Gary Berman is the CEO of the Cyberman Security, LLC and teh Cyber Hero Network. He is also the Creator of The Cyber Hero Adventures: Defenders of the Digital Universe comic platform. Gary often refers to himself as the "Forrest Gump" of cybersecurity. The majority of his 25-year career has been focused on marketing communications and segmentation for many of the world's leading consumer brands- not infosec or cybersecurity .
So Why Cybersecurity?
Gary’s previous company was the target of serial insider attacks - he lost everything and had the painful experience of closing the company and laying off talented and wonderful team members. Like many who have been the victim of an insider attack, he was unable to receive the justice he was due, because of how difficult it was then to prove attribution. So, determined not to be defined as a victim, Gary pivoted: to a cybersecurity advocate. His mission became helping others from suffering similar life-altering consequences from being hacked. Of course, at the time, Gary knew
little about cybersecurity so he began with the fundamentals. He went to the book that promised to do the job: "Cybersecurity For Dummies".
So Why Cybersecurity?
Gary’s previous company was the target of serial insider attacks - he lost everything and had the painful experience of closing the company and laying off talented and wonderful team members. Like many who have been the victim of an insider attack, he was unable to receive the justice he was due, because of how difficult it was then to prove attribution. So, determined not to be defined as a victim, Gary pivoted: to a cybersecurity advocate. His mission became helping others from suffering similar life-altering consequences from being hacked. Of course, at the time, Gary knew
little about cybersecurity so he began with the fundamentals. He went to the book that promised to do the job: "Cybersecurity For Dummies".
But after reading just 10 pages, Gary was lost, so he reached out to a senior executive from the publishing company. The executive started to laugh so hard that it sounded like tears were coming from his eyes! "It's not really for beginners!" he told Gary. "Then why do you call it "Cybersecurity for Dummies?"
Gary understood that there was a better way o distill complicated technology information into a communications platform, not just for the cybersecurity community, but for all businesses, governments, educators, law enforcement, the military and non-profits.
First he started with CONFERENCES! There are so many within the cybersecurity community, and they are packed with great speakers, vendors and clients. So, he went to every conference he could afford. He listened and learned from the smartest people in the digital universe, first as a conference attendee, then as a cybersecurity reporter for cyberdefensemagazine.com. Soon, the title on his badge read "Industry Analyst"!
From there, Gary reached out to the cybersecurity community on LinkedIn. When he began, he had fewer than 10 connections. One at a time, every day, for months, he invited Chief Security Officers (CSOs), Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), Chief Executive Officers (CEO's), Chief Technology Officers (CTOs), Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) and tech leaders from the Department of Defense, law enforcement, academia and others to submit real-life, blinded stories of cybercrime in answer to three questions:
1. What happened?
2. What were the consequences, and
3. What were the lessons learned?
Gary also created an Advisory Board of thought leaders within the cybersecurity community, including Tom Brennan, founder of Proactive Risk who provided inspiration and guidance as the Hero Network developed.
And from these early steps, he launched:
1. What happened?
2. What were the consequences, and
3. What were the lessons learned?
Gary also created an Advisory Board of thought leaders within the cybersecurity community, including Tom Brennan, founder of Proactive Risk who provided inspiration and guidance as the Hero Network developed.
And from these early steps, he launched:
Gary now has more than 24,000 followers, including some of the key players in the cybersecurity ecosystem. Gary's mission is to shine the light on the "Unsung Heroes" - all of those who toil in anonymity to keep us safe at work, home and at school. Each week, he interviews thought leaders about the latest industry news, challenges and opportunities in cybersecurity. He has changed the narrative. No longer is it that the only time people hear about cybercrime or hacking is when black hats win!
The next step was to jump/fly/appear/swim (think Aquaman) into the world of comic creator, Stan Lee, the force behind Marvel Comics. Gary watched TOO many superhero movies, online videos depicting "The Marvel Way", research from Harvard on storytelling in super hero movies, and attending comic conventions (comic cons). If you have never been to a comic con, check it out. It's a mind-blowing, highly-interactive experience that will unleash your inner child!
Inspired by costume play a.k.a. "Cosplay", here is the FIRST appearance of "The Sidekick of the Year" Olivier Vallez and me in costume at the launch of a custom-created International Edition at a cybersecurity conference in the United Arab Emirates!