Even though website owners always collaborate with 3rd party tools when creating and managing their website, they still react with suspicion to the idea of having these 3rd parties involved in their business, and for solid reasons. Frequent and devastating Magecart attacks have turned the notion of 3rd parties into their (and their customers’) worst nightmare. JavaScript-based supply chain attacks, many in the form of Formjacking, put website owners and users at great risk.
But sometimes, getting external players involved is nothing but positive, especially when they happen to be the world’s leading experts on cybersecurity, who specialize in website data breaches and can provide useful insights and knowledge to help prevent or mitigate the next attack.
The security leaders listed below (in random order) offer a fresh perspective and new solutions based on years of experience and are worth following on their various active channels.
1. Mikko Hypponen
Bio: A global security researcher and advisor who wrote for the New York Times and lectured at Stanford, Oxford, and Cambridge.
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, his website
By the numbers: 191K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: Hypponen tweets about all things tech, with a strong focus on security breaches. Follow him and he’ll let you know which websites were recently attacked and why.
2. Robert Herjavec
Bio: Robert is a successful entrepreneur who built (and sold!) numerous companies in the IT field. He founded the Herjavec Group and turned it into an industry leader
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, his website
By the numbers: 797K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: Herjavec tweets about life as a security entrepreneur and is a great source of inspiration to others who strive to make it in this field.
3. Katie Moussouris
Bio: Moussouris is a security researcher with a unique approach. She founded the Bug Bounty program at Microsoft and at the U.S. Department of Defense, and is the founder and CEO of Luta Security.
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, her website
By the numbers: 73K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: Follow Moussouris on Twitter to get a glimpse of the hectic lifestyle of an entrepreneur and a hacker.
4. Brian Krebs
Bio: A former Washington Post journalist, Krebs writes about cybercrime as an independent investigative journalist, which is probably as cool as it gets.
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, his website
By the numbers: 250K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: The man can write! Krebs manages to dive deep into cybersecurity even in his tweets, with stories that progress and unfold to reveal more and more exciting information.
5. Graham Cluley
Bio: A well-known, award-winning blogger, researcher, speaker, and podcaster, who was inducted into the Infosecurity Europe Hall of Fame. Cluley founded the Naked Security blog and held senior roles at Sophos and McAfee.
Active channels: Cluley is active on Twitter, LinkedIn , his website, Smashing Security Podcast
By the numbers: 82K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: Cluley discusses cybercrimes, such as the latest attack on British Airways’ website, and was even a guest on our Mitigating Magecart Attacks – Why Real-Time Prevention is your Best Option webinar!
6. Eugene Kaspersky
Bio: Kaspersky has been living and breathing computer security for a quarter of a century and is a key figure in the good fight against malware.
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, his website
By the numbers: 178K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: Kaspersky uncovers security vulnerabilities in detail, such as this new iKeychain hack.
7. Dr. Magda Chelly
Bio: Dr. Chelly defines herself as a cyberfeminist! The founder of Women in Cyber is also a hacker and an advisor at the Responsible Cyber initiative.
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, her website
By the numbers: 6K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: In case you haven’t noticed, the cyber arena is a rather masculine one. In addition to being a brilliant tech expert, Dr. Chelly helps represent the important voice of women in cyber in both her work and social presence.
8. Bill Brenner
Bio: Research director at IANS and an avid writer who previously served as the managing editor for CSO Magazine and CSO Online.
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, his website
By the numbers: 17K Twitter followers.
What: Brenner tweets about the latest cyber news and blogs about life with OCD.
9. Daniel Miessler
Bio: Miessler’s cyber experience spans over two decades and includes technical assessments and executive advisory.
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, his website
By the numbers: 80K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: Following Miessler will enrich your day with a solid mix of retweets by other industry professionals, honest opinions, and news about cyber, tech, and beyond.
10. Jack Daniel
Bio: Daniel co-founded the Security BSides community, which organizes worldwide open security conferences that combine structured events with grass-roots ones.
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, his podcast
By the numbers: 55K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: Daniel’s tweets, just like the man behind them, are funny and insightful. His feed includes (but is not limited to) lots of tech-related updates.
11. Kevin Mitnick
Bio: Mitnick’s hacking days inspired movies and books, and have earned him a place in the FBI’s most-wanted list, as well as on the advisory board of several Fortune 500 companies worldwide.
