Reality Pentesting: A Conceptual Framework for Proactive Cognitive Defense | K Jerrell | CSI #103

K. Jerrell Director of Community Events & Programs Cognitive Security Institute If you would like to sponsor a CSI video, please complete the form at: https://www.cognitivesecurityinstitut... If you would like to be added to our membership waitlist to join us for live meetings, please submit an application at: https://www.cognitivesecurityinstitut... DESCRIPTION: The attack surface has shifted. As technical defenses mature, adversaries pivot to a reliable vector that remains largely unpatched and massively scalable: human perception. What were once amateur influence operations are now industrial-scale campaigns with dedicated infrastructure, precision behavioral targeting, and AI-augmented execution. Have our defensive frameworks kept pace? Reality Pentesting proposes a structured, transferable methodology for closing that gap. By mapping the full cognitive attack surface — from sensory I/O exploitation and NeuroCompiler-layer heuristic abuse to egregore-level narrative hijacking and civilization-scale morphogenic field attacks — onto established pentesting frameworks, we gain something the field has lacked: a systematic, proactive approach to cognitive vulnerability identification and remediation. Drawing on models like OSSTMM, Cognitive Attack Taxonomy, and ATT&CK, this session introduces a conceptual framework purpose-built for practitioners who are done waiting for the industry to catch up. After all, when did YOU last patch the zero-days in your cognitive firmware? (Side effects may include uncontrollable critical thinking, existential dread that does not go away in 3-6 hours, and spontaneous awareness of reality distortions. Use responsibly.) BIOGRAPHY: K. Jerrell is a strategist, community architect, and reality pentester exploring the fault lines between cybersecurity, cognitive resilience, and human systems. With more than 15 years in the security awareness industry, they specialize in translating complex ideas into human-centered deliverables. Their interests include how influence, perception, and socio-technical narrative function as modern attack surfaces. As Director of Community Events & Programs at the Cognitive Security Institute, K designs collaborative environments — conferences, workshops, experimental spaces, and workgroups – where hackers, researchers, practitioners, and curious newbies can discover the emerging field of cognitive security. Their work spans industry, media, and creative pursuits, including executive leadership at KnowBe4, contributions to InfoWarCon, co-host of the No Password Required podcast, artistic commissions, and several of industry legend Winn Schwartau’s books. Through this work, they blend technical insight, storytelling, and art to explore how reality itself can be hacked (and thus defended).