15 Cybersecurity Influencers You Should Follow

There’s always a flood of cybersecurity news to stay on top of, and industry best practices are constantly evolving. One of the best ways to remain informed is by following industry leaders through their social media accounts and blogs. While there are many others sharing valuable insights online, these are the 15 cybersecurity influencers we suggest you follow now.

Meet the Cybersecurity Influencers

(Any other cybersecurity influencers you recommend? Reach out to us via Twitter!)

Byron Acohido

Website: lastwatchdog.com | Twitter: @byronacohido

Automation should shrink the need for ace security analysts, but the skills gap will still be wide unless more is done . Hear my discussion with @TrendMicro @Marknca https://t.co/GT3yB1sfkn pic.twitter.com/l5ERaFfDsB

— Byron Acohido (@byronacohido) August 23, 2018

Byron Acohido is a Pulitzer-winning journalist who covers privacy and security. A glance at his website proves why Byron is a subject matter expert on cybersecurity. Podcasts, videos, articles—these are some of the formats in which he shares his expertise. The information he presents is relevant and timely. For example, a recent article tackles how the U.S. may stop Russia from tampering with its elections.

Byron is also a sought-after speaker and author. He has presented at SXSW and the RSA Conference. He is the author of “Zero Day Threat: The Shocking Truth of How Banks And Credit Bureaus Help Cyber Crooks Steal Your Money and Identity.” Soon after its release, Byron received the NYSSCPA Excellence in Financial Journalism Award.

Related: What Does a Cybersecurity Analyst Do?

Kevin Mitnick

Website: mitnicksecurity.com | Twitter: @kevinmitnick

Here is my new favorite hacking toy – the USB Harpoon.
It will arrive from China today. It took longer to ship than to build.
Thanks to the clever team behind the new Proxmark RDV4.https://t.co/cZKXOszrK4

— Kevin Mitnick (@kevinmitnick) August 20, 2018

Kevin Mitnick—the infamous hacker turned security consultant—almost needs no introduction. His first foray into social engineering came when he was 13, when he persuaded a bus driver to unknowingly help him ride the bus for free. Since then, Kevin developed his skills and was able to eventually gain access to computer systems, networks, and email clients. Charged with several computer-related crimes in the 1990s, he wound up serving five years in prison. Kevin was such a threat that he was temporarily banned from using the internet or any other communication device besides landline telephones. Today, he’s cleaned up his act and runs Mitnick Security Consulting.

Ludmila Morozova-Buss

Website: globaliim.com | Twitter: @TopCyberNews

#CyberSpace & #SystemsThinking.

I advocate a Systems Thinking approach in educating our readers, followers, friends, business associates on #DigitalTransformation, #EmergingTechnologies & #CyberSecurity. https://t.co/B2K5fUBz88
My Research Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Ian R. McAndrew pic.twitter.com/8A899WrG1G

— Ludmila Morozova-Buss ?? ?? ?? ?? (@TopCyberNews) May 11, 2018

It’s one thing to read news about the cybersecurity industry. It’s much better to get the news from a seasoned expert. Ludmila Morozova-Buss is that expert. She is active on Twitter and shares the most relevant happenings in the industry today. With over 20 years of experience working around the world, her feed has become a go-to.

Ludmila was the vice president of public relations and media communications for the Global Institute for IT Management. Much of what she shares is executive-level and encompasses the big picture when it comes to cybersecurity. Ludmila is now the exclusive European partner for Brooks Consulting International. She writes for multiple publications, including The Digital Transformation People and BIZCATALYST360.

Chuck Brooks

Twitter: @ChuckDBrooks

Please see my blog on emerging technologies impacting security in FORBES. Thanks! https://t.co/GtzShNu84z

— Chuck Brooks (@ChuckDBrooks) August 23, 2018

Chuck Brooks—a heavyweight among information security influencers—was named by LinkedIn as one of the five “tech voices” to follow. He is currently the principal market growth strategist for cybersecurity and emerging technologies at General Dynamics Missions Systems. Chuck is also an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. In addition, he is executive editor for Newsweek Media Group and visiting editor for Homeland Security Today Magazine.

Chuck has also held government positions, serving as the first legislative director of the science and technology directorate at the Department of Homeland Security. Chuck was also a technology and security advisor on Capitol Hill, most notably to Sen. Arlen Specter.

