Rick Howard is a globally respected cybersecurity veteran whose career bridges military-grade cyber defense and commercial enterprise security. With 23 years of service in the U.S. Army, Rick culminated his military career commanding the Army’s Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), where he led large-scale defensive operations protecting some of the world’s most targeted networks.
Following his military service, Rick transitioned to senior leadership roles in the private sector, bringing defense-first principles to global enterprises. He has served as Chief Security Officer at Palo Alto Networks, General Manager of iDefense, and Global SOC Director at Counterpane, helping shape modern approaches to threat intelligence, security operations, and large-scale cyber defense.
Rick is widely recognized for his ability to translate lessons learned from nation-state and APT defense into practical, scalable strategies for commercial organizations. His work has consistently focused on building resilient security programs that prioritize visibility, intelligence-driven defense, and operational excellence.
A thought leader and community builder, Rick is also one of the co-founders of the Cybersecurity Canon Project, an initiative dedicated to curating and promoting the most influential books and ideas in cybersecurity. Through writing, speaking, and mentoring, he continues to shape how the industry thinks about risk, strategy, and defensive maturity.
