Draft:Stuart McClure
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Stuart McClure | |
|---|---|
| Occupations | Entrepreneur, author, cybersecurity executive |
| Known for | Co-author of Hacking Exposed, co-founder of Cylance, co-founder of Foundstone |
Stuart McClure is an American cybersecurity entrepreneur. He first gained prominence as the lead author of Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets & Solutions (1999) with Joel Scambray and George Kurtz,[1] a book on network security that went through seven editions and was inducted into the Cybersecurity Canon Hall of Fame.[2] He co-founded Foundstone, a cybersecurity consulting firm acquired by McAfee in 2004, and later co-founded Cylance, an AI-based endpoint security company acquired by BlackBerry for approximately US $1.4 billion in 2019.[3][4] He currently serves as the CEO of NumberOne AI and WethosAI.[5]
Early life and education
[edit]McClure earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and philosophy with an emphasis in computer science from the University of Colorado, Boulder.[6][7][8]
On February 24, 1989, McClure was a passenger on United Airlines Flight 811. He survived an explosive decompression event over the Pacific Ocean in which nine passengers were killed.[6] He has said his experience shaped his later focus on prevention in cybersecurity.[6]
Career
[edit]Early career and Foundstone (1992–2004)
[edit]McClure held various positions at Kaiser Permanente, Ernst & Young, and IDG.[7] He then worked as a technology journalist for InfoWorld during the late 1990s.[9]
In 1999, he co-founded Foundstone, a cybersecurity consulting and vulnerability management firm, where he served as president and CTO.[1][10] That same year he co-authored the first edition of Hacking Exposed with Joel Scambray and George Kurtz. The book sold more than 600,000 copies across seven editions[7] and spawned several related titles, including Web Hacking: Attacks and Defense (2003, with Scambray) and three editions of Hacking Exposed Windows (2001–2007, with Scambray).
During his time at Foundstone, McClure was granted a patent for automated network vulnerability detection and reporting (U.S. patent 7,152,105, 2006).[11] McAfee acquired Foundstone in 2004 for $86 million.[7]
McAfee (2004–2012)
[edit]Following the acquisition, McClure joined McAfee in 2004 as SVP & General Manager of Risk & Compliance and was named Global Chief Technology Officer in December 2011, succeeding George Kurtz.[7] He remained with the company after Intel acquired McAfee for $7.68 billion in 2010[12], departing in July 2012.[13]
Cylance (2012–2019)
[edit]McClure co-founded Cylance with Ryan Permeh[14] in Irvine, California in 2012. The company used machine learning models to detect malware on endpoints before execution, a different approach from the signature-based methods dominant at the time. In 2013, Cylance raised $15 million in funding from Khosla Ventures and Fairhaven Capital.[15] In 2014, Cylance published a report on what it called Operation Cleaver, which it attributed to Iranian state-sponsored actors targeting critical infrastructure.[16] In 2015, Cylance raised $42 million in funding.[17] In 2016, McClure was named EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Orange County.[10]
BlackBerry acquired Cylance[18] in February 2019. McClure served as president of BlackBerry Cylance and left the company in September of that year.[19]
Qwiet AI (2022–2025)
[edit]McClure served as CEO of Qwiet AI, an application security company, from 2022 to 2025, leading it through its acquisition by Harness.[5][20][21]
NumberOne AI & WethosAI (2021–present)
[edit]McClure founded NumberOne AI, an AI-focused incubator, in 2021, which raised $13 million.[22] In 2023, he founded WethosAI, which grew out of NumberOne AI, serving as its CEO.[5] In August 2024, WethosAI secured $7.5 million in a seed funding round led by GFT Ventures, with co-investors including Miramar Digital Ventures, UCI Cove Fund, and Capellas Partners.[23]
Congressional recognition
[edit]Cylance's research has been cited in U.S. congressional documents, including a House Oversight Committee report on the Office of Personnel Management data breach.[24]
Selected bibliography
[edit]- McClure, Stuart; Scambray, Joel; Kurtz, George (1999–2012). Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets & Solutions (1st–7th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
- McClure, Stuart; Scambray, Joel (2003). Web Hacking: Attacks and Defense. Addison-Wesley. ISBN 0201761769.