Raj Samani

Twitter: @Raj_Samani

New blog by me. Now freely available. Ransomware Decryption Framework https://t.co/V0QudFxhVf #ransomware

— Raj Samani (@Raj_Samani) October 19, 2017

When you’re a cybersecurity fellow at McAfee, you know you’ve made it in the industry. Raj Samani is also a chief scientist at the company. He’s a prolific author and successful speaker, focusing on cloud computing and what he calls the “smart grids”

Raj has written for the Huffington Post, CSO Online, Dark Reading, and a host of other online publications. He has spoken at the RSA Conference, BrightTALK, and the GCC Forensics Exhibition and Conference. In addition to his teaching, Raj has put his knowledge into action by assisting law enforcement during cybercrime cases.

The Jester

Website: counter.social/blog | Twitter: @th3j35t3r

“Facebook takes down 652 pages after finding disinformation campaigns run from Iran and Russia.” << Ok look at that. Two of the seven countries on the https://t.co/lpbZFFbmoR blacklist. You’re welcome cosonauts ? >> https://t.co/aOwOARuTpO

— JΞSŦΞR ✪ ΔCŦUΔL³³º¹ (@th3j35t3r) August 22, 2018

A hacktivist known as “The Jester” has wreaked havoc upon those whom he opposes. These enemies include 4chan and anti-American websites, among others. While not confirmed, The Jester claims to have served with U.S. Special Forces as a military contractor.

The Jester loves to boast on Twitter when he takes down targets. He infamously writes “tango down,” as if he were still serving in the military. He brought down the former website of the Taliban. Another exploit was his attempt to disrupt the Ecuadoran stock exchange after the country considered granting asylum to Edward Snowden.

Katie Moussouris

Website: lutasecurity.com | Twitter: @k8em0

In growing a bug bounty company from 1 customer to handling the Pentagon in 2 years, & in starting my own company specializing in creating durable, sustainable vuln disclosure programs, I find it’s often a misunderstanding about control orgs can vs should leverage on researchers

— Katie Moussouris (@k8em0) August 18, 2018

Some companies offer rewards when they want the public to find vulnerabilities in their networks and systems. One of the top cyber bounty hunters is Katie Moussouris. She’s so good at discovering vulnerabilities that she founded a consulting firm aimed at sniffing out bugs and network weaknesses.

While working at Symantec, Katie founded the Symantec Vulnerability Research. A few years later, she launched something similar at Microsoft: the Microsoft Vulnerability Research program. Katie attracted the positive attention of the Department of Defense and was allowed to create a program called “Hack the Pentagon.” Besides running Luta Security, Katie is a cybersecurity fellow at the think tank New America.

Lenny Zeltser

Website: zeltser.com | Twitter: @lennyzeltser

Intro to using Python for malware analysis: https://t.co/2EwsKNSkcg by @asoni

— Lenny Zeltser (@lennyzeltser) August 24, 2018

It’s one thing to take a cybersecurity class, but another to teach them. Lenny Zeltser is a senior instructor at the SANS Institute. He focuses on securing businesses. Malicious software, cloud security, and advanced network security are some of the topics he’s most interested in exploring.

In addition to his work at SANS Institute, Lenny is the vice president of products for Minerva Labs. He has spoken at events such as ISC2, the O’Reilly Security Conference, and the RSA Conference. Lenny is also a published author. His latest book, “Cyberforensics,” examines how evidence of crimes can be discovered in cyberspace.

(Lenny teaches cybersecurity classes, and so do we. Learn more about our Cybersecurity Career Track program.)

Bruce Schneier

Website: schneier.com | Twitter: @schneierblog

Good Primer on Two-Factor Authentication Security https://t.co/vQODePABLy

— Schneier Blog (@schneierblog) August 22, 2018

Cryptographic algorithms represent an important part of cybersecurity and Bruce Schneier is the premier name in that field. This cybersecurity influencer has been involved in block ciphers such as Threefish and MacGuffin, stream ciphers such as Phelix and Solitaire, and hash functions such as Skein. Bruce has also written many books on the subject (and lists 15 on his website).

Bruce is currently a fellow at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, where he is studying how technology, security, and people interact. He has presented at the renowned TED conference on the topic of security and how it’s a “mirage.”

Martin McKeay

Twitter: @mckeay

I wish more companies thought about how and why the CSO role should be used to improve trust with customers. Cc: @csoandy https://t.co/ZO85pg16cE

— Martin McKeay (@mckeay) August 17, 2018

In addition to speaking about current cybersecurity issues, he writes about them. Martin has been writing blog articles about security since 2003, making him one of the first cybersecurity influencers. He writes for InfoSecurity Magazine and Computer World, among others. Check out his SYN CITY column on CSO Online.

Martin is a senior security advocate for Akamai Technologies and a product evangelist for StillSecure. He’s also a security consultant and has provided his knowledge to hundreds of companies.

