Featured Cyber Threat Intelligence Experts

Cybersecurity expert with over a decade and a half of deep-dive experience, I bring an unparalleled level of understanding and expertise in strategic Cybersecurity planning, effective risk control, and pioneering product innovation. My career reflects my role as a reliable authority for organizations of all sizes, as well as an effective liaison with different regulatory bodies.

Franco Velasquez is the CEO and founder of HostBreach, a cybersecurity advisory firm specializing in external cyber intelligence, attack surface analysis, and intelligence-driven advisory for defense contractors and regulated organizations. His work focuses on understanding how attackers identify, prioritize, and compromise targets using publicly available intelligence, often before traditional security controls detect activity. Franco advises organizations on CMMC readiness, CUI exposure, ransomware risk, and pre-incident threat visibility, helping leaders understand real-world risk beyond checklist compliance. He has experience working with OSINT-based reconnaissance, threat actor behavior analysis, and tabletop attack simulations aligned to observed intrusion patterns. He is frequently consulted on topics including ransomware trends, external exposure management, supply chain risk, and how attackers exploit misconfigurations and unpatched systems. Franco emphasizes practical, intelligence-led decision-making that helps organizations reduce risk before incidents occur.

My path to security leadership came through offensive security testing, software engineering, and product management. I've written code, designed and built security products, created and sold managed security services, and served as both GM and CISO for organizations ranging from early-stage startups to multi-billion-dollar enterprises. That background shapes how I approach security: I understand the trade-offs engineering teams face, I know what's actually feasible to implement and operate, and I prioritize controls that reduce real risk over ones that just satisfy auditors. I stay hands-on with cloud architecture, application security, AI, and emerging threats. At IOmergent, my co-founder Brett Wilson and I work with growing companies that need real security leadership but aren't ready for a full-time CISO. We provide fractional CISO (vCISO) services, managed cloud security, and practical assessments that tell you where you actually stand. Our focus is on building security into engineering culture and operations, as well as with executive teams. We work extensively with SaaS companies, healthcare and fintech organizations, and AI startups navigating their first enterprise customers, dealing with incidents or near misses, or trying to figure out what "good enough" security actually looks like for their stage. If you're a founder or technical leader looking to mature your security posture, preparing for your first compliance audit, or navigating an incident and need experienced support, I'm always happy to connect. And if you just want to talk through a security challenge with someone who's been there, reach out.

Mark Lynd is the Head of Executive Advisory & Strategy at Netsync, one of the nation's leading value-added resellers, where he works daily with C-Suite executives on AI, cybersecurity strategy, and digital transformation. A 5x CIO/CISO, author, thought leader and keynote speaker with decades of hands-on operational experience, Mark brings a rare combination of boardroom perspective and practitioner depth to every engagement. Ranked as a Top 5 Global Thought Leader in both AI and Cybersecurity by Thinkers360, Mark has facilitated over 150 incident response tabletop exercises across school districts, Fortune 500 enterprises, healthcare systems, government agencies, and mid-market manufacturers. His original research from these exercises represents the most comprehensive tabletop dataset published by a single practitioner. Mark has delivered more than 100 keynotes at marquee events including RSA Conference, Oracle CloudWorld, Cisco Partner Summit, Dell Technologies World, IBM Think, and Gartner Security & Risk Management Summit. His speaking topics span AI generative strategy, AI infrastructure, cybersecurity operations, ransomware preparedness, incident response, and business continuity. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tulsa and attended The Wharton School. Mark served honorably in the United States Army's 3rd Ranger battalion, and 82d Airborne. My Newsletters: - Cybervizer: Weekly strategic briefings for 10k+ professionals. (www.cybervizer.com) - AI Bursts: Cutting through the noise of AI adoption. (www.aibursts.com) My Published Books: Books available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, and many other outlets: - Cyber War: One Scenario – A guide to infrastructure resilience. - A Leader’s Playbook to Cyber Insurance – Managing the financial ROI of risk. - Cybersecurity Life Skills for Teens – My passion project for digital safety.

