We are a speakers bureau dedicated to exceptional customer service. Learn more >

CALL US NOW

1-800-44-SPEAK 1-800-447-7325 1-800-447-7325
  • Home
  • Find a Speaker
  • About
    • Overview
    • Why AEI
    • Our Team
    • Testimonials
    • Industry Terms
  • FAQs
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Sales & Other Inquiries
    • Speaker Representation

Ira Winkler

Cyber Security Expert

Ira Winkler, CISSP is President of Secure Mentem and co-host of The Irari Report. He is considered one of the world’s most influential security professionals, and has been named a “Modern Day James Bond” by the media. He did this by performing espionage simulations, where he physically and technically “broke into” some of the largest companies in the World and investigating crimes against them, and telling them how to cost effectively protect their information and computer infrastructure. He continues to perform these espionage simulations, as well as assisting organizations in developing cost effective security programs. Ira also won the Hall of Fame award from the Information Systems Security Association, as well as several other prestigious industry awards. Most recently, CSO Magazine named Ira a CSO Compass Award winner as The Awareness Crusader.

Ira is also author of the riveting, entertaining, and educational books, Spies Among Us and Zen and the Art of Information Security. He is also a columnist for ComputerWorld, and writes for several other industry publications.

Mr. Winkler has been a keynote speaker at almost every major information security related event, on 6 continents, and has keynoted events in many diverse industries. He is frequently ranked among, if not the, top speakers at the events.

Mr. Winkler began his career at the National Security Agency, where he served as an Intelligence and Computer Systems Analyst. He moved onto support other US and overseas government military and intelligence agencies. After leaving government service, he went on to serve as President of the Internet Security Advisors Group, Chief Security Strategist at HP Consulting, and Director of Technology of the National Computer Security Association. He was also on the Graduate and Undergraduate faculties of the Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland. Mr. Winkler was recently elected the International President of the Information Systems Security Association, which is a 10,000+ member professional association.

Mr. Winkler has also written the book Corporate Espionage, which has been described as the bible of the Information Security field, and the bestselling Through the Eyes of the Enemy. Both books address the threats that companies face protecting their information. He has also written hundreds of professional and trade articles. He has been featured and frequently appears on TV on every continent. He has also been featured in magazines and newspapers including Forbes, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, Planet Internet, and Business 2.0.

Categories: Law and The Judicial System, Security, Social Media, Technology and Science, Terrorism

Show More
To inquire about pricing and availability, please complete the form below.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

View Ira Winkler's

  • videos Videos
  • topics Topics
  • books Books

Videos

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

Topics

  • The Reality of Blockchain

    When you read the hype about blockchain technology, you come away with the opinion that it is somehow going to revolutionize our society. It is the backbone of Bitcoin, which will be the new worldwide currency, and is an investor's dream. Blockchain appears to be the answer for any Internet-related problem. It will provide perfect security. Etc. The reality is that blockchain can be useful for certain applications, but is not the Internet miracle it is being made out to be.

    In this presentation, Ira Winkler discusses, in simple terms, what exactly is blockchain and what it is not. He dispels the myths associated with the technology. Ira goes through common applications of blockchain, and potential future applications. He also talks about how blockchain can improve security concerns. Attendees will come away with an understanding of blockchain and how it relates to their businesses and personal concerns.

  • Beyond the Hype of Terrorism

    Terrorism is in the back of everyone's mind. News reports regularly highlight some aspect of terrorism, whether they are breaking news stories involving the deaths of people or they are just updating the latest uncorroborated threats. People are expected to lead their normal lives, yet they are warned about imminent threats. The government raises the threat level, causing companies and local governments to incur large costs, then we find out that they made a mistake. What should people and companies really do about terrorism? What is the reality beyond the hype? Winkler, a former intelligence analyst with the NSA, who now simulates intelligence acts, who the Wall Street Journal referred to as "One of the few voices of reason" on the subject of terrorism, discusses the reality of terrorism, and describes what actions people and companies should really take in response to the terrorist threat.

