Eric O'Neill

Keynote speaker, security strategist, spy hunter. Inspiration for the movie Breach. Author of GRAY DAY and SPIES, LIES AND CYBERCRIME.

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

Twenty-five years ago today, the FBI arrested Robert Hanssen — the most damaging spy in American history. I worked undercover in room 9930 and found the smoking gun in the case. This event changed my life and taught me that the spy is always in the worst possible place.

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

I woke up unable to move. Sleep paralysis taught me something about the helplessness of a cyberattack. The Binance story makes the parallel chilling.

This week’s newsletter: https://t.co/UrpvySQKzC

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

What happens when the spy chief becomes the security threat?
Germany’s former intelligence chief allegedly bought secrets from inside the agency he once led.
Plus: The FBI’s embarrassing cybersecurity failure and a foiled ISIS-inspired terror plot.
https://t.co/jPjMFnduE7

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

A research grant. An FBI phone call. A new employee. An invitation from an AI committee.

All perfectly normal.

Until you ask who’s really on the other side.

This week in Spies, Lies & Cybercrime:

https://t.co/tddbtDlQw9

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

My appearance on NewsNation to discuss the ShinyHunters cyber attack agains the FBI.

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

Would you take $200 to photograph a house?

Prosecutors say an alleged Russian intelligence recruitment began with surveillance.

Then came the next offer:

$25,000 to kill the target.

The technology changed. The trap didn’t.

The $200 Recruitment:

https://t.co/L6CZFp6Hs0

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

Will AI kill us all?

That's the wrong question. Here's what I'm worried about: What happens if the good guys slow down and the bad guys don’t?

The genie is out of the bottle. The good guys need to win the race. Read on:
https://t.co/xgJVZ4mPht

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

The ATF got hacked.

The bigger question: What was sitting inside the system when the hackers arrived?

This week: The ATF Wiretap Hack, why “standalone” doesn’t mean safe, and another strange development involving autonomous AI agents.

https://t.co/oVgTzVSwbw

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

He looked like a 49ers player.

Prosecutors say at least 26 women lost $1.3M to the con—and he apparently didn’t need a deepfake to pull it off. The next guy will.

The 49ers Deepfake Con: https://t.co/XkZCNLdjxS

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

A cyberattack knocked a UK power generator offline for four days.

The wider grid held. But something got through—and something real stopped working.

This week: what happens when cyber defenses fail.

The Power Plant Attack: https://t.co/MO0D6B8KPn

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

Hackers knocked out water controls in Minnesota. A water tower and manual operators kept the town running. The lesson: your backup plan only matters if it works. https://t.co/SOroTZylkQ
#Cybersecurity #Infrastructure

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

New today: The Spy Hunter’s Notebook. A shorter, faster read from my FBI counterintelligence notebook. Read here:

https://t.co/hAqJKF5H1z

#Cybersecurity #Espionage #Leadership

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

Here’s the rule that can save your organization millions: Never verify identity using the same conversation that claimed the identity. Read why:

https://t.co/NIHpJMlrvE

#CyberSecurity #Fraud

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

A town paid a legitimate invoice. A criminal quietly inserted themselves into a trusted conversation and walked away with $545,000. This week’s newsletter explains how it happened. https://t.co/NIHpJMlrvE
#Cybersecurity #CyberCrime #BusinessEmailCompromise #Trust

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

Every cyberattack begins with the same question: Who do you trust? From my best friend of 47 years…to AI-powered scams, this week’s Spies, Lies & Cybercrime explores why trust has become our most valuable security asset. Read here: https://t.co/VnghYmlQE3 #CyberCrime #Trust #AI

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

Watching my daughter take the oath at the Naval Academy reminded me that every “yes” demands the one thing we can never earn back: time. This became my most personal newsletter yet. Read it here:
https://t.co/z7JXDnZqwk
#Leadership #NavalAcademy #Time #Cybersecurity @USNavy

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

Is the Iran “peace deal” really a peace deal? Or is it a 60-day pause while both sides jockey for position? I break down the proposed MOU, paragraph by paragraph. The clock is ticking.

https://t.co/7mOHr7xebA

#Iran #NationalSecurity #Geopolitics

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

A modern spy doesn’t need a dark alley.

They need your inbox.

China’s intelligence services are reportedly using recruiters, consulting offers, and networking platforms to spot and recruit targets.

Would you know the difference?

https://t.co/nLGUOf8Imx

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

Father’s Day is coming. Give Dad something better than another tie.
Spies, Lies, and Cybercrime is 30% off on Amazon and ships in time for Father’s Day. A true story-filled guide from the FBI’s hunt for spies to today’s cybercriminals.
https://t.co/yA2hVbybFb

[Eric O'Neill @eoneill]

My daughter graduated high school last week. Like every parent, I felt pride, excitement… and a little fear. In Issue 89 of Spies, Lies & Cybercrime, I dive into the scams targeting students and families at one of life’s biggest milestones.
https://t.co/61wbS7IPMk
#Graduation