Nicole Perlroth: Cybersecurity

Nicole Perlroth a cybersecurity investigator, bestselling author, and digital whistle-blower revealing the hidden cyber-weapons market and reshaping how we defend the digital frontier.

Highlights:
  • Lead cybersecurity reporter at The New York Times for over a decade
  • Author of the NYT bestseller This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends
  • Winner of the FT/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award
  • Inducted into the Cybersecurity Canon Hall of Fame
  • Served on U.S. government cyber advisory panels, including for CISA / DHS

Formats:

Keynote (45–60 min); fireside chats; panel moderator; deep dive workshop


Audience:

CIOs / CISOs, government security officials, technology executives, cybersecurity professionals, investors


Outcomes:
  1. Reveal how the hidden market in zero-days and surveillance tools governs global power dynamics.
  2. Translate complex cyber threats into strategic imperatives for leadership.
  3. Provide a roadmap for investment, policy, and defense in an AI-amplified cyber era.
Reviews: (0 reviews)
  • Travels from: San Francisco, California
  • **Fee range: $20,001 - $35,000

Keynote Topics

Talent Short Bio

Nicole Perlroth spent more than a decade as the lead cybersecurity reporter at The New York Times, uncovering state-sponsored espionage, zero-day exploits, and the shadowy global arms trade in code. Her investigations contributed to U.S. hacking indictments, the exposure and blacklisting of spyware firms, and deep public understanding of digital vulnerability. Her New York Times bestseller This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends: The Cyberweapons Arms Race won the FT/McKinsey Business Book of the Year and was inducted into the Cybersecurity Canon Hall of Fame.

In 2021, Nicole left journalism to help shape the policy and investment side of cybersecurity. She serves on advisory committees for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security / CISA, is a venture partner at Ballistic Ventures, and runs Silver Buckshot Ventures, a “cyber moonshot” fund targeting the next generation of cyber defense technologies. She also hosts the podcast To Catch a Thief, which examines China’s rise to cyber dominance and has achieved top rankings on major platforms.

Nicole holds a B.A. from Princeton University and an M.A. from Stanford University and frequently lectures at Stanford GSB and leading universities.

Nicole Perlroth spent a decade as the lead cybersecurity, digital espionage and sabotage reporter for The New York Times. Her investigations rooted out Russian hacks of nuclear plants, airports, elections, and petrochemical plants; North Korea’s cyberattack against movie studios, banks and hospitals; Iranian attacks on oil companies, banks, critical infrastructure, and presidential campaigns; and thousands of Chinese cyberattacks against America’s critical infrastructure and businesses, including a months-long hack of The Times.

Nicole Perlroth investigation and ensuing outing of hacking divisions within China’s People’s Liberation Army helped compel the first United States hacking charges against members of the Chinese military, and earned her the prestigious “Best in Business Award” from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers. Her investigation, with Azam Ahmed, of the use of commercial spyware in Mexico was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

She is also the author of the New York Times bestselling book “This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends,” about the global cyber arms race, which won the 2021 McKinsey and Financial Times’ Business Book of the Year Award and has been translated into nine languages. The book and several of her Times articles have been optioned for television.

Nicole Perlroth has been widely cited and published, beyond The Times, in The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, The Economist, Wired Magazine, Forbes Magazine, CNN, PBS, NPR, Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Al Jazeera, The Christian Science Monitor, C-SPAN, NBC’s “Meet The Press,” MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” “Dan Rather’s America,” Axios, CBS, CNBC, USA Today, Recorded Futures, and Lawfare, The Times’ “The Daily” and “Sway” podcasts, as well as VOX’s “Pivot” podcast, among others.

Nicole Perlroth has delivered keynotes and speeches for TED, the United States State Department, the World Bank, the Munich Security Conference, RSA, Council on Foreign Relations, the World Affairs Council, Washington D.C. Metropolitan Club, the Stockholm Forum on Peace and Development, How To Academy, In-Q-Tel, Track ii Diplomacy, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Defense Policy Advisors, Hack the Capitol, the Center for European Policy Analysis and the CIOSExchange, an invite-only gathering of Fortune 50 Chief Information Officers.

