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Five Cyber Luminaries Who Enrich CYBR.SEC.Community

Here are just a few of the voices who inject cutting-edge insights into the community we are building.

,   and  Bill Brenner
8 min read

One of the best things about this job is how it's based around a community that includes many close friends – people I've known and worked with over the past 22 years in cybersecurity. This week's #FollowFriday celebrates five of them.

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Dave Lewis

Dave and I worked together at Akamai (for the next guy on this list) and have been friends forever. He travels the world regularly, sharing his insight with countless security practitioners. I first discovered him via his LiquidMatrix Security Digest and as a reporter I'd call on him regularly for story quotes. He is currently a Global Advisory CISO for 1Password and has contributed some great identity-focused content to our community.

Contributions to CYBR.SEC.Community:

Identity Is the Perimeter. Attackers Know It. Do You?
Dave Lewis, Global Advisory CISO at 1Password, says if you treat identity as your perimeter, you stop caring about where traffic comes from and start caring about who is asking for access, how they proved it, and what they are allowed to do. Here’s how to go about it.
CYBR.SEC.MediaDave Lewis
M&A Cybersecurity: Searching For Lego In The Dark
Cybersecurity is not something that is necessarily intuitive for the vast majority of people. That’s where the problems creep into scope. Much like walking in the dark towards the kitchen, there is the ever-present danger of a piece of Lego lurking in the carpet.
CYBR.SEC.MediaDave Lewis
Securing Agentic AI Before It’s Too Late
Autonomous AI agents bring efficiency—and new risks. Echoleak showed how fragile they are. Learn guardrails to secure agentic AI now.
CYBR.SEC.MediaDave Lewis

Where to follow:

Andy Ellis

I worked for Andy for 3 years, during his long reign as CSO of Akamai. He is the go-to guy for insights on CISO leadership and since Akamai his focus has been on helping individuals and companies launch. I'm just one of the people over the years who have benefitted from opportunities he put in front of me.

Contributions to CYBR.SEC.Community:

Fix it! NO, Not Like THAT
Security pros often don’t understand why their business won’t accept certain types of solutions. Thus, they can’t articulate those problems to vendors. If both sides can’t grasp why existing solutions aren’t organizationally viable, they stand no chance at building better solutions that are viable.
CYBR.SEC.MediaAndy Ellis
Your Agents Aren’t Your Children, So Stop Naming Them That Way
It’s been quite a long time since we stopped naming servers like pets, instead treating them more like cattle farms. But AI has brought cute naming back to the forefront.
CYBR.SEC.MediaAndy Ellis

Where to follow:

Kelley Misata

Kelley is founder of SightLine Security, an organization that helps nonprofits manage the challenges of cybersecurity. Dave and I are both proud members of her advisory board and she is gearing up to do some frequent blogging on this site. Her appearance on CYBR.SEC.CAST is one of the most popular episodes to date. She also has a powerful origin story that inspires us.

Contributions to CYBR.SEC.Community:

Hunted Online, Rewired for Cybersecurity: How Kelley Misata Turned Trauma Into a Mission
After enduring years of cyberstalking, Kelley Misata transformed personal trauma into a cybersecurity movement, helping nonprofits close dangerous security gaps the industry still doesn’t understand.
CYBR.SEC.MediaBill Brenner
From Cyberstalking to Cybersecurity Leadership: Kelley Misata’s Mission to Protect Nonprofits
In this episode of CYBR.SEC.CAST, the hosts sit down with Dr. Kelley Misata, CEO of Sightline Security, to explore the often-overlooked cybersecurity challenges facing nonprofit organizations.
CYBR.SEC.MediaBill Brenner

Where to follow:

Dustin Sachs

I worked with Dustin at CyberRisk Alliance and he is now a regular contributor to our community. His experience is such that he already made the #FollowFriday list once before. He is currently building PsyberCog Labs, which integrates behavioral science with enterprise-grade cybersecurity so policy becomes practice and the secure choice becomes the easy choice, every day, at scale. You'll be seeing a lot of him on this site.

Contributions to CYBR.SEC.Community:

Doing Cool Stuff with Dr. Dustin Sachs
Dr. Dustin Sachs on why he started Psybercog Labs and how he believes it will help combat burnout and improve the mental health of cyber defenders.
CYBR.SEC.Media, and CYBR.SEC.Media
Five Security Pros Dedicated to the Mental Health of Cyber Defenders
Mental health tools for cybersecurity practitioners have become essential in this age of accelerating cyber warfare. Here are five people who are building those tools.
CYBR.SEC.MediaBill Brenner
Neurohacked: How Stress, Fatigue, & Bias Sabotage Decisions
Learn how stress, fatigue, and cognitive bias derail cyber decisions - and what security teams can do to reduce risk and respond better.
CYBR.SEC.Media, and CYBR.SEC.Media

Where to follow:

Robert "RSnake" Hansen

Robert is CTO at Root Evidence and Managing Director at Grossman Ventures. He has been one of our most popular keynoters and is not afraid to challenge some of the industry's sacred cow lines of thinking. The keynote he gave at HOU.SEC.CON certainly touched a nerve with the audience.

Contributions to CYBR.SEC.Community:

Reflections on the HOU.SEC.CON 2025 CVSS Keynote
CVSS isn’t just a math issue—it’s a cultural one. A call to rethink how the security industry prioritizes vulnerabilities.
CYBR.SEC.MediaRobert Hansen
At the Risk of CVSS
Robert “RSnake” Hansen exposes flaws in CVSS vulnerability scoring and urges a data-driven, ROI-based approach to cybersecurity risk.
CYBR.SEC.Media, and CYBR.SEC.Media
It Sucks to Be First with Robert Hansen
Robert “RSnake” Hansen chats about his new book, AI’s Best Friend, hacking, and his presentation around his research on the CVSS framework.
CYBR.SEC.Media, and CYBR.SEC.Media

Where to follow:

More FollowFriday:

Five Hackers Who Will Rock CYBR.HAK.CON.
Five people worth following – not just because they’re speaking at CYBR.HAK.CON, but because they represent what this community is supposed to be.
CYBR.SEC.MediaBill Brenner
Five Cybersecurity PR Practitioners Who Get It Right
PR people often get a bad rap for their persistence and occasional aggressiveness. But the truth is that they are the connectors, the builders of long-lasting relationships. These five are among the best in cybersecurity.
CYBR.SEC.MediaBill Brenner
Five Security Pros Dedicated to Protecting Critical Infrastructure
Here are five people who are taking the lead in making critical infrastructure more resilient in the face of nation-state attacks.
CYBR.SEC.MediaBill Brenner
Five Security Pros Dedicated to the Mental Health of Cyber Defenders
Mental health tools for cybersecurity practitioners have become essential in this age of accelerating cyber warfare. Here are five people who are building those tools.
CYBR.SEC.MediaBill Brenner
#FollowFriday: Authors Who Entered the AI Storm And Chose Reason Over FUD
The hype over Anthropic Mythos and AI in general has been super-heated. The cybersecurity voices who calmly unpack the details are the ones to follow. Here are some examples.
CYBR.SEC.MediaBill Brenner

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blog

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Security pros often don’t understand why their business won’t accept certain types of solutions. Thus, they can’t articulate those problems to vendors. If both sides can't grasp why existing solutions aren’t organizationally viable, they stand no chance at building better solutions that are viable.

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Dave Lewis, Global Advisory CISO at 1Password, says if you treat identity as your perimeter, you stop caring about where traffic comes from and start caring about who is asking for access, how they proved it, and what they are allowed to do. Here's how to go about it.

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