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Eric O'Neill
Cybersecurity Expert, Legendary FBI Operative Featured in the Film Breach, Bestselling Author, Technology Futurist & Attorney
Eric O'Neill
Cybersecurity Expert, Legendary FBI Operative Featured in the Film Breach, Bestselling Author, Technology Futurist & Attorney
Biography
Best known for his role in capturing the most notorious spy in United States history, Robert Hanssen, Eric O’Neill is a cybersecurity authority, engaging keynote speaker, former FBI counterterrorism and counterintelligence operative, attorney, and national security strategist. He is the bestselling author of Gray Day, and the inspiration for the film Breach, in which he was portrayed by actor Ryan Phillippe. O’Neill is the founder of The Georgetown Group, a premier investigative and security services firm, and serves as a national security strategist for cybersecurity companies.
Eric O’Neill, cybersecurity expert, legendary FBI operative, attorney, and founder of The Georgetown Group and NeXasure AI—works with organizations to protect themselves against cybercriminals, whose total thefts constitute the world’s third-largest economy.
Eric is an in-demand speaker. With his lively style and stories from the dark web, Eric delivers bespoke keynotes on the rise of sinister cyberattacks, AI-generated threats, and more—including how to keep your money and your reputation safe. Engagements include Acronis, Allstate, AT&T, Bayer, Dell, FedEx, Honeywell, McKinsey, SalesForce, universities, and numerous associations from IIA to YPO.
Eric began his career in the FBI as a graduate of the FBI’s Intelligence Program. He spent the first five years as a field operative in a special surveillance group tasked to surveil and monitor foreign, national, and domestic terrorists and spies.
Eric transitioned from “ghosting” targets from the shadows to direct undercover work with a singular assignment—with little backup or support: Catch his new boss, Robert Hanssen, a 25-year veteran of the FBI, in the act of espionage with the Russians. Hanssen died in a supermax prison in 2023 at the age of 79.
Eric’s edge-of-your-seat story is featured in the dramatic thriller Breach, starring Ryan Philippe and Laura Linney. The film is set inside the FBI, the gatekeeper of the nation’s most sensitive and potentially volatile secrets, and it reveals the story of the greatest security breach in US history. During the Hanssen investigation, Eric worked directly undercover with the spy within the FBI’s Information Assurance Division, created to protect all classified FBI intelligence. Read about it in Eric’s acclaimed book, Gray Day: My Undercover Mission to Expose America’s First Cyber Spy (Crown).
In 2009, Eric founded The Georgetown Group which has become a premier investigative and security consultancy in Washington, DC. The firm specializes in competitive intelligence research, counterintelligence operations, economic espionage, cybersecurity penetrations, AI-fueled attacks, internal investigations, and security risk assessment. Eric has also served as a national security strategist for cybersecurity companies, including VMWare Carbon Black and Broadcom.
Eric is also a media commentator. He and his work have been covered by CNN, C-Span, Fox, NPR, Newsweek, TechCrunch, Fresh Air with Terry Gross, World News Now, Access Hollywood, and more.
Eric is an honors graduate of Auburn University and George Washington University School of Law.
Eric’s next book is The Invisible Threat: Secrets from a Spyhunter in an AI World (HarperCollins 2025).
Speaker Videos
Cybersecurity in the Age of Espionage
Why Backgrounds Matter
On CNN
On Fox News
Johnny Rockets Internal Conference
At Auburn University
Speech Topics
WHAT JAMES BOND & JASON BOURNE WOULD NEVER TELL YOU ABOUT ACHIEVING YOUR COMPANY’S MISSION
You’d never see James Bond give a game-changing keynote to a leadership team. Or, see Jason Bourne coach corporate audiences on how to turn obstacles into accomplishments. Luckily, we have real-life FBI cybersecurity expert and celebrated spy catcher, Eric O’Neill.
O’Neill weaves his edge-of-your-seat espionage story—featured in the Hollywood hit, Breach and his own bestseller, Gray Day—into highly actionable, irresistibly motivational takeaways to help achieve both personal success and your organization’s goals and mission. Highlights include:
- “Luck is for lottery winners.” How to not only identify opportunities, but create them.
- Achieve success even when you’re not set up for it.
- Manage setbacks and turn them into triumph.
- Why time is the most valuable commodity.
- “Don’t just have a Plan B, have a Plan C.”
O’Neill’s thrilling espionage story of catching the most notorious cyberspy in U.S. history imparts invaluable lessons in a unique, captivating and unforgettable way. Audiences learn how to set goals and achieve them with confidence, determination, and in O’Neill’s case, the courage to triumph like Bond or Bourne. Yes, even when the mission seemed impossible.
CYBERSECURITY: SPIES, LIES & CYBERCRIME: PROTECTING YOUR DATA IN A DARK WEB ECONOMY
Dive headfirst into the heart of the digital battleground, where data reigns supreme as the currency of our lives. Amidst the interconnected web of technology, the relentless tide of foreign espionage, Dark Web cybercrime, and the looming threat of AI-driven deepfakes, the battleground for data security intensifies. No longer confined to the shadows, today’s adversaries navigate the digital landscape with precision and cunning, exploiting vulnerabilities with every keystroke. The Dark Web has ascended to the third-largest economy on the planet, where trust is an uncommon commodity amidst the sea of generative AI deception. Brace yourself against the relentless onslaught of deception, impersonation, and ransomware attacks, draining billions from unsuspecting victims. As we hurtle towards the future, cyber theft of information from every organization and consumer will surpass $20 trillion USD, a stark reminder of the imperative to fortify our defenses in this ever-evolving digital frontier.
Join cybersecurity expert, acclaimed author, and former FBI spy hunter Eric O’Neill in this engaging and enlightening presentation. Drawing from his extensive experience as an undercover operative within the FBI and as a seasoned security consultant, O’Neill shares compelling true stories to impart invaluable insights on thinking like a spy hunter to safeguard your data against cyber-attacks.
SECRETS FROM A LEGENDARY SPYHUNTER: DECODING AI DEEPFAKES, EXTORTION & MORE
AI-generated voices, texts, and images pose a grave threat to national security—and to you. The latest jaw-dropping stories include kidnapping calls to parents who hear their child’s wrenching cries for help. Elaborate video conferences that dupe teams into funding projects by bad actors. Ransomware from cyber-extortionists who hold your data hostage. In a world where technology drives our lives, you must take new steps to protect yourself and your organization. With his characteristic wit and storytelling, cybersecurity expert and legendary spyhunter Eric O’Neill tells you how to identify AI-fueled attacks…and stop them from taking your money.
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