp – 2 Day Training, and Hacking The Enterprise — covering AI-assisted defensive operations, SOC analyst workflows, and enterprise attack methodology across infrastructure, web, and cloud targets. He is both an instructor and an organizer at HackMiami, South Florida’s premier cybersecurity conference.
Beyond the classroom, Rod actively publishes open-source security tooling. His released work includes TA-Ollama, a Splunk Technology Add-on for local LLM monitoring; a Splunk MCP Technology Add-on with OWASP Top 10 LLM detections; and the Agentic LLM MCP Threat Emulator, a MITRE ATLAS-mapped attack simulation framework with an integrated SPL detection library — all available on GitHub and Splunkbase. He has also presented research at Black Hat Arsenal.
He has contributed to large-scale security education through Udacity’s Security Engineer Nanodegree and associated infrastructure security curriculum. His career spans senior roles at Prolexic, Akamai, Caspida, and Splunk/Cisco.
Rod has spoken at ISSA, ISC2, OWASP, DEF CON, RSA Conference, HackMiami, DerbyCon, Splunk .CONF, Black Hat, BSides, and Underground Economy (an invitation-only practitioner forum).
Trainining
- DEF CON – AI + SOC 101 Bootcamp (Las Vegas 2026)
- HackMiami – AI-Driven Defensive Cybersecurity (One-Day Intensive)
- HackMiami – AI + SOC 101 Bootcamp (2-Day Training)
- HackMiami – Hacking The Enterprise
- Udacity – Security Engineer Nanodegree
For training inquiries, speaking engagements, or research collaboration, contact Rod at rod@rodsoto.net