Rahul Binjve: Response to Community Questions

[c0dist]

Basic Details

Name: Rahul Binjve
Designation: Engineering Manager
Null Profile URL: https://null.community/profile/3894-rahul
Add any other relevant link you feel can help with your candidacy:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahul-binjve-03646075/
• https://github.com/c0dist
• https://c0d.ist/

Anything you want to say about your candidacy

Over the years, the null community has played a significant role in shaping the future of numerous students and security professionals. I am one of those individuals who have benefited from the community ecosystem, and hence I understand its positive impact. This election presents an opportunity for me to express my gratitude and contribute to the community in return. With over a decade of experience in cybersecurity and engineering, I am confident that I can make a valuable contribution to the growth and future of our community.

Answers to Community Questions

1. What does the null community mean to you personally, and how do you align with its mission and values?

During my first year of college, I was fortunate to be introduced to the null and Garage4Hackers communities. However, since there was no null chapter in my hometown, my interactions and contributions were primarily limited to the online forum. It was during this time that I received the opportunity to be a null volunteer and attend the Nullcon. The experience of meeting so many like-minded individuals, many of whom were accomplished and people I admired, was life changing for me and motivated me to strive for excellence. This experience ultimately led me to be selected for the Google Summer of Code (GSoC) program.

Once I moved to Pune for my GSoC internship and the job, I was able to actively participate in the null meets regularly. These meets helped me realize the significant impact communities like null can have on an individual’s professional growth and development. null’s mission of providing a platform for open and free information security exchange resonates deeply with me. I firmly believe that everyone should have access to such resources and opportunities for mentorship from industry experts.

2. What motivates you to nominate yourself for a board position within the null community, and what unique contributions do you plan to bring?

I have always admired the philosophy of open-source and community information exchange. In my personal capacity, I have actively engaged in sharing knowledge through various means, such as participating in null and Garage4Hackers meetups, speaking at security conferences, knowledge sharing sessions at work, and contributing to open-source tools. If I am provided the opportunity to join null board in official capacity, I firmly believe that I will be able to take on more significant responsibilities and advance null’s mission of promoting cybersecurity awareness and education.

3. Can you describe your leadership style and how you intend to collaborate with fellow board members and volunteers to achieve the community's objectives?

In my current role as an Engineering Manager, I firmly believe in encouraging my team to engage in collaboration and knowledge sharing. I truly believe that one of the sure signs of learning something is if you are able to explain and teach the same topic to others. I believe in giving people freedom to express their ideas in ways they see fit and chip in as per their need, instead of micromanaging. These qualities will help me in connecting with the fellow board members and volunteers, and further the null’s mission.

4. What is your vision for the null community over the next five years, and how do you plan to contribute to its growth and innovation beyond current activities?

I have observed a few improvements in existing setup that can be implemented to encourage community’s growth and innovation initiatives:

• Public and community-reviewed SOPs for organizing regular monthly meets and ensuring active moderators participation. This framework will ensure that the community’s impact is measured and shortcomings and/or gaps are identified early. The chapters will maintain same independence with enhanced support and assistance.
• Connecting with the attendees via public forums and understanding their expectations from the community. This is will tell us what people are actually expecting from the meetups and events, rather than us imposing our views and plans.
• Improving presence in security conferences (Indian and international) via community sponsorship, collaboration and hosting sub-events/meetups. This will help with increasing the spread of our community and help null become a truly global community.
• Connecting with the industry leaders/experts and encouraging them to engage in mentoring, workshops, talks, online sessions, etc.
• Encouraging security researchers to release tools under the community umbrella and ensuring that standards and best practices are followed.
• Improving reach amongst students so that they have access to the platform and community where they can engage in cybersecurity, ethically and safely from the early stage.

5. How will you encourage and support community members to start, lead, and grow new null initiatives, projects, and chapters, ensuring the needs of both beginners and experts are met globally?

I believe to encourage community members to start/lead/grow new initiatives, it is really crucial that the cybersecurity space is really aware of our presence. We can do this by starting with implementing the strategies outlined in above question. Once we have increased our outreach, we need to ensure that we are providing continuous support for these proposals for new chapters/initiatives along every step. I have observed several chapters listed as “Seed” or “Inactive” with no recent activity. We need to ensure that we offer the necessary support to the local volunteers and leads so they are in the best position to transition these chapters to “Graduated” status.

6. Given that this is a volunteer position without financial compensation, how do you plan to balance your time and commitment to the community?

Since discovering cybersecurity, I have maintained a deep passion for the field, and it has never felt like a burden. Also, I see this opportunity as a chance for me to contribute to the community. Our community boasts a substantial number of volunteers and experts who I am looking forward to collaborate with and seek their assistance. My goal would be to encourage and enhance the skills of existing community members, thereby distributing the workload equitably and fairly. This will help us reduce burden on any single individual.

7. Have you previously held any board-level positions in open, non-profit communities? If yes, please specify and share your achievements during that tenure.

Although I have not held any board-level positions previously, I was a core member of the Garage4Hackers community. As a core member, I contributed to conducting joint meetups with the null community, organizing webinars, sponsoring students for Nullcon, and restoring the forum archive.

8. What contributions have you made to various communities, particularly in the field of information security, and how do these experiences prepare you for this role?

As previously mentioned, as a core member of Garage4Hackers, I have actively participated in community events. Having previously worked with a smaller community, I have come to the realization that there is no substitute for hands-on contributions. It is really important to have a robust volunteer support system. I would like to leverage my previous experience and ensure that we establish a system where every volunteer is aware of their role and they strive for excellence in that.

9. How will you promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within the null community to ensure it is welcoming and accessible to all individuals?

To foster Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within the null community, I would suggest establishing a formal committee dedicated to ensuring that our community is a safe and inclusive environment for all individuals, irrespective of their gender, abilities, technical background, and other characteristics. I would also recommend collaborating with the existing groups actively working for empowerment of these underrepresented communities.

10. The null community has yet to achieve significant industry recognition and support. What strategies would you implement to gain such recognition and support, similar to initiatives like the OWASP Top 10?

To enhance our community’s global recognition, we must actively engage with international audiences and geolocations. This can be achieved gradually through enhanced collaboration with other communities, conferences, and experts. primarily limited to India, we must work on this issue to expand our community globally. A transparent and open model will go a long way in forming strategic partnerships. I feel we also need to improve on our social presence and ensure we are reaching as many people as possible to inform about community meets and initiatives.

Anything else you would like to inform the community?

I would be honored to serve on the null community board and contribute to the community's advancement.