  • If You Tweet What You Have For Lunch You Deserve To Be Robbed.

    Social networking has become a blessing and a curse for organizations around the world. While it can be used to promote an organization, all too frequently it acts against you. Your employees unknowingly give out damaging information. For example, an Israeli military operation had to be cancelled, when a soldier posted a pending raid on his Facebook page. A web design company was seriously embarrassed when one of its employees casually tweeted that he was working on a campaign page for a politician who had not actually announced he was running for office. Both the company and candidate suffered damage. This presentation highlights the dangers that organizations face from Social Networking and provides methods for preventing losses.

  • Risk Management: Security as a Cost Benefit to the Business

    Spies are unstoppable geniuses who can steal any information they want. You are at their mercy. Then there are the spy wannabes such as criminals, hackers, and even your employees, all with similar diabolical reputations. However as good as spies are in stealing your information, they are as good as protecting their information. After all, people know who the spies are and target them back. While some spy cases hit the newspapers they are rare when compared with all the people out to get them. The fact is that they know the underlying ways to compromise information, so they know best how to protect immense amounts of information. Winkler uses actual cases of espionage, including those where he personally "stole" billions of dollars of information, taken over banks, etc., to demonstrate the most cost effective security programs for your organization.

  • Social Engineering: The Most Common Threat to Your Organization

    Social Engineering has recently been listed as the most common threat to business. While people most commonly use the term to describe non-technical ways to circumvent computer security, Ira Winkler believes that Social Engineering is used much more widely than that, costing businesses even more than what they believe. Winkler received training in Human Elicitation from the Intelligence Community, and looks at Social Engineering as a science, vice and art as portrayed by computer hackers. This is an extreme difference in that if Social Engineering is a science, it can be prevented despite the supposed "expertise" of the perpetrators; whether they are supposed world class hackers or foreign intelligence operatives. Winkler uses his own cases of Social Engineering and Human Intelligence collection to show how he took over banks and compromised some of the largest companies in the world. He then goes on to discuss how to protect your business from social engineering, not just your computers.

  • Zen and the Art of Cybersecurity

    The biggest problem in corporate information security is the people performing the work. I have found that there are people outside the security field, and even many people inside the field, who think they know what they need to know about security but clearly don't. Additionally, some people know a great deal about one aspect of security, but are woefully weak in other aspects and don't know it (or want to know it). Because of this phenomenon, most organizations have a very false sense of security. Using entertaining analogies from martial arts and psychology, this presentation discusses this critical security failing. Attendees will learn how to tell if they are dealing with people who are properly skilled, and how to plan their security programs accordingly.

  • Learning From the Intelligence Community

    When you consider what Intelligence professionals go through, security professionals have it easy. Think about it -- intelligence collectors have to go out and collect random information that is generally known to be valuable and therefore very well protected. Counterintelligence professionals are responsible for protecting their information and computers from people and organizations with unlimited resources. However in the grand scheme of things, there are extremely few compromises of intelligence data given the comparable threats that are out there targeting the intelligence agencies. There are clearly lessons that can be taken from the intelligence field and applied to the corporate information security environment. Join Ira Winkler, a world-renowned security expert who has worked for and with a variety of intelligence agencies around the world, to discuss what he has found to be the most practical lessons security professionals can learn from the intelligence profession. Winkler will discuss: - The Intelligence Process - The Counterintelligence Process - The Types of Intelligence and Intelligence Analysis - Applying Intelligence Techniques to Security Programs

Books

    Zen and the Art of Information Security
Zen and the Art of Information Security

While security is generally perceived to be a complicated and expensive process, Zen and the Art of Information Security makes security understandable to the average person in a completely non-technical, concise, and entertaining format. Through the use of analogies and just plain common sense, readers see through the hype and become comfortable taking very simple actions to secure themselves. Even highly technical people have misperceptions about security concerns and will also benefit from Ira Winklers experiences making security understandable to the business world. Mr. Winkler is one of the most popular and highly rated speakers in the field of security, and lectures to tens of thousands of people a year. Zen and the Art of Information Security is based on one of his most well received international presentations.

