Adam Isles is a Principal at The Chertoff Group, where he helps clients manage security and safety risk.
Representative projects have included cybersecurity risk diagnostics, security strategy development, security resourcing studies, framework development, exercises, senior management training, penetration tests, and security audits.
He is also the principal drafter for the firm’s security risk management methodology, which was approved by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for SAFETY Act designation in 2017.
Prior to joining The Chertoff Group, Adam worked at Raytheon Company where he was the Director of Strategy and Policy Consulting for homeland security. Previously, Adam served as the Deputy Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). At DHS, he coordinated policy decisions, including technology standards, regulations, and business rules, for numerous border, travel security and critical infrastructure protection programs. He also staffed the Secretary on the launch of the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative.
Before joining DHS, Adam served at the U.S. Department of Justice, where he started his legal career as a trial attorney in the Criminal Division in 1997. From 2002-2003, he was a Director of International Economic Affairs at the National Security Council, where he managed preparations for the 2002 G8 Summit. From 1998-2001, he was also secretary of the G8 High-tech Crime Experts Group.
Recent Engagements:
- Led build-out of cyber defense model utilizing the MITRE ATT&CK Framework for market-leading clients in financial technology, business technology services, and retail sectors
- Oversaw cyber defense model build-out for Fortune 100 manufacturing organization utilizing MITRE ATT&CK for Industrial Control Systems
Led software supply chain national security reviews for multiple global software providers - Oversaw build-out of Information Sharing & Analysis Organization for leading industry association
- Led review of safety data systems for market-leading peer-to-peer travel platforms
Certifications:
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
Admitted in New York, Massachusetts, District of Columbia bars
Education:
J.D., Harvard Law School
B.A., History, Yale University
Recent Publications
- Where to Focus Your Company’s Limited Cybersecurity Budget – Harvard Business Review, May 23, 2023
- U.S. Cyber Command Will Hold Malicious Actors Accountable – Clearance Jobs, April 28 2023
- SBOM: Will it Actually Help Manage Supply Chain Risk? – Info Security April 24, 2023
- Beyond Balloons: Other Threats Posed by China – Epoch Times, March 4, 2023
- Cybersecurity Investments – Dark Reading, February 7, 2023
- Pro Take – Wall Street Journal, November 10, 2022
- Incentivizing High-Performing Cybersecurity Programs in the Banking Sector -Lawfare, November 2, 2022
- We Need Threat Informed Defense in the Federal Contractor Community Now – Homeland Security Today, October 19, 2022
- Nation-Backed Cyber Attacks Escalate Push to Bolster Data Shields, Bloomberg Law, September 27, 2022
- How to Build Resiliency in Times of “Tail Risk” Events, Security Technology Executive, September 9, 2022
- Cyber Disclosure and Attestation: Recent Regulatory and Legislative Developments Heighten Expectations, March 22, 2022
More Publications, Interviews and Panels
- Balance of Power: Russian Cyber Attacks, Bloomberg Radio, July 7, 2021
- Cybersecurity Executive Order: An Assessment, BankInfoSecurity, July 2, 2021
- Cybersecurity Executive Order requires new software security standards, Security Boulevard, May 13, 2021
- The Future of Cybersecurity: Healthcare and Beyond, WittKiefer Webinar
- Enterprise Cybersecurity Measurement, Lawfare, March 26, 2021
- CISA National Cybersecurity Summit – Day One: Operationalizing ATT&CK Through CISA Alerts, September 16, 2020
- “Think Bad, Do Good” Ep 2: How to Achieve Cybersecurity Effectiveness, AttackIQ, June 15, 2020
- Adam Isles Talks About the Importance of Security Testing, June 9, 2020
- As the Pandemic Spreads, An Infodemic Rages, Security Management magazine, June 1, 2020 (interview)
- One Security Framework May Be Key to Cyber Effectiveness, TechTarget, May 2020 (interview)
- Cyber Resiliency from the Inside Out, Cyber Risk Board Forum (in partnership with RSA Conference), Feb. 24, 2020 (panel moderator)
- Cyber Risk Management and the Retail Enterprise, National Retail Federation BigShow, January 2020 (panel moderator)
- Reboot Leadership Award, Outstanding Educator, SC Magazine, September 2019
- Cyber Risk Management and the Retail Enterprise, National Retail Federation BigShow, January 2020 (panel moderator)
- “Incentives to Address Homeland Security Risks within IoT Technologies,” American Bar Association (ABA), “The Internet of Things: Legal Issues, Policy, and Practical Strategies,” ABA Section on Science and Technology Law, March 2019 (author)
- “Securing Tomorrow’s Supply Chain,” Cyber Risk Board Forum (in partnership with RSA Conference), March 4, 2019 (panel moderator)
- Government and the Private Sector Share Responsibility for Secure Infrastructure, Security Technology Magazine, September 2018 (author)
- Amend the SAFETY Act to cover state actor cyberattacks, The Hill, April 2018 (author)
- Adam has also been frequently interviewed and appeared on Chertoff Group podcasts and in other settings: https://www.chertoffgroup.com/podcasts
