02 May Cybersecurity Pundits: 2024 List Of Industry Experts
For media outlets, journalists, and reporters
Sausalito, Calif. – May 2, 2024 / CybersecurityPundits.com
Cybersecurity Ventures compiled its first annual list of cybersecurity pundits. These top experts are called upon by media outlets for their opinions and insights on cybercrime, cybersecurity, privacy, and related topics. Scroll down to find someone who brings deep domain and subject matter expertise, and will enhance your story with added credibility. The pundits are also available for speaking engagements and special appearances.
Cybercrime Radio: History of the RSA Conference
Flashback to 1991 when the iconic event launched
THE LIST
Scroll down to find a cybersecurity pundit by category, technology, country/region, and more.
AI Security Defense
John D. Loveland is a recognized pioneer and thought leader in the field of cybersecurity. He is the chief business officer at StrikeReady, an award-winning, AI-powered SOC command center technology company. In addition to SecOps and AI, John also has deep experience in incident response, managed services, and cyber risk management. Contact
Anti-Data Exfiltration
Dr. Darren Williams is a serial entrepreneur and founder of 3 technology startups, two of which have been sold to public companies. He is currently founder and CEO of BlackFog, Inc, a global cybersecurity company that has pioneered anti data exfiltration (ADX) technology. Dr. Williams holds a Ph.D. and Bachelor of Science from the University of Melbourne. Contact
Asset Management
Greg Virgin began his career with the National Security Agency (NSA), where he developed his patented sensor technology for defense, energy, and homeland security environments. He founded Redjack in 2007 to commercialize the technology and extend its capabilities to support cyber resilience initiatives within both public and private sector organizations. Contact
Biometric Security
Dr. Paolo Gasti is co-founder / CTO at Keyless, and associate professor of Computer Science at New York Institute of Technology. With 50+ peer-reviewed publications, his research focuses on behavioral biometrics, privacy-preserving biometric authentication and ID, secure multi-party protocols, and network security. Dr. Gasti’s work includes protocols for secure and efficient iris and fingerprint ID, and secure privacy-preserving protocols for continuous authentication of smartphone users with touch data. Contact
Boardroom Advisor
Karen Freeman Worstell, CEO of W Risk Group and founder of MOJO Maker for Women in Tech, has been a cybersecurity trailblazer since the early 1990s. She continues to shape the industry through thought leadership and consultancy, aiding teams in demonstrating due diligence to a defensible standard of care. Karen is a best-selling author, and serves on the board of the Colorado Technology Association. Contact
Canada
Andria Delia is a cyber threat intelligence expert based in Quebec. Fluent in English, French, Italian and Spanish, Andria is head of security at Web Heroes, a division of Gestion Corporative AD, Inc., providers of incident response, ransomware mitigation, threat hunting, OSINT investigation, and more. She is also a director at the Canadian Italian Business & Professional Association. Contact
Cloud Infrastructure Security
Yogita Parulekar is the CEO of Invi Grid Inc., an orchestration platform for secure, well-governed clouds. She has been a cybersecurity leader at an AI, a health-tech, and a fraud risk startup, as well as Oracle, and large EY’s clients. She is a thought leader for cloud and cyber risk, and corporate governance. She is a recognized Security Veteran by SC Magazine, honored by ISACA Silicon Valley as its president, and speaker at international events. Contact
Compliance
Robert E. Johnson, III, president/CEO and co-founder of Cimcor, Inc., is a cybersecurity thought leader and innovator. His company develops cutting-edge software for real-time file change detection and remediation. With his expertise and passion for technology, Johnson is committed to helping organizations obtain compliance and protect against cyber threats. Contact
C-Suite & Government Advisor
Edway Conway is the Go-To predictor of the future and advisor to the C-Suite, Government, Think Tank and Capital Investment organizations. Her rich public and Fortune 20 executive experience spans cybersecurity, risk management, ESG, value chain transformation and compliance across technology, insurance, manufacturing, medical device, industrial and national security arenas. Contact
Cyber Range
Debbie Gordon is founder and CEO of Cloud Range, the industry-leading cyber range and simulation training platform that measurably decreases cybersecurity exposure and overcomes the staggering cyber skills gap. Debbie is a frequent speaker on cyber ranges, cybersecurity readiness, IT/OT/cloud simulation training, and team effectiveness. Contact
Cyber Risk Underwriting / Cyber Risk Quantification
Saket Modi is co-founder and CEO of Safe Security, a cybersecurity and digital business risk quantification platform company. A computer science engineer, he founded Safe Security in 2012. Incubated in IIT Bombay and backed by Cisco’s former chairman and CEO John Chambers, Safe Security protects the digital infrastructure of Fortune 500 companies with its SAFE cyber risk measurement and mitigation platform. Contact
Cybereconomy
