JohnCON

JohnCON is a fictional character created for use in cybersecurity education and case studies. The name combines a common given name with the suffix “CON” as a nod to conventions, reflecting its function as an instructional avatar rather than a real person.

Origin and use: JohnCON first appeared in training materials in the early 2010s, published by universities and online courses to provide a consistent narrative thread for lessons on secure software development, threat modeling, and incident response.

Character profile: In standard scenarios, JohnCON is depicted as a mid-level software engineer working on a web application with typical stacks. The narrative follows steps such as writing secure code, participating in peer reviews, discovering vulnerabilities, coordinating with a security team, patching defects, and performing post-incident analysis.

Purpose and impact: The fictional figure serves as a neutral reference point that educators can adapt to illustrate best practices and decision-making. It is commonly used in lab exercises, textbooks, and online courses to teach risk assessment, disclosure ethics, and remediation workflows.

Reception: Educators view JohnCON as a helpful didactic device for presenting consistent scenarios, while some commentators note that fictional narratives may oversimplify real-world organizational dynamics and responsibilities. See also composite characters in education, John Doe (fictional counterpart).