Meet the Sysdig Threat Research and Cybersecurity Strategy Team

With a wealth of experience from Gartner to Mandiant, government intelligence to cybersecurity leadership, meet the people digging into the trillion-dollar cybercrime economy

SAN FRANCISCO – Jan. 31, 2024 – Sysdig, the leader in cloud security powered by runtime insights, today released its “2024 Cloud-Native Security and Usage Report.” Following the company’s seventh annual report, the recent significant infrastructure breaches across well-known organizations, and the updated Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) cybersecurity and disclosure rules, Sysdig is highlighting its team of researchers and thought leaders, whose work paves the way in cloud-native threat investigation and security strategy. With experience ranging from enterprise architecture to national intelligence analysis and exploit detection to offensive security research, these leaders bring a wealth of expertise to the broader cloud security ecosystem.  

Meet the Team

Anna Belak, Director of the Office of Cybersecurity Strategy, has 10 years of experience researching and advising organizations on cloud adoption, with a focus on security best practices. As a Gartner analyst, Anna spent six years helping more than 500 enterprises with vulnerability management, security, monitoring, and DevSecOps initiatives. Anna’s research and talks have been used to transform organizations’ IT strategies, and her research agenda has helped shape markets. In her work at Sysdig, Anna leverages her deep understanding of the security industry to help IT professionals succeed in their cloud-native journey. Her leadership has been pivotal for projects such as The 5/5/5 Cloud Detection and Response Benchmark and annual cloud-native security and usage reports, among others.

Connect with Anna on LinkedIn.

Crystal Morin, Cybersecurity Strategist, has more than 10 years of experience in threat analysis and research. Crystal started her career as both a Cryptologic Language Analyst and Intelligence Analyst in the United States Air Force and as a contractor for Booz Allen Hamilton, where she helped develop and evolve their cyber threat intelligence community and threat-hunting capabilities. In 2022, Crystal joined Sysdig as a Threat Research Engineer on the Sysdig Threat Research Team, where she worked to discover and analyze cyber threat actors taking advantage of the cloud. Today, Crystal bridges the gap between business and security through cloud-focused content for leaders and practitioners alike. Crystal’s thought leadership has been foundational for pieces such as the “2024 Cloud-Native Security and Usage Report” and “Cloud vs. On-Premises: Unraveling the Mystery of the Dwell Time Disparity,” among others.

Connect with Crystal on LinkedIn.

Jamie Butler, Head of Runtime Protection and Response Strategy, has over 25 years of experience and is a recognized leader in operating system security, cloud and container security, memory forensics, reverse engineering, malware, threat intelligence, and enterprise security. Jamie began his career as a computer scientist at the National Security Agency. He went on to direct research teams at some of the most prominent security companies of the past two decades, including as Chief Architect and Fellow at FireEye and Chief Researcher at Mandiant. Jamie then became Chief Technology Officer of Endgame, where he led engineering, product, and research teams focused on the convergence of the Endpoint Protection Platforms (EPP) and Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions. Before joining Sysdig, Jamie was a Distinguished Engineer and Tech Lead focused on detection and its efficacy at Elastic; he is also an active member of the Black Hat Review Board and co-authored the bestseller, “Rootkits: Subverting the Windows Kernel.” At Sysdig, Jamie leads engineering innovation for threat detection and response. Jamie’s leadership has been essential for Sysdig’s advanced EDR capabilities and driving the evolution of Cloud Detection and Response (CDR) in the market, among other projects.

Connect with Jamie on LinkedIn.

Michael Clark, Director of Threat Research, has 25 years of industry experience ranging from incident response, threat intelligence, offensive security research, and software development at companies such as Rapid7, ThreatQuotient, and ManTech. Michael also worked as a Gartner analyst, advising enterprise clients on SecOps topics. At Sysdig, Michael manages a team of experts tasked with discovering and defending against novel security threats; his team’s work led to the Sysdig Platform’s 100% rule coverage of the MITRE ATT&CK Framework for containers. Michael’s leadership has been vital in uncovering cloud-native operations such as SCARLETEEL and major findings published in the “2023 Global Cloud Threat Report,” among others.

Connect with Michael on LinkedIn.

Mike Isbitski, Director of Cybersecurity Strategy, has more than 25 years of experience in application, cloud, and container security. Mike is a former Gartner analyst, cybersecurity leader, and practitioner with experience on the front lines of IT working on application security, vulnerability management, enterprise architecture, and systems engineering, with direct experience in the telecommunications, health care, and utilities sectors. While at Sysdig, Mike has guided countless organizations across the globe to better support their businesses and security initiatives. Mike’s unique mix of technical expertise and business savvy has been indispensable for navigating the intersection of technology and cybersecurity regulation, contributing to pieces such as “Vulnerabilities Aren’t New, but the Speed of Incidents Is” and “Assess Your Readiness Now for the SEC Cybersecurity Disclosure Rules,” among others.

Connect with Mike on LinkedIn.

Learn More About the Team’s Work

• Explore the key findings of the “2024 Cloud-Native Security and Usage Report.”  
• Read about the AMBERSQUID cloud-native cryptojacking operation.
• Watch the “Redefining Cloud Threat Detection with Anna Belak” webinar.
• Listen to “Cloud Native Security With Michael Isbitski” on the Arrested DevOps podcast.
• Learn how enriched process trees bolster cloud threat investigation.

Media Contact

Damon Weinhold
[email protected]
+1 (415) 873-4772