Contact us at Speakers Inc and follow us on  LinkedIn

Talent Videos

Panel with Top China & Cyber Experts at NYSE - To Catch a Thief: China's Rise to Cyber Supremacy

At the New York Stock Exchange, Nicole Perlroth joins leading China and cybersecurity experts to discuss the global implications of China’s rapid ascent to cyber dominance.

Summary

For this special live recording of To Catch a Thief at The New York Stock Exchange, host and former lead cybersecurity and digital espionage reporter for The New York Times, Nicole Perlroth sits down with those who have been directly targeted by, traced, or directly engaged China’s state-sponsored hackers, diplomatically, or in the cyber domain: Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Barboza, the National Security Agency’s former Cybersecurity Director Rob Joyce, former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly, Jim Lewis, of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Rubrik CEO Bipul Sinha.

They discuss how the Chinese hacking threat has morphed from corporate espionage to insidious attacks on infrastructure, the strategic leverage China hopes to gain with these hacks, how Xi Jinping views Trump 2.0, and what levers the United States can still pull to salvage what’s left of its cyber defense.

Key Moments

  • 00:21–00:40 — Nicole Perlroth on China’s rise as a cyber superpower
  • 00:41–00:55 — Expert commentary on state-level hacking and economic espionage
  • 00:56–01:08 — Closing remarks on collaboration and defense innovation

Nicole Perlroth joins cybersecurity, intelligence, and policy leaders for an in-depth discussion on the next phase of the cyberweapons arms race and its global consequences.

Summary

In this extensive session, Nicole Perlroth leads a comprehensive exploration of the global cyberweapons arms race tracing its origins, escalation, and potential endpoints. She opens with a historical overview of how software vulnerabilities, once minor coding flaws, became weaponized by nation-states. Drawing from her New York Times investigations and her bestselling book, she illustrates how markets for zero-day exploits and commercial spyware have evolved into a multi-billion-dollar, unregulated ecosystem.

Perlroth discusses the strategic calculus of cyber offense versus defense, explaining how digital espionage now underpins geopolitical power. The panel delves into case studies from the Stuxnet attack to modern-day ransomware campaigns and Chinese and Russian state-sponsored intrusions. She also emphasizes the ethical dilemma: as governments and private actors stockpile vulnerabilities, the world becomes more exposed to collateral damage.

Later, the discussion turns to emerging technologies AI-driven cyber offense, quantum computing, and supply-chain infiltration and how they redefine both national and corporate security. Nicole advocates for transparency, global cyber norms, and increased collaboration between governments and private industry.

Closing the conversation, she warns that the next cyber war may not begin with soldiers or bombs but with lines of code that silently disable economies and infrastructures and argues that awareness, investment, and collective governance are the only paths to deterrence.

Key Moments

  • 05:21–18:45 — The rise of zero-day markets and early state hacking operations
  • 18:46–36:00 — Case studies: Stuxnet, WannaCry, SolarWinds, and Pegasus
  • 36:01–54:30 — Inside the cyberweapons economy: brokers, mercenaries, and regulation gaps
  • 54:31–1:17:00 — The policy dilemma: offense vs. defense in cyberspace
  • 1:17:01–1:35:45 — Emerging threats: AI-driven attacks, data poisoning, and supply chain hacks
  • 1:35:46–1:56:30 — Cybersecurity innovation and the role of private sector defense
  • 1:56:31–2:20:00 — International cooperation, governance, and the ethics of stockpiling exploits

Interest to Book? Send us your enquiry

Speaker Contact Form

Enquiry Form

Talent FAQ's

Cyber warfare, state-sponsored hacking, vulnerabilities in AI systems, zero-day markets, defense strategy, and technology investment.

Yes. Her talks can be tailored for non-technical leadership or deep technical audiences.

Talent Resources

Talent resources available for download

In order to view the below you must be logged in.

  • Powerpoint Slide – For meeting and event planners
  • Gallery Images
  • High Resolution Images
  • PDF Files
  • Books and Magazine Links
  • Music List
  • Podcast Shows
  • Courses
  • + more

Talent FAQ

Cyber warfare, state-sponsored hacking, vulnerabilities in AI systems, zero-day markets, defense strategy, and technology investment.