Steve Morgan is founder of Cybersecurity Ventures and editor-in-chief at Cybercrime Magazine. He’s interviewed hundreds of tech luminaries, law enforcement leaders, F500 CISOs, high-profile hackers, and ex-cybercriminals. He appeared as himself in VICE TV’s “Dark Side of the ’90s” documentary, “Y2K: Paranoia Will Destroy Ya” about the real-life thriller that is known as the Y2K scare. Contact
Corporate Data Governance
Dr. Diane Janosek advises on the complex intersection of national security, data management, data privacy, regulatory compliance, insider threat, AI, cybersecurity, and technology on an organization’s corporate data governance efforts. She is CEO Janos LLC and was a senior executive at National Security Agency (NSA) as deputy director of Compliance and chief information security officer. Contact
Data Breaches & Ransom Negotiations
Vinny Troia, a lifelong hacker, cybersecurity PhD, author of the book “Hunting Cyber Criminals”, and CEO of Night Lion Security, has developed a career in understanding and forming relationships throughout the dark web. His years of investigating data breaches and the hierarchy of the cybercrime underworld has allowed him to become one of the industry’s leading ransomware negotiators. Troia has been cited as having discovered several of the largest data leaks in history. Contact
Data Security
Anneka Gupta, chief product officer at Rubrik, brings more than a decade of product and SaaS expertise with a record of growing revenue, navigating expansions to new markets, and overseeing DEI. Rubrik is on a mission to secure the world’s data. Anneka joined Rubrik from LiveRamp, where she was the president of product and platforms, leading operations and strategy. Contact
DevSecOps
Shannon Lietz is a 30+ year award-winning technology and security industry veteran with a track record of success. Shannon specializes in emerging security concepts and has led multiple global DevSecOps practices for Fortune 500 companies. She is currently co-Founder & CEO of ThirdScore, a trust intelligence community. Contact
Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)
Gadi Bashvitz started his career in cyber more than 25 years ago in the 8200 unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and continued in various roles across cybersecurity and other industries. He is a highly effective executive with experience leading product, marketing, customer success, sales, and partner programs. Gadi is CEO of Bright Security and has founded, successfully grown, and sold multiple companies in various industries. Contact
EMEA & Latin America
Patricia Murphy, vice president EMEA & LATAM Ecosystems at Palo Alto Networks, is a seasoned international sales executive with 30+ years of technology leadership. Drawing on significant experience in developing strategic relationships, she drives scalability and customer value while prioritizing cybersecurity excellence. Committed to grooming future leaders, she fosters diverse, high-performing teams, thriving on cultural diversity. Contact
Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR)
Aimei Wei is CTO and founder of Stellar Cyber, bringing over 20 years of expertise in data networking, telecommunications, and product development to her role. She pioneered the idea of Open Extended Detection and Response (Open XDR) in cybersecurity. Aimei’s background spans both early-stage startups such as Nuera, SS8 Networks, and Kineto Wireless, as well as established industry giants like Nortel, Ciena, and Cisco. Contact
Enterprise Cyber Risk Management (ECRM)
Bob Chaput, NACD.DC, is author of “Enterprise Cyber Risk Management as a Value Creator” and “Stop the Cyber Bleeding.” He is also the founder and executive chairman of Clearwater Security. Bob has assisted dozens of organizations and their business partners, including Fortune 100 organizations. In addition to the NACD Directorship Certification (NACD.DC), Bob holds numerous privacy, security and cyber risk management certifications. He is a faculty member at IANS Research. Contact
Ethical Hacking
André Baptista is an ethical hacker, co-founder and CTO at Ethiack, and information security university professor at FCUP. A bug bounty hunter and advocate for offensive security for +15 years, he assists organizations from SMEs to Fortune 100 companies and governments proactively identify vulnerabilities. He earned the title “Most Valuable Hacker” in 2018. Contact
Extended Detection & Response (XDR)
Kyle Falkenhagen is the chief product officer at Secureworks, with 15+ years of experience scaling B2B software for the IT, Cloud, DevOps, and Cybersecurity markets. He led the development of an open XDR approach with Secureworks Taegis™, and his team today creates market-leading products to protect organizations from cyber threats. Kyle earned a B.S. in Computer Science and Business from Texas A&M. Contact
Fractional CISO
Heather Engel, managing partner at Strategic Cyber Partners, specializes in cyber risk management, business continuity, incident response planning, and government regulatory compliance. She is a recognized expert in risk analysis, incident management, and security frameworks including FedRAMP and NIST 800-53, DFARS and CMMC, and Department of Defense instructions and guidelines. She is an author, public speaker, and frequent media and podcast guest. Contact
Fraud Management & Prevention
Whitney Anderson
leverages 25+ years of experience in applied AI, advanced analytics, and real-time payments to drive game-changing value for organizations. He is a sought-after speaker and thought leader on AI safety, fraud, and risk. Whitney is co-founder and CEO of Fraud.net, an award-winning fraud platform used by banks, fintechs, and enterprises worldwide. Contact
