I lead people. I build things. I break things on purpose.
I'm Larry Orton. Most people call me Salty.
For 19 years I've served in the US Army. Most of that time was spent on people. Finding them, preparing them, keeping them, and leading them. I've been a recruiter, a retention advisor, and the NCOIC of waivers at the National Guard Bureau, where every decision was a risk call with someone's future on the other end. I served on a combat deployment from 2019 to 2020, responsible for the brigade's readiness. I stood up the Future Soldier Preparatory Course at Fort Jackson for the ARNG, getting people ready for something hard. Today I focus on preparing the future of cybersecurity for what is next.
The whole time, I was the computer guy. The one who built the spreadsheet that became a tool. That tool became Rally Point, a workflow system the Army has used every day for four years. That's when I figured out I like building things people actually use.
So I went and got the paper to back it up. A bachelor's in computer science from Liberty University, then a Master of Information and Cybersecurity from UC Berkeley, finished in 2025 while still serving full time. It was as fun as it sounds.
At Berkeley, my capstone team built an AI system that hacks computers on its own. Not a scanner that hands you a list of maybes. An agent that plans the attack, runs real tools, fixes its own mistakes, and keeps going until it has root. It worked. It took live Hack The Box machines from nothing to full control with no human touching the keyboard. We turned that into a company.
Nobody reads security reports. People read stories.
So I also wrote a novel, Defenseless by Design.
What comes next is being written. I'm building, researching, writing, and I'm open to the right conversations about leading security teams and building products that matter.
Ironman finisher and multiple marathons. Husband and dad. My kids ask me every question they can think of, and I try to answer all of them.
What I'm good at
Leading at scale.
19 years leading soldiers as a US Army Master Sergeant. Responsible for a brigade's readiness on a combat deployment, and led recruiting, retention and training programs nationwide, where the stakes were real and the resources never matched the mission.
Offensive security and AI.
Built an autonomous agent that took live Hack The Box machines from nothing to root with no human at the keyboard. It plans the attack, runs real tools and fixes its own mistakes.
Building from zero.
Took that research from a Berkeley capstone to a company and a live multi-tenant platform. I build the product and lead the team that ships it.
Shipping tools people actually use.
Built Rally Point, a workflow system the Army has used every day for four years. Nobody had to mandate it.
Standing up and scaling programs.
Stood up the Future Soldier Preparatory Course at Fort Jackson for the ARNG and helped scale it 43% nationwide.
Making risk calls.
Ran waivers at the National Guard Bureau, where every decision was a risk call. I can explain technical risk to the people who sign the checks, in plain words.
Questions people ask
Who is Larry Orton?
Larry Orton is a cybersecurity founder, researcher and U.S. Army Master Sergeant. He holds a master's degree in cybersecurity from UC Berkeley and builds autonomous security systems.
What does Larry Orton work on?
Autonomous penetration testing, AI security agents, and continuous threat exposure management. He also writes about security and leadership.
Is Defenseless by Design a true story?
No. It's a novel. Every company and person in it is invented. The way the breach happens is very real.
Does Larry speak at events?
Yes. Topics include AI on offense, leading technical teams, and moving from the military into tech. See the speaking page.
Why is the logo LO?
LO was the first message ever sent on ARPANET, the network that became the internet, in 1969. It's also his initials.