Winn Schwartau (born July 1, 1952) is

computer security Computer security, cybersecurity (cyber security), or information technology security (IT security) is the protection of computer systems and networks from attack by malicious actors that may result in unauthorized information disclosure, the ...

analyst who focuses on

internet security Internet security is a branch of computer security. It encompasses the Internet, browser security, web site security, and network security as it applies to other applications or operating systems as a whole. Its objective is to establish rules a ...

internet privacy Internet privacy involves the right or mandate of personal privacy concerning the storing, re-purposing, provision to third parties, and displaying of information pertaining to oneself via Internet. Internet privacy is a subset of data privacy. Pr ...

, infowar,

cyber-terrorism Cyberterrorism is the use of the Internet to conduct violent acts that result in, or threaten, the loss of life or significant bodily harm, in order to achieve political or ideological gains through threat or intimidation. Acts of deliberate, la ...

and related topics. Schwartau coined the term "Electronic Pearl Harbor" while testifying before Congress in 1991,. Schwartau has published several books. In 2002, Schwartau was honored as a “Power Thinker” and one of the 50 most powerful people in networking by

Network World International Data Group (IDG, Inc.) is a market intelligence and demand generation company focused on the technology industry. IDG, Inc.’s mission is centered around supporting the technology industry through research, data, marketing technol ...

. In 2008, he was voted one of the 25 Most Influential People in the Security Industry by ''Security Magazine''.

Early life

Winn is the son of audio engineer and producer

Bill Schwartau William Herman Carlos Schwartau (22 June 1926, in New York City – 31 October 1985, in New York City) was an American Audio engineer, recording engineer. He engineered artists such as Ray Charles, Peter, Paul and Mary, Peter, Paul & Mary, Bill E ...

and Mary Caroline Bell, the first female audio engineer at NBC during World War II. At 16, he began his professional audio-video career and worked at studios including Mirasound Studios in New York,

A&R Recording A & R Recording Inc. was a major American independent studio recording company founded in 1958 by Jack Arnold and Phil Ramone. History Before founding A & R Recording in 1958, Arnold and Ramone had been working at JAC Recording, Inc.; Arnold ...

with

Phil Ramone Philip Ramone (né Rabinowitz, January 5, 1934March 30, 2013) was a South African-born American recording engineer, record producer, violinist and composer, who in 1958 co-founded A & R Recording, Inc., a recording studio with business par ...

The Hit Factory The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano. History On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, a singer, record producer, and one of the principal owners of the Record Plant Studios New York, purchased the ...

Electric Lady Studios Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer by 1970. Hendrix spent only ten ...

. He engineered 96 live concert broadcasts from The

Lone Star Cafe The Lone Star Cafe was a cafe and club in New York City at 61 Fifth at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 13th Street, from 1976 to 1989.

1978-1981.

Written work

His 1991 cyber-terrorism book, ''Terminal Compromise'', outlines a cyber-terrorist attack on the U.S. using 1980s technology. It was updated in 2001 to ''Pearl Harbor Dot Com''. His first non-fiction book, ''Information Warfare: Chaos on the Electronic Superhighway'' (1994, 1996, 1997) discusses

cyberterrorism Cyberterrorism is the use of the Internet to conduct violent acts that result in, or threaten, the loss of life or significant bodily harm, in order to achieve political or ideological gains through threat or intimidation. Acts of deliberate, la ...

and cyberwar with governments and the private sector. ''Cybershock'' (2000, 2001) is a non-technical look at hackers, information warriors, hacking technologies, and offensive cyber capabilities. In ''Time Based Security'', Schwartau added math and outlines the principles of using time as a prime security metric. As a parent of children growing up with technology, he wrote ''Internet and Computer Ethics for Kids (and Parents and Teachers Without a Clue)'' (2001/2002). Dr.

Fred Cohen Frederick B. Cohen (born 1956) is an American computer scientist and best known as the inventor of computer virus defense techniques. He gave the definition of "computer virus". Cohen is best known for his pioneering work on computer viruses, t ...

, from all.net, described this book as "the best security book ever written". His latest work, ''Analogue Network Security'', formalized the mathematics and principles of creating provably secure cyber and physical environments. In February 2021, it was named "the Best CyberSecurity Book of all Time" by Cyber Defense Magazine.

Entrepreneurial career

Schwartau has said that he wants the United States to put more emphasis on computer security. He recalled in 1996 that some of his ideas were not taken seriously despite what he believed to be demonstrable threats. In 2001, Winn was labeled one of the ''

'' major "Power Thinkers". In 2007, SC Magazine labeled him one of the Top 5 Security Thinkers. ''SC Magazine'' called him the "civilian architect of information warfare", and ''Security Magazine'' identified him as one of the 25 most influential people in the security industry. Schwartau was the Chairman of the Board of Mobile Active Defense, specializing in security and compliance for smartphones and tablets, and was president and founder of

The Security Awareness Company ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

(formerly known as Interpact, Inc. sold to KnowBe4 in 2017), which develops security awareness programs for private and public organisations. Currently, Schwartau is the Chief Visionary Officer for SAC Labs, a division of KnowBe4. He also founded InfowarCon (1994) and

Trusted Learning Trust is the willingness of one party (the trustor) to become vulnerable to another party (the trustee) on the presumption that the trustee will act in ways that benefit the trustor. In addition, the trustor does not have control over the acti ...

(2003), and co-founded

SCIPP International The Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics (SCIPP) is an organized research unit within the University of California system focused on theoretical and experimental high-energy physics and astrophysics. Research SCIPP's scientific and techni ...

(2007) * Fellow, the

Royal Society of the Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

* Distinguished Fellow, Ponemon Institute * Inducted 2019 ISSA International Hall of Fame * Top 100 Cybersecurity Influencers at RSA Conference 2019 (#66 out of 42,000 attendees)

References

External links

Biography
at Schwartau's site

at Schwartau's site

at Schwartau's site * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schwartau, Winn People associated with computer security Living people 1952 births Writers from New York City