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, his website
By the numbers: 231K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: Follow Mitnick’s world travels and his views on cybersecurity in particular and tech in general. His comments on the security vulnerabilities of well-known companies are straightforward and based on personal experience, having hacked into over 40 major corporations.
12. Paul Asadoorian
Bio: The Founder and CTO of the Security Weekly podcast network, Asadoorian knows everyone in the industry and isn’t afraid to say whatever is on his mind.
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube
By the numbers: 63K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: On his video-packed Twitter feed you’ll find interviews with key figures in cybersecurity, live updates from conferences and plenty of inside scoops.
13. Byron Acohido
Bio: Previously a tech reporter and producer for USA Today, and forever a Pulitzer-winning journalist, Acohido is responsible for one of the leading cyber websites – The Last Watchdog.
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, his website
By the numbers: 5K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: Acohido’s social channels focus on distributing content from his blog, which includes in-depth reviews of verticals, technologies, and more.
14. Kevin Beaumont
Bio: Beaumont was voted “Best EU Security Tweeter” at Infosec and if that’s not reason enough to follow him, his two decades of security experience will do the trick.
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, his website
By the numbers: 52K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: Get the behind-the-scenes tour of every security enthusiast’s dreams, with entertaining tweets and serious reviews.
15. Eric Vanderburg
Bio: Vanderburg is the VP of Cybersecurity at TCDI and Vice Chairman of the BOD at the Technology Ministry Network. He also published several books about cybersecurity and is a regular opinion leader on the subject for major publications.
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, his website
By the numbers: 59K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: It’s clear that Eric considers his social channels to play a serious role in his career, as he Tweets frequently and with careful thought. The result is enough to keep anyone well-informed.
16. Bruce Schneier
Who: Nicknamed “The Security Guru”, Schneier is a best-selling author, a Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, a special advisor to IBM Security, and so much more.
Active channels: Twitter, his website, TED, The Guardian
By the numbers: 114K Twitter followers, 250K newsletter subscribers
What you’ll find: With tweets that are short and impactful, Schneier will keep you posted on the latest breaches, technologies, and insights. He tweets and blogs daily, so stay tuned.
17. Willem de Groot
Bio: In his Twitter bio, Willem describes himself as a “malware hunter”, and indeed he is. With a background in research and a passion for online privacy, de Groot is one hidden social media gem.
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, his website
By the numbers: 2.5K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: De Groot keeps a close eye on the security arena and provides a point of view that is tech-heavy and meant for true professionals.
18. Rodolfo Assis
Bio: Nicknamed “Brute Logic,” Assis is a Brazilian hacker and information security researcher focused on Cross-Site Scripting.
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, his website
By the numbers: 26K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), is currently one of the most common web security issues, and Assis’ feed is a great source for detailed information on this topic.
19. Brian Honan
Bio: Honan is an information security expert who advises private companies and public institutes, including the related European Commission.
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn
By the numbers: 30K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: Honan’s feed will keep you posted on all things information security, as he tweets and retweets the latest news and updates.
20. Troy Hunt
Bio: Hunt is an Information Security Author & Instructor at Pluralsight and the creator of “Have I Been Pwned,” the aggregation service that provides users with information regarding their exposure to data breaches.
Active channels: Twitter, LinkedIn, his website
By the numbers: 127K Twitter followers.
What you’ll find: As someone who specializes in educating people, Hunt keeps his IoT security-focused social channels and blog informative and digestible.
Bonus: Dave DeWalt
Bio: Following DeWalt is not easy, as he isn’t very socially active, but no influencers’ list would be complete without him. DeWalt was a member of Obama’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Council and is an advisor and chairman at dozens of companies, as well as the former President and CEO of McAfee.
Active channels: LinkedIn
By the numbers: While DeWalt is not active on Twitter, he is on the BOD of more than 15 different companies.
What you’ll find: As Keynote Speaker at many cybersecurity events, DeWalt discusses the industry’s growth and challenges, from both a technology and a business perspective.
Any technology field requires professionals to remain up to date on new innovations, but when it comes to security and the perpetual race between hackers and those who battle them – it is an absolute must. Following the above-listed experts is not all you have to do to stay on top of things, but it’s a great place to start and a good way to keep up recent trends and new dangers. We hope that the pros on our list never tweet about your company’s security vulnerabilities!
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