Winn Schwartau

Winn Schwartau is a cybersecurity theoretician, author, and futurist with a career spanning more than four decades in information security. Schwartau has been a prominent expert on information security, infrastructure protection, and electronic privacy since 1983. He introduced the phrase "Electronic Pearl Harbor" before Congress, illustrating the potential for identity theft, cyber-espionage, nation-state hacking, and cyber terrorism to become significant global threats. Commodore Pat Tyrrell OBE of the Royal Navy, UK, referred to Schwartau as "The Civilian Architect of Information Warfare."

Schwartau's publications have been influential in the cybersecurity industry. His book "Information Warfare" explored cyberwar and cyber-terrorism. The novel "Terminal Compromise" depicted a cyber-terrorist attack on the United States using 1980s technology and was later updated as "Pearl Harbor Dot Com." In "Time Based Security," Schwartau introduced a framework for measuring security in network protection. "Analogue Network Security" combined analog and digital security concepts and was recognized by Cyber Defense Magazine as "The Best Cybersecurity Book of All Time." His book "The Art & Science of Metawar" examines conflict in the metaverse, focusing on reality distortion, disinformation, and immersive technologies in digital battlegrounds.

Schwartau founded InfoWarCon and The Security Awareness Company and served as executive producer of the documentary "Hackers Are People Too." He has testified before Congress, advised committees, and consulted as an expert witness in information security. Schwartau has appeared on television programs including Larry King, Nightline, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNBC, and has been featured in documentaries on Discovery Channel, A&E, History, and BBC.

Schwartau has received industry recognition such as SC Magazine's Top 20 Industry Pioneers, Security Magazine's 25 Most Influential, and Network World's Power Thinker. He is a Fellow at the Royal Society of the Arts, a Distinguished Fellow at the Ponemon Institute, and an inductee in the ISSA International Security Hall of Fame. Schwartau received the Lifetime Achievement Award at DefCon XXXI and holds a U.S. patent for time-based security. He has been recognized as a top-rated speaker at the RSA Conference. Schwartau is known for making complex cybersecurity topics accessible, contributing to the ongoing discourse on digital security and the future of technology.