Dr. Connie McIntosh is a cybersecurity executive, academic, mentor and international speaker. She currently serves as Head of Security at Ericsson. Dr. McIntosh integrates cybersecurity, information security, product security, operational security, and data privacy into business strategy, fostering psychological safety and cultural transformation in traditionally siloed environments. Her background is in National Security and Cyber Defense working in in key Cybersecurity Leadership roles across Defense and Government classified networks, Academia and private enterprise. Her leadership has earned her accolades such as being named among the Top 100 Women in Cybersecurity by US Cyber Defense Magazine and the Black Unicorn Award at Black Hat 2020. In 2025, she was awarded the prestigious Global Recognition Award for Leadership Excellence in cybersecurity underscoring her global recognition and influence along with 2025 Young Leader of the Year - The Fast Mode Awards 2025 recognizing exceptional individuals whose leadership, resilience, and technical depth continue to elevate the global telecom ecosystem. Connie's contributions to cybersecurity have been featured in influential books and magazines, including the groundbreaking Women4Cyber's own "Europe's Top Women in Security, Hacking Gender Barriers", along with "The Rise of Cyber Women Vol 3", "Shining the Spotlight - Stories for Business Success." and others.

Scott Altiparmak is a Senior Information Security Engineer with 8+ years of experience spanning identity and access management, email security, and cloud security, with a focus on building and automating enterprise security programs end to end. He is the creator of Threat Terminal, a live game-based research platform studying how humans detect phishing in the generative AI era, and maintains open-source tools including Enterprise-Zapp and Threat Intelligence Tarot. He serves as Director of Programming for the South Florida ISSA chapter and speaks regularly at industry and academic events including Tech Hub Pulse 2026, PBSC CyberWeek, and the PBSC Cybersecurity Symposium.

Cyber Threat Intelligence Leader | Nation-State Actor Hunter | Strategic Defense Architect With over 20 years at the forefront of cybersecurity—including senior roles in national security and government defense—I specialize in threat hunting, APT campaign attribution, and intelligence-driven defense. My career spans proactive threat detection, incident response, and mentoring high-stakes SOC/CTI teams in classified environments. I’ve led national-level threat hunting operations, correlated complex TTPs using MITRE ATT&CK, and produced actionable intelligence for executive stakeholders. My expertise includes SIEM, SOAR, threat intelligence platforms, and secure infrastructure design, with a deep focus on the MENA region’s cyber threat landscape. As the author of “Inside the Hacker Hunter’s Mind” and “Inside the Hacker Hunter’s Toolkit”, I share real-world insights into state-level threat actors, OSINT, malware analysis, and digital forensics. I’m passionate about mentoring the next generation of cyber defenders and building resilient, intelligence-led security postures. Let’s connect to discuss cybersecurity challenges, threat intelligence, or how I can contribute to your mission. Key Skills: Cyber Threat Intelligence | APT Attribution | Incident Response | Threat Hunting | SIEM/SOAR | MITRE ATT&CK | OSINT | Malware Analysis | Secure Infrastructure | Executive Reporting | Python/C# Automation | MENA Threat Context

Cyber Security Consultant and Tech Enthusiast with 10+ years of experience helping businesses strengthen digital security, optimize technology strategies, and drive innovation across the Cyber Security, Business Consulting, Technology, and SaaS industries. Skilled in identifying security risks, implementing resilient solutions, and advising organizations on secure digital transformation initiatives. Passionate about emerging technologies, PKI, cloud security, SaaS ecosystems, and helping startups and enterprises build scalable, secure, and future-ready systems. Known for combining technical expertise with business insight to deliver practical solutions that enhance operational efficiency, compliance, and cybersecurity resilience.

Matt Lindley is the Chief Innovation & Information Security Officer at NINJIO, a leading cybersecurity awareness training and human risk management platform. Matt leads NINJIO’s cybersecurity team and AI innovation projects. Previously, he was the CEO and Principal Consultant at REIN Cybersecurity, which focused on governance, risk management, and compliance (GRC). He has also served as the Director of Security Services at Cal Net Technology Group and the virtual CIO at Convergence Networks. Matt is an authority on IT, cybersecurity, GRC, and operational maturity whose expert insights have been published in media outlets spanning cybersecurity and many other relevant verticals. His byline has appeared in a wide range of cybersecurity and tech publications, including Dark Reading, Cyber Defense Magazine, Innovation & Tech Today, Spiceworks, Security Magazine, Cybersecurity Insiders, Security Boulevard, U.S. Cybersecurity Magazine, Information Week, and Cyber Protection Magazine. Matt has also published extensively in outlets serving specific industry verticals, such as InsuranceNewsNet, Business Traveler, Manufacturing.net, and Carrier Management. He is considered a leading security analyst whose research and expertise cover AI strategy and transformation, emerging cyberthreats, behavioral psychology, social engineering, and organizational resilience. Matt has over a decade and a half of experience as both a practitioner and a thought leader in cybersecurity, and he is particularly focused on human risk management—a core pillar of cybersecurity at a time when the human element is implicated in the majority of breaches.

