Erez Yalon is the Vice President of Security Research at Checkmarx, where he leads a multidisciplinary team of analysts, penetration testers, and security engineers dedicated to advancing application security. With a background as both a developer and a security researcher, Erez brings a unique and comprehensive perspective to identifying and mitigating software vulnerabilities. He is the founder of the AppSec Village at DEF CON, a platform that fosters community engagement and knowledge sharing in application security, and serves as a co-leader of the OWASP API Security Project, developing resources to address the evolving challenges of securing APIs. Erez frequently presents at major security and technology events, including RSA Conference, Black Hat, DEF CON, and OWASP Global AppSec. His research and insights have been featured in leading publications such as Forbes, Wired, TechCrunch, and Dark Reading. Passionate about bridging the gap between developers and security professionals, Erez continues to advance the practice of secure software development through research, community leadership, and education.