You can purchase this book here

  Spies Among Us: How to Stop the Spies, Terrorists, Hackers, and Criminals You Don't Even Know You Encounter Every Day
Spies Among Us: How to Stop the Spies, Terrorists, Hackers, and Criminals You Don't Even Know You Encounter Every Day

Required reading by counterintelligence warrant officers in training at the U.S. Army Intelligence Center, Spies Among Us is a primer into the basic principles of intelligence operations. Spies Among Us is divided into three parts. Part I discusses the fundamental concepts of the intelligence process, espionage, and crime. Part II explores the details of some notable penetration tests conducted by Mr. Winkler and his colleagues as well as some real-world cases of high- level crime and espionage. Finally, Part III describes the simple countermeasures that can be used to reduce both individual and corporate vulnerabilities to various threats.

You can purchase this book here

Corporate Espionage: What It Is, Why It's Happening in Your Company, What You Must Do About It
Corporate Espionage: What It Is, Why It's Happening in Your Company, What You Must Do About It

Companies pay Ira Winkler top dollar to expose the weaknesses of their own information security. This is how they learn from their mistakes. Now you can, too. The real-life case histories he shares here read like spy thrillers, but they serve a larger purpose: they uncover what you need to know to protect your documents & your company from prying eyes. Learn how to bulletproof your business from this former National Security Agency expert. He gives insight into the problems facing companies in todays electronic world & gives solutions to protecting your corporate information.

You can purchase this book here

Featured & New to AEI

Jesse Leon

Jesse Leon

Kian Gohar

Kian Gohar

Mathew Knowles

Mathew Knowles

Kenneth Feinberg

Kenneth Feinberg

President Carlos Alvarado Quesada

President Carlos Alvarado Quesada

Ambassador Rodrigo Carazo

Ambassador Rodrigo Carazo

Amy Myers Jaffe

Amy Myers Jaffe

Xavier Cooper

Xavier Cooper

Sophia Kianni

Sophia Kianni

Dr. Will Miller

Dr. Will Miller

Kaihan Krippendorff

Kaihan Krippendorff

Liz Kwo

Liz Kwo

Princess Sarah Culberson

Princess Sarah Culberson

Mike Hayes

Mike Hayes

Eric Frohardt

Eric Frohardt

Talee Vang

Talee Vang

Kate Roberts

Kate Roberts

Charles Waters

Charles Waters

Lieutenant Colonel Oakland McCulloch

Lieutenant Colonel Oakland McCulloch

Kahlil Greene

Kahlil Greene

Brandon Fleming

Brandon Fleming

Candacy Taylor

Candacy Taylor

David Atkins

David Atkins

Jared Bowen

Jared Bowen

Chloe Carmichael

Chloe Carmichael

John Foley

John Foley

Niki Spears

Niki Spears

Amelia Rose Earhart

Amelia Rose Earhart

Kyle Schwartz

Kyle Schwartz

Michael Apkon

Michael Apkon

Need Help?

Call us at 617-782-3111 or fill out this form and we will get back to you promptly!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Quick Links

  • About AEI
  • Our Process
  • FAQs
  • Our Team
  • Blog

Find a Speaker

Contact Info

Address
AEI Speakers Bureau
300 Western Avenue, Suite 2
Allston, MA 02134

Phone
1-800-44-SPEAK
1-617-782-3111

Email
staff@aeispeakers.com

© 2023 American Entertainment International Speakers Bureau, Inc. Privacy Policy
Booking a Speaker for an In-Person, Virtual, or Hybrid Event?We Can Help!