To recognize the individuals driving the transformation of cybersecurity in the United States, The Cyber Express, in collaboration with Suraksha Catalyst, proudly presents the Top 100 Cybersecurity Leaders in the U.S. This initiative celebrates the visionaries and changemakers who are shaping a safer, more resilient digital future for the nation. Cybersecurity today stands as one of the most critical pillars of U.S. national security. With technology deeply embedded in every industry—from finance to healthcare and energy—the role of cybersecurity professionals has become vital in defending the systems that power modern life. These Top 100 cybersecurity leaders in the U.S. are not only tackling today’s threats but also anticipating the challenges of tomorrow.

U.S. Cybersecurity Leaders Driving Change

In recent years, the U.S. government has intensified its focus on cybersecurity, reflecting the growing scale of digital risks. The overall estimated cybersecurity spending at U.S. CFO Act Agencies for fiscal year 2025 is projected to exceed $13 billion, while non-CFO Act agencies are allocating around $674 million. Among federal departments, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) leads with $3.2 billion in cybersecurity spending, followed by the Department of the Treasury with $1.2 billion. These investments are driven by lessons learned from high-impact incidents such as the Colonial Pipeline attack in 2021 and other major supply chain breaches that exposed vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure. Such events have emphasized the importance of continuous vigilance, rapid response, and cross-sector collaboration. Through this top 100 cybersecurity leaders in the U.S. list, The Cyber Express and Suraksha Catalyst aim to spotlight the individuals who are addressing cybersecurity challenges in the United States, head-on. These top 100 cybersecurity leaders in the U.S. represent government, private enterprises, academia, and research institutions. Each of them has made a unique contribution to building a secure digital ecosystem, whether through policy, innovation, defense strategy, or public awareness.

Top 100 Cybersecurity Leaders in the U.S.

The work of top 100 cybersecurity leaders in the U.S. reminds us that cybersecurity is not just about technology—it’s about people. The dedication, expertise, and leadership of top 100 cybersecurity leaders in the U.S. continue to inspire progress and safeguard the digital frontier of the United States. Here is the full list of Top 100 Cybersecurity Leaders in the U.S.:

Name	Designation	Company
Matthew Rosenquist	CISO and Cybersecurity Strategist	Mercury Risk and Compliance, Inc
Kris Virtue	VP Cybersecurity	Qualcomm
Joe Suareo, CISA	CISO, VP Information Security	Restaurant Brands International Inc. (RBI)
Seema Patel	CISO	Maricopa County
Monica Keeneth	CISO	Inovalon
Nick Lovrien, CPP	Chief Global Security officer-Vice President	Meta Platforms Inc (Facebook)
David Dunn	CISO	Kroll
Jamie Giroux	CISO	Platinum Equity
Matt Martin	CISO/ Director IT	Sidley Austin LLP
Stacey S. Smith	VP, CISO	Gainwell Technologies
Sai Iyer	CISO	Ziff Davis
Harsha Reddy	Head of information security	Veterinary Emergency Group LLC (VEG)
Preetham Nayak	CISO	OVT
Joshy Alappat	CISO	Oncouse Home Solutions
Prakash Kalaiah	Head of Security	Enphase Energy
Dave Martin	Chief Security Officer	ADP
Donna Hart	CISO	Ally Financial Inc
Chris Hastings	Information Security Leader	American Family Insurance
Paul Conlon	CISO, VP of IT infrastructure and Operations	Aptiv
Bashar Abouseido	SVP, CISO	Charles Schwab
Kurt John	CISO	Consolidated Edison Company
John Dickson	VP, CISO	Colonial Pipeline Company
Hilik Kotler	SVP, CISO and IT	Expedia
Niraj Patel	VP and CISO	Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
Steve Grossman	CISO	National Basketball Association (NBA)
Tod Mitchinson	VP, Chief Information Security Officer	New York Life Insurance Company
Alexandria S. (Alexandria San Miguel)	Head of information security	CHANEL
Daniel Nuñez	CISO	New York City Employees' Retirement System
David Spizzirro	CISO	InvestCloud, Inc
Nick Vigier	CISO	Oscar Health Insurance
George Stathakopoulos	VP of Corporate Information Security	Apple
Jerry Geisler	EVP & Global CISO	Walmart
Peter Rosario	CISO	USI Insurance Services
Liza (Mermegas) Russell	CISO, Consumer Banking & Payments	Barclays
Jeffrey Walker	CSO	International Flavors & Fragrances
Kylie Watson	CISO	Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation.
Brian Wilkins	VP & CISO	TradeStation
Mahmood Khan	SVP & Global Chief Information Security Officer	CNA Insurance
Ken Athanasiou	VP, CISO	VF Corporation
Brad Jones	CISO	Snowflake
Amit Basu	VP, CIO & CISO	International Seaways, Inc.
Stephen Luterman	CTIO	ExodusPoint Capital Management, LP
Nick Sherwood	CISO	Moody's Corporation
Lauren Dana	VP, CISO	PSEG
Sohaib Syeed Ahmed	AVP	First National Financial
Thomas Mager	CISO	Springer Nature Group
Patricia "Patty" Voight	Executive Managing Director; CISO and Tech Risk Management	Webster Bank
Tammy Klotz	CISO	Trinseo
Donna Ross	CISO	Radian
Rob Suárez	VP.& CISO	CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
Dr. Elizabeth Di Bene	CISO	Loudoun County Government
Vivek Kumar	Global CISO	Alter Domus
Andrew Cal	CISO	WestCap
Jay B. Mody	CISO & Head of IT Infrastructure	Chimera Investment Corporation
Phani Dasari	CISO	HGS - Hinduja Global Solutions
Abie George John	CISO	Halliburton
Parthasarathi Chakraborty	VP, Global Head of Security Engineering	Broadridge
Vivek S. Menon	CISO & Head of Data	Digital Turbine
Yogesh Badwe	Chief Security Officer	Druva
Sangram Dash	CISO and VP of IT	Sisense
Mahesh A.	CISO and Data Officer	Hidden Road
Rohan Singla	CISO	ChargePoint
Anurana Saluja	VP (CISO) - Global Head of Information Security, Privacy & Business Continuity	Sutherland
Chirag Shah	Global Information Security Officer & DPO	Model N
Navarasu Dhanasekar	CISO	Schneider Electric Digital Grid
Vasanth Madhure	CISO	Couchbase
Josh Stabiner	CISO	Vista Equity Partners
Chanda Dutta	Head of Information Security	William Blair
Brian Redler	SVP, CISO	Penguin Random House
James Anderson	CISO	Genworth Financial
Jim Desmond	SVP, Chief Security Officer	Asurion
Jerry Kowalski	CISO	Jefferies
Carl Scaffidi	Chief Information Security Officer - Senior Vice President	Vystar Credit Union
Jody Jenkins	VP & CISO	Catalent Pharma Solutions
Lilian Seidaros	CISO and Vice President, IT Infrastructure	360insights.com
Zeeshan Sheikh	SVP, Chief Information & Digital Officer	PSEG
Brian L.	Director, Amazon Security - Global, Media & Entertainment & Ads	Amazon Prime Video & Studios.
Martin Thibodeau	SVP &CIO	RONA
George Michalitsianos	VP & CISO	Ansell
Nalin Narayanam	Chief Information Officer and CISO	AdaptHealth
Manmohan Singh	Assistant Vice President - Information Security & Deputy CISO	UT Southwestern Medical Center
Milan Parikh	Global Head, Infrastructure, Security and Network	PTC Therapeutics
Nitin Raina	SVP, Chief Information Security Officer	Thoughtworks
Parthiv Shah	Chief Information Security Officer, SVP	Customer Bank
Mohana Balakrishnan	CISO & CTO	Schools Insurance Authority: SIA
Devon Bryan	Global Chief Security Officer	Booking Holdings Inc
Avi Ben-Menahem	CISO	NYDIG
Bala Rajagopalan	Managing Director, Global CISO	TradeWeb Markets
Jigar Shah	Chief Information Security Officer	Medusind
Gautam Nijhawan	Head of CyberSecurity	Eikon Therapeutics
Charan Singh	Chief Information Security Officer	Zelis
Upendra Mardikar	Chief Information Security Officer	TIAA
Raja Eswar	Chief Information Security Officer	State of California
Rohit Rajpara	CISO	Goldman Sachs Advisor Solutions
Chander M	CISO and CTO	Lazydays
Anupma Bhatia	Head of Information Security	TRANZACT
Vikas Mahajan	VP & CISO	American Red Cross
Stephen Harrison	SVP, CISO	MGM Resorts International
David Shaw	CISO	Transact Campus

