About me
I am Jon Cosson. For roughly forty years I worked in information and cyber security, most of it spent on the practical end of the problem: keeping systems, money and people out of harm’s way. I finished that stretch of work as a chief information security officer, and I chaired a cyber security committee for the financial industry, which meant a good deal of time spent arguing for defences that are actually usable by the people who have to live with them.
I hold professional security certifications, and I have sat on the panels and working groups that go with that sort of career. I am not going to list employers or clients here. The work was theirs, not mine to advertise.
Speaking
I speak on two subjects. The first is the history of code-breaking, which I have had the pleasure of talking about at Bletchley Park, where the story belongs. The second is staying safe online, aimed at ordinary people rather than specialists: how the common frauds work, what the warning signs look like, what to do when something has already gone wrong.
Those talks have taken me to Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Washington, Copenhagen and Paris, along with a long list of venues across the UK. I still take a few each year, mostly for clubs, societies and community groups.
Yorkshire
I now live near Thornton-le-Dale, on the southern edge of the North York Moors. The move was the point of the whole exercise. There are good roads, better walks, and villages that repay slow attention, and the winters are honest about themselves.
A fair part of my week goes into writing about the area: the history of the village, the moor tracks, the places worth the detour. My own phrase for all of it is God’s own country, not God’s waiting room.
The cars
Five classic cars live here: a Jaguar E-Type Series 1, a Jaguar Mk2 restomod, an MG TF1500, an AC Aceca-Bristol and a Triumph Stag. They are used rather than shown. Between them they cover most of what can go wrong with an old car, and that experience feeds the guides.
I write up what I learn, verify the figures where I can, and say plainly when a figure cannot be verified. The result is given away.
- MG T-Series
TC, TD and TF ownership and servicing. mgtseries.com
- Triumph Stag
the alloy V8 and how to live with it. triumphstag.org
- AC Aceca
the Bristol-engined coupé. acaceca.com
- Jaguar Mk2
the saloon and its running gear. jaguarmk2.com
- Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider
the twin-cam open car. giuliaspider.com
- Thornton-le-Dale
the village and its history. thorntonledale.org
- The Yorkshire Moors
walks, roads and villages. yorkshiremoors.com
What I am doing now
Easing into retirement, which turns out to be busier than advertised. A talk here and there, a car in pieces on the drive most months, and the guides growing an article at a time.
This site is personal and non-commercial. It carries no advertising, no affiliate links and no sponsored content, and it never will.