MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Crypsis Group, a cybersecurity services firm that specializes in data breach response and risk management services, announced the hiring of Bret Padres as Chief Executive Officer, effective today.
While still a young firm—founded in 2015—The Crypsis Group continues to attract top talent in the industry. Mr. Padres brings with him 25 years of experience in data breach response, information security, digital forensics, law enforcement and counterintelligence. Mr. Padres has advised legal teams on some of the most high-profile retail and state-sponsored data breaches in recent times. In addition, he has testified as a digital forensics expert in a number of trials, including an espionage case in federal court.
“While exploring new opportunities in cybersecurity, The Crypsis Group’s expertise and nimble approach really stood out to me,” said Mr. Padres. “Today, companies need more than technical experts. They need a team that can help them determine business risks and provide impactful cybersecurity solutions at any size. I am truly honored to join such a talented team.”
Justin Jordan, Chairman of the company’s Board, said, “Bret is widely recognized as one of the preeminent experts within the digital forensics community. His expertise is highly sought after, as he is equally adept at providing expert witness testimony, advising corporate boards or leading teams of digital forensics investigators within the most complex and challenging data breaches that our country has ever seen. We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to be able to attract a leader such as Bret. His personality, leadership style and expertise are a welcome complement to The Crypsis Group team, as we continue to work tirelessly to earn recognition as the standard of excellence within the industry.”
As Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Padres will provide strategic vision and oversight into operational execution of the organization.
“I am thrilled to have Bret on board as our Chief Executive Officer. As a company, we pride ourselves on having the energy and work ethic of a startup but the expertise of a well-established firm, which is exactly what Bret brings to The Crypsis Group,” said Mike Wager, Managing Partner of The Crypsis Group.
Prior to joining The Crypsis Group, Mr. Padres was most recently Managing Director at Stroz Friedberg, where he managed the firm’s execution of its Cyber Resilience practice. In addition to managing a team responsible for intrusion investigations, security risk assessments, penetration tests and data breach response, he maintained an active case load and led a team responsible for authoring several forensic tools. Mr. Padres was also the Director of Incident Response for Mandiant (later acquired by FireEye) where he responded to and resolved high-risk intrusions for government agencies and Fortune 500 companies.