Joel Witts is the Content Director and co-founder of Expert Insights, a cybersecurity research and review platform read by thousands of CISOs, IT leaders, and security professionals worldwide. He leads a team of writers and journalists covering hundreds of cybersecurity categories, producing meticulously researched product reviews, buyers' guides, and industry reports. Joel has reviewed hundreds of cybersecurity solutions and interviewed leading experts from across the industry, including leaders from Microsoft, Google Cloud, Zscaler, and SentinelOne. He also hosts the Expert Insights Podcast and co-writes the weekly newsletter, Decrypted. Joel is driven to share his team's expertise with cybersecurity leaders to help them create more secure business foundations.

Renze Jongman is the founder and CEO of Liberty91, an operational cyber threat intelligence platform that makes CTI accessible to mid-market security teams. He spent his early career at the Dutch National High Tech Crime Unit and was a founding member of Europol's Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce (J-CAT), before moving into the private sector to lead strategic threat intelligence at Barclays in London and run threat intelligence consulting at Mandiant (now part of Google Cloud) across EMEA and the Middle East. He also advises the Abu Dhabi Department of Government Enablement's CTI function. Based in Abu Dhabi, he writes regularly on the practitioner realities of threat intelligence.

A pragmatic leader with experience guiding, building, and scaling cybersecurity and privacy programs across sectors. I formerly led the Information Security program for Udemy an EdTech firm. Implemented company-wide cybersecurity and data privacy governance programs for payment organizations, Led service delivery strategy, audits and penetration testing engagements for Consulting organizations and help company stakeholders understand likely business threats and practical methods to minimize risk.

Darren Coleman is a cybersecurity expert, technology strategist, and founder of Coleman Technologies, a managed IT services and cybersecurity firm helping organizations across North America reduce cyber risk and modernize their IT infrastructure. Since founding Coleman Technologies in 1999, Darren has advised business leaders on cybersecurity, ransomware protection, cloud strategy, and the evolving risks of the dark web. He is a recognized speaker on cybersecurity and emerging technology trends, including artificial intelligence and AI-driven business productivity. Darren has spoken at the Harvard Business Expert Forum and has appeared in media outlets discussing cybercrime, cybersecurity awareness, and technology risk. He is also a contributing author to the Amazon bestselling cybersecurity book Easy Prey: How to Protect Your Business from Data Breach, Cybercrime and Employee Fraud. Through his work with Coleman Technologies, Darren helps organizations implement proactive cybersecurity strategies, AI-enabled productivity tools, and managed IT services designed to improve operational reliability and protect critical business systems. Website: https://colemantechnologies.com

Co-Founder of SG6, ITRES and DEV6. Cybersecurity consultant with a deep technical background. More than 20 years of experience in the fields of IT Security, Cybersecurity, Security Research and IT Best Practices. Dozens of acredited CVE vulnerabilities since Y2K. I publish practical offensive/defensive research: vulnerability analysis, exploitation notes, reverse engineering, and hardening/detection takeaways.

As the Director of Cybersecurity at Fortra, I lead a distinguished team of cybersecurity experts in delivering Managed Security Programs to global clients. With over a decade of experience in the field, I bring a wealth of expertise in data protection, threat hunting, incident response, cybersecurity policy, IT solutions, and security systems.My mission is to empower organizations to safeguard their most sensitive data and assets against cyber threats while aligning with business objectives and regulatory standards. I thrive on sharing insights and knowledge through publications on diverse cybersecurity topics, ranging from the role of cyber executives to best practices in data security. As a strong advocate for AI and ML technology, I believe in the imperative need for organizations to mature and embrace these innovations. I actively collaborate with professionals and stakeholders to drive innovation and enhance industry standards.