Full-Spectrum Cyber
Santiago Holley, VP of Threat Management at RedTrace Technologies and a HERO Award winner, is a top cybersecurity expert and philanthropist. A Wharton and Stanford graduate, he has been pivotal at General Electric and the FBI, and co-leads the Critical Infrastructure Task Force at the Tortora Brayda Institute, promoting innovation and collective cybersecurity responsibility. Contact
Healthcare Security
David Kane is CEO of Ethical Intruder and is a recognized cyber leader across industries. David focuses on bridging business and cyber requirements and organizational leadership. David was named Technology Council CEO of the Year in 2023, and has developed a compliance roadmap allowing organizations to grow all aspects of industry frameworks. Contact
Human Risk Management
Ashley M. Rose is the CEO of Living Security, a company specializing in human risk management. Under her leadership, Living Security has transformed cybersecurity awareness beyond traditional training and phishing campaigns to actively measuring and monitoring human behavior, identifying real risk, to protect organizations from incidents and policy violations in real time. Ashley is recognized for her strategic vision and commitment to reducing cyber risk through human-focused solutions. Contact
Identity Theft
Christopher A. Smith has faced life-altering digital identity theft and understands the dire consequences it can have on a person’s life. He was the target of what experts describe as “one of the most extreme and intense examples of the actions threat actors will take.” Inspired by his experience, Chris wrote the book “Privacy Pandemic” and started DFend, a next-generation security service to proactively protect consumers’ digital identity. Contact
Offensive Security
John Stigerwalt is co-founder of White Knight Labs, a consultancy specializing in offensive cyber engagements. He has 12 years of experience in IT and security, including blue team lead, developer, senior penetration tester, and red team lead. He is an expert in exploit development, leading red team engagements for Fortune 500 companies and collaborating with Microsoft on Windows 10 kernel security. Renowned for leading training sessions at BlackHat, DerbyCon, and other events. Contact
Passwordless Authentication
Riya Shanmugam is a distinguished technology executive and visionary leader, currently serving as CEO of Hawcx, a cybersecurity venture she co-founded. Drawing from a multifaceted career journey encompassing executive positions at New Relic, Adobe, Google Cloud, IBM, and AMD, she ardently champions innovation, fosters emerging talent, and endeavors to leave a lasting impact on the global landscape. Contact
Penetration Testing
Seemant Sehgal, former head of cybersecurity at ING bank who held a multi-million dollar budget, dealt with the pain of traditional pentesting approaches falling short of what modern businesses today need for a strong security posture. He was motivated to solve these pain-points for people walking in the same shoes and went on to create BreachLock, developers of the world’s first, full-stack penetration testing solution. Contact
Phishing Simulation
Craig Taylor
, a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) since 2001 and co-founder of Cyberhoot, specializes in hyper-realistic phishing simulations. He co-created a patent-pending educational phishing simulation that enhances outcomes without negative repercussions. Craig has led cybersecurity efforts in finance, manufacturing, and web hosting, and provides vCISO services. Contact
Privileged Access Management (PAM)
Marcus Scharra is co-founder and CEO at senhasegura, a leader in privileged access management. With a series of articles and published works, and over two decades of entrepreneurial experience, he is the co-founder of five other technology companies: MT4 Technology Group (2002), MT4 Finance (2003), @Mediapost (2007), MT4 Networks (2006), and Quickium AI (2017). Contact
Public Relations
Alan Wallace’s public relations career began with Chuck Norris in “Sidekicks.” He then co-founded the first PR, advertising, and online marketing firm for the internet. His background includes Panda Software, ICANN, Microsoft, Trend Micro, and Afilias. Wallace consults under the brand of PressContact, LLC, and represents tech and cybersecurity-focused companies. He is based in the Philadelphia, Pa. area. Contact
Red Teaming
Mark Puckett, founder and CEO at Raxis, has spent over 30 years as an information security expert and entrepreneur. His extensive career includes working with some of the most renowned organizations in the world, giving him a unique perspective on the technology industry. A proven leader, Mark is constantly innovating and pushing the boundaries of infosecurity. Contact
Security Awareness Training
Dr. Shaun McAlmont, president & CEO of NINJIO, is one of the US’s leading cybersecurity awareness training executives. With deep experience building NINJIO’s cybersecurity awareness training program and prior experience as president of Workforce Training at Stride and CEO of Neumont College of Computer Science, Dr. McAlmont is an expert in adult learning and tech. Contact
Security Culture
