Amit Yoran

Amit Yoran
Yoran in 2024
Born(1970-12-01)December 1, 1970
New York City, U.S.
DiedJanuary 3, 2025(2025-01-03) (aged 54)
Great Falls, Virginia, U.S.
EducationUnited States Military Academy (BS)
George Washington University (MS)
Known forCEO of Tenable, Inc.
SpouseCatherine Lotrionte
Children3

Amit Yoran (December 1, 1970 – January 3, 2025) was an American businessman, most notable as the chief executive officer of Tenable, Inc. from January 2017 to December 2024. He was also a member of the board of directors of the Center for Internet Security.[1]

Early life

Yoran was born in New York City on December 1, 1970,[2][3] to Israeli emigrants who arrived in the 1960s.[4] He obtained a B.S. in computer science from the United States Military Academy and served as one of the founding members of the US Department of Defense's Computer Emergency Response Team. He received a M.S. in computer security from George Washington University.[1]

Career

In April 1998, during the dot-com bubble, along with his two brothers and Tim Belcher, Yoran co-founded Riptech. It began operations in December 1999 and raised $45 million in venture capital from Columbia Capital, Providence Equity, and Broadview Capital.[5] It was sold to Symantec (now Gen Digital) in August 2002 for $145 million in cash.[4][1]

In September 2003, he was named director of the newly created National Cyber Security Division within the United States Department of Homeland Security. There, he oversaw the creation of a cyber alert system that sends out warnings about computer viruses and net attacks. He resigned from the position abruptly in October 2004.[6][7]

In January 2006, he was named CEO of In-Q-Tel.[8] He resigned in April 2006 after less than four months in the position.[9] At that time, he was also a member of the board of directors of Trust Digital, Guidance Software, and Guardium.[10]

In November 2006, he was named CEO of Netwitness.[11]

In October 2014, Yoran was named president of RSA.[12]

Effective January 2017, he was named CEO of Tenable, Inc.[13]

In August 2023, he accused Microsoft of putting its customers at risk after he revealed the existence of a zero-day vulnerability in Microsoft Azure.[14]

Personal life and death

Yoran was married to Catherine Lotrionte and had three children,[2][9] including a set of twins.[7] Yoran died from cancer on January 3, 2025, at the age of 54.[15][16]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Amit Yoran". Center for Internet Security.
  2. ^ a b Reed, Lillian (January 9, 2025). "Columbia cybersecurity CEO Amit Yoran wanted to make the digital world safer". The Baltimore Banner.
  3. ^ "Amit Yoran". gov.uk.
  4. ^ a b Sagi-Maydan, Mary (August 22, 2002). "A Big Sale for (U.S.) Military Veterans Elad and Amit". Haaretz.
  5. ^ "Riptech on frontlines of cybersecurity". United Press International. January 14, 2002.
  6. ^ "US cyber security chief resigns". BBC News. October 4, 2004.
  7. ^ a b "Nation's cybersecurity chief abruptly quits DHS post". Computerworld. October 1, 2004.
  8. ^ "In-Q-Tel Announces Amit Yoran as New CEO" (Press release). In-Q-Tel. January 4, 2006.
  9. ^ a b O'Hara, Terence (April 24, 2006). "Four Months Later, In-Q-Tel Again Needs New CEO". The Washington Post.
  10. ^ "United States: Amit Yoran". Indigo Publications. January 13, 2006.
  11. ^ Washkuch Jr., Frank (November 20, 2006). "Former cyberintelligence chief named NetWitness CEO". Haymarket Media Group.
  12. ^ "Amit Yoran Named RSA President; Art Coviello Remains as RSA Executive Chairman" (Press release). PR Newswire. October 28, 2014.
  13. ^ "New Tenable CEO plans to continue high-growth, keep company local". American City Business Journals. December 16, 2016.
  14. ^ Scroxton, Alex (August 3, 2023). "Microsoft attacked over 'grossly irresponsible' security practice". Computer Weekly.
  15. ^ Ha, Anthony (January 4, 2025). "Tenable CEO Amit Yoran dies". TechCrunch. Retrieved January 4, 2025.
  16. ^ "Tenable Announces the Passing of Chairman and CEO Amit Yoran" (Press release). GlobeNewswire. January 4, 2025.