Charlie Miller

Twitter: @0xcharlie

This picture demonstrates the pure professionalism that is the @PwnieAwards. pic.twitter.com/wjqyurKlNG

— Charlie Miller (@0xcharlie) August 17, 2018

Many consider self-driving cars are the future of transportation. Charlie Miller understands the need to ensure that these types of vehicles are safe. That’s why he remotely hacked one. Meaning he was able to control the vehicle’s steering, braking, and acceleration. (Remind anyone else of a James Bond film?)

Charlie focuses on finding vulnerabilities in software and systems. He has a special interest in Apple and has even written two books on his research into the company’s products and software. Charlie has won numerous cash prizes for his work identifying security vulnerabilities, but he also has gotten into trouble. In 2008, he found a critical bug in the MacBook Air; the next year, he cracked Safari. 

Brian Krebs

Website: krebsonsecurity.com | Twitter: @briankrebs

Entrepreneur sues AT&T for $224M after fraudulent SIM swap. Attacks like these are prompting some experts to say the surest way to safeguard one’s online accounts may be to disconnect them from the mobile providers entirely. https://t.co/jWm2xJsHCf pic.twitter.com/lH3TXMoOLG

— briankrebs (@briankrebs) August 16, 2018

Cybercrime is an ever-increasing danger and through his writing, Brian Krebs aims to shine a light on it. Brian was a full-time writer for The Washington Post before turning his attention to his personal website. He has received numerous awards, including Cisco Systems’ first Cyber Crime Hero Award in 2009. He also received the 2010 SANS Institute Top Cybersecurity Journalist Award.

This cybersecurity influencer is also a regular speaker, giving keynote addresses at FIRST, SecTor, and Secure. His investigative spotlight into cybercrime has not gone unchallenged, however. Soon after his investigation into the vDOS botnet, his website was taken down by a DDoS attack. Google eventually hosted the website for free through its Project Shield program.

Mikko Hypponen

Website: mikko.hypponen.com | Twitter: @mikko

I’ve been advising @SafeGuard_Cyber for a little over a year now, and it’s great to see the progress they are making! The SafeGuardMe app is just the latest example. https://t.co/M0wSBE4WJg

— Mikko Hypponen (@mikko) August 21, 2018

If you have a law, scientific or otherwise, named after you, you’re probably an influencer. That’s the case with Mikko Hypponen. Hypponen’s Law essential means that anything connected to the internet of things is vulnerable. Mikko has given hundreds of talks all over the world about cybersecurity, appearing at TED, SXWX, Slush, Black Hat, and DEF CON, among others.

Mikko also has worked in operational roles at F-Secure since 1991, becoming chief research officer. His real-world expertise has been the bane of cybercriminals the world over. As a matter of fact, Mikko has been assisting law enforcement since the 1990s. You can read his research in The New York Times, CNN, and Scientific American.

Adam Levin

Website: adamlevin.com | Twitter: @Adam_K_Levin

These three #scams are something to look out for! I explain why in my interview with @7OnYourSideNY on @ABC7NY. Check it out: https://t.co/DgMSPWxBnz #CyberSecurity #CyberAware

— Adam Levin (@Adam_K_Levin) June 14, 2018

If cybersecurity is being covered on TV, you might see Adam Levin weigh in. He’s appeared on news programs on MSNBC, Fox Business, and ABC, among others. Adam, a co-founder of credit.com, is the author of the best-selling book “Swiped: How to Protect Yourself in a World Full of Scammers, Phishers, and Identity Thieves.”

Adam has always been interested in protecting people, whether through his cybersecurity work or while in government roles. He is a former director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs. Today, he speaks on topics such as data privacy, tax fraud, and medical ID theft.

Paul Asadoorian

Website: securityweekly.com | Twitter: @securityweekly

Paul’s Security Weekly is LIVE now w/ @Jason_Wood, @MrJeffMan, @reallynotkevin, @plaverty9, & @todb!! Tune in here: https://t.co/wJGYCeTaCt

— Paul Asadoorian (@securityweekly) August 23, 2018

Writing books, speaking, blogging, running a company, releasing podcasts—these are regular activities for Paul Asadoorian. He the founder and CEO of Security Weekly and the CEO of Offensive Countermeasures. Cybersecurity is mostly passive in nature, but Paul wants to change that. He wants to “take the fight to the enemy.” He believes that doing so may prevent would-be criminals from future hacking.

Paul was a lead IT security specialist when he worked at Brown University. He was also an instructor with the SANS Institute. Today, when he’s not running his website business, he is a product evangelist for Tenable Network Security. Paul also works for OSHEAN as the senior network security engineer.

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