Eric O'Neill

Eric O'Neill is a former FBI counterintelligence and counterterrorism operative, attorney, and cybersecurity expert recognized for his work in national security. O'Neill began his FBI career as a "Ghost," an undercover field operative responsible for surveilling and monitoring foreign, national, and domestic terrorists and spies. He later transitioned to direct undercover assignments, engaging targets to gather critical information for espionage investigations.

O'Neill played a key role in the capture of Robert Hanssen, one of the most notorious spies in American history, who provided classified information to the Soviet Union and Russia. During the Hanssen investigation, O'Neill worked undercover within the FBI's Information Assurance Division, which safeguards classified FBI intelligence. He retrieved Hanssen's Palm Pilot, which contained evidence essential for Hanssen's arrest and conviction. These events inspired the dramatic thriller "Breach," which depicts the security breach case.

After his FBI service, O'Neill pursued a career in law and private security. He served as a senior associate in the Government Contracts Group at DLA Piper US LLP, general counsel of Global Communities, and co-founded The Georgetown Group and the Schiltron Group. An honors graduate of Auburn University and The George Washington University School of Law, O'Neill established The Georgetown Group, an investigative and security consultancy in Washington, D.C., specializing in counterintelligence operations, economic espionage, cybersecurity, AI-driven threats, and security risk assessment. He also founded Nexasure AI, a cybersecurity advisory firm focused on bridging business and technology.

O'Neill is the author of "Gray Day," a memoir, and "Spies, Lies and Cybercrime," a national bestseller on cybersecurity and cybercrime prevention. He is featured in episode 4 of Smithsonian Channel's series "Spy Wars." O'Neill has shared his expertise in national media, including appearances on "20/20," "Nightline," "Hardball with Chris Matthews," CNN, C-SPAN's "Washington Journal," and NPR's "Fresh Air with Terry Gross."

As a keynote speaker, O'Neill addresses topics such as espionage, national security, cybersecurity, fraud, corporate diligence, hacking, AI-generated deepfakes, ransomware, and dark web criminal networks. His clients include Acronis, AT&T, Dell, FedEx, Honeywell, McKinsey, Salesforce, and global associations.