Cyber Threat Alliance†(CTA), a nonprofit organization working to improve the cybersecurity of the global digital ecosystem, announced the joining of three new member companies, in addition to the election of three directors to the 2019 CTA Board of Directors.
NETSCOUT Arbor, the security division of NETSCOUT; Panda Security; and SecureBrain Corporation, a Hitachi Systems company, have all joined CTA, bringing CTA’s membership to 23 companies from across the cybersecurity industry. These companies have joined together to share timely, actionable, and contextualized threat information and enable improved defenses against advanced cyber adversaries.
“We are very excited to welcome three new contributing members to CTA, and for the opportunities this presents for all our members to continue to grow our data sharing capabilities,” said Michael Daniel, President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CTA. “On average, our members are sharing two to three million indicators of compromise each month, with most submissions including useful contextual information, such as malware name or actor techniques. This level of sharing is a tremendous achievement for CTA, as in two years, we’ve nearly quadrupled our membership and have steadily increased our sharing to include more and more context and intelligence.”
Michael McNerney, Product Manager in Cyber Threat Intelligence at NETSCOUT Arbor, stated, “Our mission to protect the infrastructure and ecosystem of the internet parallels CTA’s mission to improve the cybersecurity of the global digital ecosystem, and we look forward to engaging with the other CTA members in furtherance of our goals. Our expertise with network traffic and DDoS protections, combined with our visibility into global network traffic, will bring a valuable perspective to CTA and we expect our contributions to help diversify the information sharing at CTA, leading to better protections for all.”
“At Panda Security, our mission is to protect our customers against malware and non-malware attacks, and we believe that participating in this alliance and sharing data with all of these members will help us continue in our efforts to develop and leverage insights and actionable intelligence to protect our customers,” said Juan Santamar√≠a Uriarte, CEO, Panda Security. “With this Alliance, we are sure to establish productive relationships that will allow us to improve our products and services. The United States is a hugely important country in our expansion strategy, and we are building on the presence we already enjoy through our offices there.”
Motoaki Yamamura, Chief Operating Officer of SecureBrain Corporation, commented, “Our efforts are focused on protecting our customers against cybercrime, including Japanese-specific online fraud and malware attacks. We look forward to being able to share intelligence and context with our peers, both in Japan and globally, to continue in our efforts to develop solutions against the latest cyber threats.”
In addition to welcoming its newest members, CTA also welcomes two new affiliate member directors, John Petrie, CEO of NTT Security Americas, and Joe Levy, Chief Technology Officer of Sophos, and one returning affiliate member director, Corey Thomas, President and CEO of Rapid7, to the 2019 CTA Board of Directors. Petrie, Levy, and Thomas join the board following the second annual election for seats on the Board of Directors that are reserved for affiliate member representatives. These positions are elected by CTA member peers and join the charter members’ directors on the board.
The directors will join Gil Shwed, CEO, Check Point Software Technologies Ltd, Matt Watchinski, Vice President TALOS, Cisco Systems, Inc., Ken Xie, Founder, Chairman of the Board, and CEO, Fortinet, Inc., Grant Bourzikas, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), McAfee, LLC., Amit Singh, President, Palo Alto Networks, and Gregory Clark, CEO and Director, Symantec Corporation for the 2019 term. Thomas of Rapid7 will serve his second year on the board, having served for the 2018 term.
“Our Board of Directors has been instrumental in growing CTA from the six founding members at incorporation to now 23 members, and counting. The board has been vital in helping us expand our geographic footprint and the breadth and diversity of the data sharing and collaboration among our members,” said Michael Daniel, President and CEO of the CTA. “The addition of John Petrie and Joe Levy to the Board, along with the return of Corey Thomas for a second term, will add to the depth and experience of the board. We look forward to their contributions over the next year.”
Commenting on the new CTA appointment, John Petrie said, “It’s an honor to be selected for CTA’s Board of Directors. The mission to improve the digital ecosystem through constantly improving threat awareness is critical for future economic and social development, and consistent with how we support our clients every day.”
A well-respected and trusted senior technology executive in the cybersecurity industry, John has been with NTT Security since 2016 and, prior to his current role as CEO Americas, was Global CISO where he was responsible for the overall global information strategy and the management of the information security management system.
“In today’s complex cybersecurity landscape, the work of the CTA is more critical than ever before,” says Corey Thomas, President and CEO of Rapid7. “I am delighted to serve on the board for a second year and look forward to collaborating and sharing threat-related information with other industry leaders in an effort to better protect organizations from cybersecurity risks.”
In addition to being President and CEO of Rapid7, Thomas is also a member of the Rapid7 board of directors and the board of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, serving on its audit and health care quality and affordability committees. Thomas has more than 15 years of experience in leading companies to the next stage of growth and innovation. Rapid7 has been a member of CTA since 2017.
“Collaboration amongst cybersecurity researchers and vendors has the potential to greatly enhance the way our industry operates and innovates, ultimately providing better security for all. When vendors can evolve from independent operation, to the efficient sharing of threat data, to the sharing of ideas and strategies within a trusted forum, we can more effectively manage some of the bigger challenges facing us,” said Levy. “I, along with Sophos, welcome the opportunity to continue to drive collaboration within cybersecurity, and I look forward to actively participating in the coming chapters of our alliance’s maturation.”
Levy brings more than 25 years of IT security industry leadership to CTA. As CTO at Sophos, Levy leads the company’s technology strategy worldwide, driving product vision and innovation to both advance and simplify cybersecurity. He has participated in various industry certification and design consortiums and has devoted his career to designing and shipping products and services to make information systems more secure. Sophos joined CTA in 2017.
