{"685366":{"#nid":"685366","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Cybersecurity Pioneer Engages Georgia Tech Graduate Students in Fireside Chat","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe first graduate of Georgia Tech\u2019s Master of Science in Information Security (now Cybersecurity) program recently returned to campus for a fireside chat with graduate students from the School of Cybersecurity and Privacy (SCP).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe event offered graduate students a unique opportunity to hear firsthand from \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/hall-fame#DmitriAlperovitch\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDmitri\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cstrong\u003EAlperovitch\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(CS 2001, MS InfoSec 2003), co-founder and chairman of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/silverado.org\/\u0022\u003ESilverado Policy Accelerator\u003C\/a\u003E and the bestselling author of \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/worldonthebrink.com\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EWorld on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the 21st Century\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlperovitch shared insights from his decades-long career, which also includes co-founding CrowdStrike, one of the world\u2019s leading cybersecurity firms.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe recounted how his early interest in cryptography was sparked by working with his grandfather, with whom he started a company in high school focused on encryption technologies.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhat appealed to me in cybersecurity is that you are never really done,\u201d Alperovitch said. \u201cAs long as there are human beings out there that want to do you harm, there are always security problems to solve.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDuring the fireside chat, SCP SGA President Anna Raymaker asked Alperovitch about his path to CrowdStrike. Reflecting on his start in the industry, he emphasized the value of hands-on experience in startups. He recalled participating in a Georgia Tech career fair, after which he joined a small email security company in 2003.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEvery solution we implemented was circumvented in a few weeks with a new tactic,\u201d he said. \u201cThat was the best hands-on experience I could get. It taught me that in cybersecurity, you must always take a strategic stance.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cimg src=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/general\/2025\/Dmitri%20Visit%202025-32%20web%20copy.jpg\u0022 alt=\u0022A blonde woman in a blue polo speaks into a microphone and gestures with her hand. Next to her is a man with blonde hair wearing a blue suit and holding a microphone. Behind them is a large screen that says, \u0026quot;Fireside Chat with Dmitri Alperovitch. September 19, 2025.\u0026quot; The School of Cybersecurity and Privacy logo can be seen behind the woman and the SCP Graduate Student Association next to her shoulder.\u0022 width=\u00223239\u0022 height=\u00222159\u0022\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESCP SGA President Anna Raymaker speaks into a microphone during a fireside chat with Georgia Tech alum Dmitri Alperovitch\u0026nbsp;(CS 2001, MS InfoSec 2003). \u003Cem\u003EPhotos by John Popham\/College of Computing\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlperovitch highlighted a pivotal moment in his career: investigating a 2010 breach at Google by a nation-state actor.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe industry refused to acknowledge this was a widespread problem, and that realization led me to start CrowdStrike,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe explained the shift in cybersecurity strategy, where traditional cybercriminals target the weakest companies, and nation-state actors relentlessly pursue their objectives, regardless of a company\u2019s security posture.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou no longer just have to be better than your competitors. You must stay proactive and vigilant,\u201d Aperovitch said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe emphasized the importance of paying attention to real-world threats when asked about the most significant area of cyber research.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cYou don\u2019t have to be a genius to figure it out. You just have to look at where the bad actors are and what they are doing, and go from there,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe chat provided students with career guidance, along with an informed and experienced perspective on the evolving challenges in cybersecurity.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe are grateful to Dmitri for taking the time to speak with our students,\u201d said Raymaker. \u201cHis willingness to give back and share his experiences is invaluable in shaping the next generation of cybersecurity leaders.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEvents like this highlight the strength of our community, bringing together students, faculty, and leaders like Dmitri to learn from one another and prepare for the challenges ahead in cybersecurity.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlperovitch was in Atlanta to be inducted into the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/news\/gt-computing-community-gathers-celebrate-its-legends-visionaries-rising-stars\u0022\u003ECollege of Computing Hall of Fame\u003C\/a\u003E on Sept. 19. He is one of two inductees in the Hall of Fame Class of 2025.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"full_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDmitri Alperovitch (CS 2001, MS InfoSec 2003), Georgia Tech\u2019s first graduate of the MS in Information Security program and co-founder of CrowdStrike, returned to campus for a fireside chat with School of Cybersecurity and Privacy students while in Atlanta for his induction into the College of Computing Hall of Fame. He shared career insights, from his early cryptography work with his grandfather and first startup role to investigating Google\u2019s 2010 nation-state breach that inspired CrowdStrike. Alperovitch emphasized that cybersecurity is never finished, requiring proactive, strategic defense against both opportunistic criminals and persistent nation-state actors, and urged students to focus research on real-world adversary tactics. The event offered students career guidance, industry perspective, and an example of alumni giving back to strengthen the cybersecurity community.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Dmitri Alperovitch (CS 2001, MS InfoSec 2003), Georgia Tech\u2019s first graduate of the MS in Information Security program and co-founder of CrowdStrike, returned to campus for a fireside chat with School of Cybersecurity and Privacy students while in Atlanta"}],"uid":"36253","created_gmt":"2025-09-29 16:32:17","changed_gmt":"2025-10-09 01:31:38","author":"John Popham","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-09-29T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-09-29T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"678194":{"id":"678194","type":"image","title":"Dmitri-Visit-2025-34-web-copy.jpg","body":null,"created":"1759163613","gmt_created":"2025-09-29 16:33:33","changed":"1759163613","gmt_changed":"2025-09-29 16:33:33","alt":"A man looking at the camera while speaking. He is holding a microphone and wearing a blue suit. In the foreground of the picture are the backs of student\u0027s heads seated in the crowd.","file":{"fid":"262188","name":"Dmitri-Visit-2025-34-web-copy.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/29\/Dmitri-Visit-2025-34-web-copy.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/09\/29\/Dmitri-Visit-2025-34-web-copy.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1169670,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/09\/29\/Dmitri-Visit-2025-34-web-copy.jpg?itok=RFWv1AJH"}}},"media_ids":["678194"],"groups":[{"id":"47223","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"660367","name":"School of Cybersecurity and Privacy"}],"categories":[{"id":"130","name":"Alumni"},{"id":"153","name":"Computer Science\/Information Technology and Security"}],"keywords":[{"id":"506","name":"alumni"},{"id":"3824","name":"event"},{"id":"1404","name":"Cybersecurity"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"145171","name":"Cybersecurity"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Popham\u0026nbsp;Communications Officer II | School of Cybersecurity and Privacy\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jpopham3@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}