CyberScoop 50 reveals 2025 winners; honors Amit Yoran with lifetime award
The cybersecurity world stands immeasurably stronger because of the vision, expertise, and leadership of Amit Yoran. Throughout his distinguished career, Amit fundamentally shaped the field of cybersecurity, setting new standards for excellence, innovation, and resilience. We are proud to honor Amit’s life with our first-ever lifetime CyberScoop 50 award.
Amit made an extraordinary impact on the field of cybersecurity through his visionary leadership in both the public and private sectors. As the founding Director of US-CERT and the National Cybersecurity Division at the Department of Homeland Security, he built foundational national defense capabilities against cyber threats. In the private sector, Amit led pioneering companies such as Riptech, NetWitness, and Tenable, driving innovations that helped secure countless organizations and critical infrastructure worldwide. His unique ability to bridge both government and industry advanced the entire cybersecurity landscape and set enduring standards for excellence and protection.
Beyond his executive roles, Amit served on the boards of major industry organizations, including the Center for Internet Security, further broadening his impact across sectors. He was a sought-after voice in the industry, offering thought leadership, expert commentary, and strategic insights that helped define the future of cybersecurity.
One of his most inspiring traits was his authenticity and willingness to speak hard truths in an industry often clouded by hype and avoidance of accountability. Amit was unafraid to call out even the largest and most influential technology companies when they fell short in their cybersecurity responsibilities.
Yet, perhaps the most important part of his legacy was his ability to make every colleague, partner, and peer feel like they were the only person that mattered when he engaged with them. Whether at industry conferences, board meetings, or casual conversations, he brought a moment of genuine warmth and connection to an environment that can often feel impersonal and transactional. In an industry that can be demanding and unforgiving, the humanity Amit showed on a daily basis is the greatest testament to his lasting impact.
Amit Yoran’s name is indelibly linked to the advancement of cybersecurity across the globe. He leaves behind a legacy of innovative solutions, resilient systems, and empowered professionals—all made possible by his drive, vision, and commitment to making the digital world safer for everyone. We are honored to include him in this year’s CyberScoop 50 winners.
Below is the entirety of this year’s winners:
Cybersecurity Visionary
Al Bowden – Deputy CIO, Cyber Operations Bureau of Diplomatic Technology, Dept. of State
Josh “CoCo” Crisp – CISO, Air Force
Yaki Faitelson – Co-Founder, Varonis
Tom Hines – AO, Chief Architect Network & Security, Defense Health Agency
Ami Luttwak – Co-Founder & CTO, Wiz
Adele Merritt – CIO, NIH
Brandon Pugh – Principal Cyber Adviser, U.S. Army
Stephen Schmidt – CSO, Amazon
Ari Schwartz – Managing Director of Cybersecurity Services, Venable LLP
Government Leadership
Gurpreet Bhatia – Principal Director, CIO, Cybersecurity & Deputy CISO, Department of Defense
Alexei Bulazel – Sr. Director for Cyber, National Security Council
Cynthia Carpenter – Director, DIB Operations, Department of Defense
Ryan Higgins – CISO, Dept. of Commerce
Stan Lowe – CISO, Dept. of Interior
Rep. Morgan Lutrell – Congressman, R-Texas
Tahira Mammen – Chief, AI Security Center, NSA
Manny Medrano – Director, Cybersecurity Monitoring & Operations, Dept. of State
Vu Nguyen – CISO, Dept. of Justice
Chris Pymm – Zero Trust Portfolio Manager – Thunderdome Program, DISA
Paul Selby – CISO, Dept. of Energy
Dr. Morgan Stern – Technical Lead, Cryptography, Secure Engineering Solutions Group, Cybersecurity, NSA
Industry Leadership
John Ackerly – CEO, Virtru
Michael Barnhart – Principal I3 Insider Investigator, DTEX Systems
Chris DeRusha – Director, Global Public Sector Compliance, Google
Dave DeWalt – CEO & Founder, NightDragon
Zakir Durumeric – Co-Founder, Censys
Sean Frazier – Federal CSO, Okta
Ken Kartsen – SVP, Public Sector, Trellix
Shawn Kingsberry – VP, Cybersecurity, SAIC
Daniel Kroese – VP, Public Policy & Government Affairs, Palo Alto Networks
Matt Mandrgoc – Head, Public Sector, Zoom
Wen Masters – VP, Cyber Technologies, MITRE
Ryan McArthur – Federal CTO, ZScaler
Adam Meyers – SVP, Head of Counter Adversary Operations, CrowdStrike
Travis Rosiek – Public Sector CTO, Rubrik
Dean Scontras – AVP, U.S. Public Sector, Wiz
Scott Smith – Cybersecurity Practice Lead, Public Sector, EY
Anto Tossounian – GVP, Public Sector, Splunk
Chris Wysopal – Co-Founder & Chief Security Evangelist, Veracode
Most Inspiring Up & Comer
Dakota Cary – China-Focused Consultant, SentinelOne
Casey Dolen – Sr. Policy Advisor, Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity, Office of the National Cyber Director
Kevin Heaney – Cyber Operations Exercise Planner, OCIO, NNSA
Austin Larsen – Principal Cyber Analyst, Google Threat Intelligence Group
Innovation of the Year
Edera Protect – Edera
HQC Post-Quantum Algorithm – NIST
COSMOS: Moving Mission Light Years Ahead – Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific
Constellation – DARPA & U.S. Cyber Command