Would love it if you contact me via OODA.com instead of DM here. Bob Gourley is an experienced board member, a Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Board Qualified Technical Executive (QTE), author and entrepreneur with extensive past performance in enterprise IT, corporate cybersecurity, risk mitigation in artificial intelligence and blockchain projects, and data analytics. CTO of OODA LLC, home of the OODA Network, a community of business leaders, technologists, intelligence and security professionals. Winner of InfoWorld top 25 CTO and Washingtonian Magazine's "DC Tech Titan" list.Served as the CTO for the Defense Intelligence Agency and was previously a naval intelligence officer.

Luke Irwin is a cybersecurity strategist, speaker, and Founder of Aegis Cybersecurity, an Australian consultancy focused on cybersecurity governance, risk, compliance, and strategic advisory. He works with organisations to strengthen cyber resilience through clearer leadership, stronger governance, and practical security programs aligned to business priorities. He is known for helping boards, executives, and business leaders understand cybersecurity as a whole-of-business risk rather than a purely technical issue. His work centres on translating complex security and compliance requirements into commercially grounded decisions that support resilience, accountability, trust, and long-term performance. Luke advises across frameworks and standards including ISO 27001, SOC 2, Essential Eight, NIST, and SMB1001. His experience spans cybersecurity strategy, security maturity uplift, policy and control development, third-party risk, governance improvement, and fractional CISO support, particularly for small to mid-market and regulated organisations. Alongside his advisory work, Luke is a regular speaker and industry commentator on cyber risk, governance, vendor risk, and modern security leadership. He is recognised for his direct, practical perspective and his ability to bridge the gap between technical security expectations and executive decision-making.

For over 20 years, I've been on the front lines of cybersecurity, working with global organisations to help them answer critical questions like: "How effective are our security measures against a cyber attack?" My passion is empowering companies to identify and fortify their attack surface. I help leadership teams evaluate their security stack's effectiveness and build actionable roadmaps. Some of the topics I cover are Enterprise cybersecurity and strategy, culture and how it impacts cyber resilience. Emerging attacks and attacker innovation in ransomware and increasingly AI security risks. This passion for sharing actionable knowledge is why I also started writing my blog. It's my way of sharing ideas and providing insights for enterprise security defenders and educate the wider community. In my day-to-day role at Pentera, I lead a team of talented security engineers. We partner with leading organisations who are ready to embrace change. As a speaker and mentor, I enjoy challenging the norms, introducing disruptive technologies, and sharing best practices to raise the bar.

Arnav Sharma is a Cybersecurity Expert specialising in cloud security, Microsoft Azure, and AI-driven threat landscapes. With over 18 years of hands-on experience securing enterprise environments, he works across identity, DevOps, and cloud infrastructure to help organisations reduce attack surface and meet compliance requirements. Arnav writes at arnav.au - a technical blog with over 600+ posts covering Azure, Defender, Entra, and emerging security threats and has authored books on cybersecurity topics. He holds expertise across Microsoft security tooling including Defender for Cloud, Sentinel, and Entra ID.

I’m Eric Garcia, the CEO of SentrIQ Labs. I have over 15 years of experience in cybersecurity, working across federal, defense, and cloud environments to help organizations design, implement, and defend security programs in highly regulated spaces. My background includes hands-on involvement with authorization processes, security control assessments, policy development, and executive-level risk advisory, with a strong focus on cybersecurity frameworks. Before founding SentrIQ Labs, I worked with organizations ranging from early-stage SaaS companies to large defense contractors, helping them navigate compliance demands without losing sight of operational reality. I have spent years inside the authorization process, working directly with engineers, compliance teams, and leadership to translate dense regulatory requirements into security controls that can actually be implemented and sustained. At SentrIQ Labs, my focus is on applying AI to reduce friction in cybersecurity compliance and audit readiness. That includes automating evidence collection, control mapping, and documentation workflows while preserving human judgment where it matters most. I am particularly interested in how AI changes the future of GRC, the risks introduced by poorly governed AI systems, and how companies can adopt automation without increasing their attack surface. I regularly share insights on cybersecurity compliance, AI development, and the evolving threat landscape, with an emphasis on practical, defensible security programs that align with real business risk rather than checkbox compliance.