Experienced Intelligence Analyst and creator of the Cognitive Stairways of Analysis Framework, Nicole Hoffman has a passion for developing the analytic tradecraft. Her work, research, and presentations have inspired and educated others around the international analytic community.
For someone diagnosed with ADHD, intelligence analysis can be mentally taxing. An experienced speaker, Nicole developed frameworks to dive deeper into the process of sensemaking in order to increase her analytic capability.
Nicole was inspired by her kids to write a children’s book that could introduce threat intelligence concepts through a whimsical medieval tale. Nicole believes children are the future and wants to empower the next generation of Intelligence Analysts.
The mightiest warriors have the courage to be their most authentic selves.
Latest from the Blog
Disabling Survival Mode: My Burnout Recovery Story
By: Nicole Hoffman From the moment I got into infosec, imposter syndrome was an everyday struggle. I thought if I could put in extra hours, take courses in my off time, and constantly volunteer for extra work that it would eventually lead to a feeling of worthiness. The pandemic exacerbated these feelings of unworthiness. The…
Publicly available sources for industry-specific threat landscape reports
By: Nicole Hoffman If you work in cyber threat intelligence (CTI), you have probably at one time or another been tasked with writing an industry-specific cyber threat landscape report. I have performed several of these investigations whether it was for a request for information (RFI), a blog, a research project, or even a writing prompt…
Lateral Thinking Series: Lessons from the healthcare industry
As an analyst, I enjoy thinking. As a cognitive science nerd, I also enjoy thinking about thinking. How can I think better? As someone diagnosed with ADHD, analysis can sometimes be challenging especially if I am not super intrigued about the topic. This is partially what led me to go down a rabbit hole of…
Threat Hunter Girl 