Perry Carpenter, chief evangelist and strategy officer at KnowBe4, is one of the world’s leading cybersecurity experts, an author, and content creator specializing in awareness, behavior, culture, and human risk management. A trusted advisor, he helps organizations develop their human defense layer and build workforce resilience against social engineering, online threats, and AI-based deceptions (such as deepfakes). He is also a cognitive security researcher, and an advocate for leveraging AI for good. Contact
Security & Resiliency
Kris Lovejoy, a prominent figure in cybersecurity and privacy, leads Kyndryl’s Security & Resiliency Global Practice. Previously, she held positions as global cybersecurity leader at EY, founder/CEO of BluVector, and CISO of IBM’s Security Services. Kris holds numerous industry accolades and serves on boards including Dominion Energy and various private/nonprofit organizations. Contact
Silicon Security Services
Jennifer Sunshine Steffens is CEO at IOActive, the worldwide leader in research-fueled security services, including silicon security services. Under her leadership, the company has been recognized as one of the industry’s most important companies of the last 30 years by SC Media in 2019. Jennifer is recognized as one of the top leaders in information security. Contact
Small Business
Alissa “Dr. Jay” Abdullah, Mastercard’s deputy chief security officer, heads the Emerging Corporate Security Solutions team, safeguarding Mastercard’s information assets and shaping the future of security. Formerly, she served as the deputy chief information officer of the White House where she helped modernize the Executive Office of the President’s IT systems. Contact
Software Supply Chain Security
Cassie Crossley, vice president, Supply Chain Security in the global Cybersecurity & Product Security Office at Schneider Electric, is an experienced cybersecurity technology executive in Information Technology and Product Development and author of “Software Supply Chain Security: Securing the End-to-End Supply Chain for Software, Firmware, and Hardware.” She has experience in supply chain security, cybersecurity, product/application security, and software/firmware development. Contact
Staffing
Kris Rides, founder of Tiro Security, chairs the industry advisory board for NCyTE and serves on several other boards including The Cyber Helpline, Washington State’s Cybersecurity Centre of Excellence, and GRCIE. Recognized as an expert in cybersecurity staffing, he has spoken at prestigious conferences, including DEF CON, InfoSec World, RSA Conference, BSidesLV, and ISC2 Conference. Contact
Third-Party Risk Management
Brandon Daniels is CEO of supply chain and third-party risk AI leader Exiger. He led their work to support the COVID-19 White House Joint Acquisition Task Force, implement Russia-Ukraine war sanctions, reform semiconductor supply chains, enforce forced labor legislation and improve global supply chain transparency for national security. Brandon has worked with some of the world’s most influential names in healthcare, financial services, energy and technology. Contact
Threat Exposure Management
Roselle Safran is CEO at KeyCaliber, a leading cybersecurity company in Washington D.C. She spent a decade as a cybersecurity practitioner and leader before becoming an entrepreneur. She led cybersecurity operations at the Executive Office of the President during the Obama Administration, directing tactical measures and strategic initiatives for protecting and defending the White House’s network. Contact
Training, Education & Talent Development
Dan Vigdor is Co-CEO, founder and executive chairman at ThriveDX, the global leader in cybersecurity training delivering immersive, hands-on cybersecurity training to reskill talent pools and to help individuals transform their careers. Through ThriveDX, Dan aims to solve the rapidly growing cyber skills gap by reskilling and upskilling people to meet the demands of the rapidly evolving tech landscape. Contact
Venture Capital
Richard Seewald founded Evolution Equity Partners in 2008 and leads investments in cybersecurity, enterprise software and data analytics and brings over three decades of investment, operational and entrepreneurial experience to his role. Under Richard’s leadership, Evolution has become a premier venture capital firm raising over $2 Billion of capital to invest in category-defining software companies. Contact
Virtual CISO
Debra Baker, CISSP and CCSP, is a vCISO pundit with three decades of cybersecurity expertise, formerly CISO at RedSeal and founder of TrustedCISO. She provides strategic advice on cybersecurity, risk management, and compliance, specializing in SOC2, ISO27001, FedRAMP, StateRAMP, and NIST. Debra also developed CompliBot AI, an innovative AI-driven vendor assessment tool, holding a provisional patent for it. Contact
Wireless Security
Scott N. Schober is a wireless security expert, accomplished author and CEO of Berkeley Varitronics Systems where he has developed many products used to detect hidden card skimmers, AirTags used for stalking and contraband phones and devices that threaten the wireless security of government, corporate and military facilities around the world. Contact
Women In Cybersecurity
Sakshi Porwal, cybersecurity leader at Deloitte Global, has 15 years of experience managing various cybersecurity domains including data protection, privacy, governance, risk and compliance. In her current position, Sakshi holds a pivotal role in overseeing the security of organizational assets, for a workforce comprising approximately 457,000 professionals in more than 150 countries and territories. Contact
This post is under construction.