- Scambray, Joel; McClure, Stuart (2001–2007). Hacking Exposed Windows (1st–3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Personal life
[edit]McClure lives in Irvine, California with his wife, Tusdi Vopat, and family.[25]
References
[edit]- 1 2 McClure, Stuart; Scambray, Joel; Kurtz, George (1999). Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets & Solutions. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0072127481.
- ↑ "CyberCanon: Hacking Exposed Series". Cybersecurity Canon.
- ↑ "BlackBerry Buys AI Cybersecurity Firm Cylance for $1.4bn". Fintech Futures. February 25, 2019.
- ↑ "Cylance in Irvine Bought by BlackBerry for $1.4 Billion". Orange County Register. February 22, 2019.
- 1 2 3 Chung, Sonia (2024-06-17). "Cylance Co-Founder McClure Launches New AI Startup". Orange County Business Journal. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- 1 2 3 "Airline Disaster Gave McClure the Genesis for Cylance". Orange County Register. March 17, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Lennon, Mike (2011-12-06). "McAfee Names Stuart McClure as Worldwide CTO". SecurityWeek. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- ↑ "OC 50 Keeping You Safe". Orange County Business Journal. 2019-05-05. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- ↑ Tangent, The Dark. "DEF CON 6.0 was July 31st to August 2nd in Las Vegas, Nevada!". defcon.org. Archived from the original on 2025-12-22. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- 1 2 Brewster, Thomas (2016-07-06). "Duelling Unicorns: CrowdStrike vs Cylance in Brutal Battle To Knock Hackers Out". Forbes.
- ↑ "US Patent 7,152,105 B2 — System and Method for Network Vulnerability Detection and Reporting" (PDF).
- ↑ Rao, Leena (2010-08-19). "Intel Buys Cyber Security Giant McAfee For $7.68 Billion In Cash". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- ↑ McGirt, Ellen (2012-11-26). "Cylance Founder Stuart McClure Finds Success In Slowing Down". Fast Company. Archived from the original on 2024-12-18. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- ↑ "Meet the $1 Billion Startup Busting Cybersecurity's Greatest Myth". Inc.com. Archived from the original on 2023-04-16. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- ↑ "Cylance, A Cyber Security Data Company Founded By Former McAfee CTO, Raises $15M From Khosla, Fairhaven Capital". TechCrunch. 2013-02-13. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- ↑ "Iran hackers targeted airlines, energy firms: report". Reuters. December 2, 2014.
- ↑ Hackett, Robert (July 28, 2015). "Cylance raises $42 million for AI-based security software". Fortune.
- ↑ Reisinger, Don. "BlackBerry Will Buy Cybersecurity Firm Cylance for $1.4 Billion". Fortune. Retrieved 2026-10-02.
- ↑ Kovacs, Eduard (2019-09-26). "Cylance Founder Stuart McClure Leaves BlackBerry". SecurityWeek. Retrieved 2026-10-02.
- ↑ Moe, Jackie (2025-11-17). "OC500 2025: STUART MCCLURE". Orange County Business Journal. Retrieved 2026-10-02.
- ↑ Chung, Sonia (2023-10-16). "Cylance Co-Founder McClure Steps Up AI Focus". Orange County Business Journal. Retrieved 2026-10-02.
- ↑ Costelloe, Kevin (2022-10-25). "Cylance's McClure Lands $13M for New AI Venture". Orange County Business Journal. Retrieved 2026-10-02.
- ↑ Costelloe, Kevin (2024-09-03). "McClure's Wethos Gets $7.5M in Seed Round". Orange County Business Journal. Retrieved 2026-10-02.
- ↑ "The OPM Data Breach: How the Government Jeopardized Our National Security for More than a Generation" (PDF). U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
- ↑ Yoshida, Yuika (2026-02-02). "Clavis Gift Backs Rady Integrative Care". Orange County Business Journal. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
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