Stephen Cobb is a thought leader in information technology, having spent more than twenty years maximizing the benefits of IT to businesses, governments and communities, chiefly through the reduction of IT-related risks. The author of more than two dozen books, including a complete guide to PC and LAN security, and a business primer on privacy, he has delivered information security and privacy seminars to thousands of people and educated tens of thousands more via the Internet. Stephen's writings on security helped form the Common Body of Knowledge for the Certified Information System Security Professional qualification and his advice to government agencies and Global 1000 companies continues to shape thinking on privacy and security in the twenty-first century.
In 1997, Stephen co-founded InfoSec Labs, the highly successful information security company that was sold to Rainbow Technologies in 1999 (NASDAQ: RNBO). Stephen is now Senior VP for Research and Education at ePrivacy Group. a privately-held company that has emerged as major force in electronic privacy and a player to watch in the $650 million anti-spam and content filtering solutions market (predicted to grow at more than 35% per year for the next 4 years).
A keynote speaker and conference chair at security and privacy conferences around the world, Stephen has been interviewed and quoted as a security expert by newspapers and television and radio stations in the US, the UK, Scandinavia, Australia and Hong Kong, including the Wall Street Journal and BBC News. Now based in Florida, he is an Adjunct Professor of Information Assurance at Norwich University, Vermont, teaching students in the distance learning Master of Science program, recognized by the NSA as a Center of Excellence in Information Assurance Education. Stephen is also a Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP).
Stephen played a key role in the widespread adoption and advancement of firewall technology, having been responsible for the widely-distributed NCSA Firewall Policy Guide and the NCSA Firewall Buyer's Guide. He is a frequent contributor to leading industry publications.
Founder of Cobb Associates, an independent international information technology consultancy, started in San Francisco in 1987, Stephen served as Director of Special Projects for the National (now International) Computer Security Association from 1995 to 1997. He then partnered with Michael Miora at Miora Systems Consulting (MSC), along with David Brussin and Vincent Schiavone. This team transformed MSC into InfoSec Labs, a leading information security consultancy with a Global 1000 client list. When InfoSec Labs was acquired in 1999 by Rainbow Technologies, Stephen stayed on for two years to aid with the transition.
In addition to his senior role at ePrivacy Group, developer of the patent-pending Postiva™ trust technology for email and the recently announced SpamSquelcher™ anti-spam solution, Stephen regularly teaches, lectures, and writes articles, including a weekly column co-authored with wife Chey, a fellow CISSP and former Technical Security Officer for the National Reconnaissance Office, America's largest and most secret intelligence agency.