Yes. Her talks can be tailored for non-technical leadership or deep technical audiences.

View further speakers

  • (32)

Pat McGann is rapidly establishing himself as one of the sharpest voices in stand-up comedy today. Known for his quick wit, clever storytelling, and relatability, Pat has become a favorite among audiences seeking smart, laugh-out-loud entertainment. With his unique perspective and seamless delivery, he connects effortlessly with fans, creating an unforgettable experience that resonates well […]

  • Travels from: Chicago, IL
  • Comedian Hosts
  • (41)
Johnny-Quinn-2-cropped-1024x957-1

Johnny Quinn is a keynote speaker, U.S. Olympian, and former NFL player who inspires audiences to break through their personal and professional barriers. His transformative speeches, grounded in resilience and peak performance, are sought after by corporations, organizations, and educational institutions worldwide. As a renowned expert on overcoming adversity and adapting to change, Johnny’s dynamic […]

  • Travels from: Fort Worth. TX
  • Motivational Speakers
  • (16)
  • (6)
Charlie Rocket Jabaley

Charlie “Rocket” Jabaley is a Grammy-winning music mogul and Emmy-winning Nike athlete whose journey from the pinnacle of the entertainment industry to becoming a health and fitness icon is nothing short of extraordinary. Diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor while managing some of the world’s biggest music acts, Charlie was forced to reevaluate his life. […]

  • Travels from: Malibu, CA
  • Inspirational Speakers
  • (38)
  • (13)
Allison Massari

Allison Massari, an extraordinary inspirational speaker hailing from the scenic town of Belvedere, California. Her journey is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, as she not only overcame unimaginable adversity but has dedicated her life to inspiring others through her compelling story and motivational insights. Allison’s life took a drastic turn in […]

  • Travels from: San Francisco, CA
  • Inspirational Speakers
  • (45)
Relevant Leadership Podcast - Ty Bennett

Ty Bennett is the Owner & CEO of the largest Ninja Warrior Gym in the world and it’s not stopping there – soon he will have three Ninja Warrior Gyms to add to his portfolio. An active CEO and serial entrepreneur, he has built three multi-million dollar businesses in three different industries. Ty and his […]

  • Travels from: Salt Lake City, UT
  • Leadership Speakers
  • (30)

Caroline Rose is a remarkable individual, a beacon of resilience who has faced life’s most daunting challenges with unwavering strength and determination. At the young age of 27, Caroline, a pre-med student at USC, received the devastating diagnosis of Stage IV, highly aggressive, incurable non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This news came at a time when she was […]

  • Travels from: Austin, TX
  • Inspirational Speakers
  • (18)
Julia Landauer

Julia Landauer is an accomplished NASCAR driver and a trailblazer in the male-dominated world of motorsports. With a passion for speed and competition, Julia’s journey began at a young age when she started go-kart racing at just 10 years old. She quickly rose through the ranks, securing numerous championships and solidifying her reputation as a […]

  • Travels from: Charlotte, NC
  • Racing Drivers
  • (122)
Michael Wigge

Michael Wigge is a motivational speaker who is known for his ability to turn conferences into memorable events. With his unique blend of adventure storytelling, encouragement to leave one’s comfort zone, and international perspective, he has captivated audiences all over the world. In this article, we will explore the qualities that make Michael Wigge such […]

  • Travels from: Boulder, CO
  • Motivational Speakers
Disclaimer
The profiles and images embedded on these pages are from various conference entertainers and other talent.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by Speakers Inc.

Fee ranges where listed on this website are intended to serve as a guideline only.

All talent fees exclude VAT, travel and accommodation where required.

Subscribe to our Newsletter and get connected:

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated.

We use Brevo as our marketing platform. By submitting this form you agree that the personal data you provided will be transferred to Brevo for processing in accordance with Brevo's Privacy Policy.

Our Mission:

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025.  Designed using Voxel

Speakers Inc Logo 2024
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.