 

China has leveled a cyberattack accusation against the United States, claiming Washington orchestrated the 2020 hack of the LuBian mining pool and later seized 127,000 Bitcoin—worth about $13 billion—under the guise of law enforcement. The claim, made by China’s National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center (CVERC), adds a new layer to escalating cyber tensions between the two countries. The agency alleges that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) used “state-level hacking tools” to steal and control the stolen cryptocurrency before officially announcing its seizure in 2025.

CVERC Claims State-Level Hacking

According to the CVERC report, the 2020 LuBian mining pool hack was not a typical criminal incident but a state-sponsored cyber operation. Attackers drained over 127,000 BTC from LuBian’s hot wallets in December 2020. The stolen funds stayed inactive for nearly four years before moving to new blockchain addresses in mid-2024. The U.S. DOJ later claimed the Bitcoin was linked to Chen Zhi, chairman of Cambodia’s Prince Group, who was charged with crypto-related fraud. However, Beijing argues the movement patterns of the coins and the delayed action suggest a coordinated government operation rather than criminal activity.

U.S. Denies the Cyberattack Accusation

The U.S. Department of Justice has denied any wrongdoing, describing the Bitcoin seizure as lawful asset forfeiture tied to ongoing anti-money laundering investigations. Officials maintain that all actions followed legal channels and were not connected to any cyberattack accusation. CVERC, however, disputes this version of events, calling the seizure a “double cross.” It claims the U.S. government used its law enforcement agencies as cover for a cyber operation. The report also highlights the unusual four-year dormancy of the stolen assets, which it says is inconsistent with typical hacker behavior.

Weak Wallets Led to the 2020 Breach

The report also pointed to major technical flaws in LuBian’s security setup. Instead of using a 256-bit random number generator, LuBian reportedly relied on a 32-bit pseudo-random algorithm, making its private keys easy to brute-force. This vulnerability—similar to the MilkSad flaw (CVE-2023-39910)—allowed attackers to breach over 5,000 wallets in just hours. The stolen coins, worth $3.5 billion at the time, stayed untouched until 2024, when they were allegedly transferred to wallets later controlled by the U.S. government.

A New Flashpoint in U.S.-China Cyber Relations

The China cyberattack accusation highlights growing geopolitical friction over technology and digital assets. The seized Bitcoin represents around 0.65% of the total Bitcoin supply, a significant sum with the potential to impact global markets if further disputes arise. While the U.S. has yet to formally respond to the latest claims, the case highlights how cybersecurity and cryptocurrency enforcement are becoming increasingly intertwined with international diplomacy. For now, both sides are standing firm: Beijing sees the seizure as a state-level hack, while Washington continues to frame it as a legitimate law enforcement action.