Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2026: Speakers on AI, Fraud, Digital Risk, and Cyber Resilience
02 Oct 2026
Observed each October, Cybersecurity Awareness Month is an opportunity for organizations to bring digital security out of the IT department and into the broader workplace conversation.
Cyber risk now touches nearly every part of an organization. Employees encounter increasingly sophisticated scams and social engineering. Leaders are navigating questions around AI, data protection, and business continuity. At the same time, cybercriminals continue to find new ways to exploit both technology and human behavior.
A keynote can help make those risks understandable and relevant. Drawing from careers in intelligence, law enforcement, technology, national security, finance, and even cybercrime itself, these speakers give audiences a closer look at the threats organizations face and the role every person can play in creating a stronger security culture.
Cyber Security Awareness Month Speakers for 2026 Events and Employee Programs
Theresa Payton: Cyber Security Leadership, AI, and Digital Risk
The first woman to serve as White House Chief Information Officer, Theresa Payton helps audiences understand an increasingly complex digital threat landscape. Drawing from experience in government, banking, and cyber security strategy, she explores emerging threats, artificial intelligence, data protection, and the decisions leaders can make to strengthen cyber resilience.
Eric O’Neill: Cybercrime, Espionage, and AI-Driven Threats
Former FBI counterintelligence operative Eric O’Neill brings firsthand experience from the world of espionage into today’s cyber security conversation. He helps audiences understand how cybercriminals and hostile actors target organizations, while examining the growing role of artificial intelligence, insider threats, and digital risk in modern attacks.
Rachel Wilson: National Security, Cyber Strategy, and Resilience
After 15 years at the National Security Agency, Rachel Wilson brings a global perspective on cyber threats and national security to today’s business challenges. Now Managing Director and Chief Data Officer for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, she helps leaders understand cyber resilience, fraud prevention, data security, and the strategic risks surrounding critical information.
Shawnee Delaney: Insider Threats and the Human Side of Cyber Security
Cyber security is not only a technology problem. Former Defense Intelligence Agency Case Officer Shawnee Delaney focuses on the people, behaviors, and vulnerabilities that can put organizations at risk. Her insights into insider threats, social engineering, and human risk help audiences recognize warning signs and understand how a stronger security culture begins with awareness.
Frank Abagnale: Fraud, Identity Theft, and Protecting What Matters
For more than four decades, Frank Abagnale has advised organizations on fraud prevention, identity theft, cybercrime, and financial scams. His extraordinary background gives him a distinctive understanding of how criminals exploit trust and weaknesses in both systems and human behavior. He gives audiences practical insight into protecting identities, information, and organizations from increasingly sophisticated fraud.
Peter Singer: Cyber Security, AI, and the Future of Digital Conflict
Bestselling author and strategist Peter Singer examines how cyber security intersects with artificial intelligence, geopolitics, information warfare, and emerging technology. His research-driven presentations help audiences make sense of how digital conflict is evolving and what those changes mean for businesses operating in an increasingly connected world.
Keren Elazari: Ethical Hacking and Thinking Like a Hacker
Internationally recognized cyber security analyst and “friendly hacker” Keren Elazari invites audiences to see hackers not simply as threats, but as an important part of understanding where systems are vulnerable. Her perspective on ethical hacking, innovation, and cyber resilience helps organizations think differently about defense and prepare for threats before they become crises.
Nick Espinosa: Cyber Readiness and Business Resilience
Cyber security expert Nick Espinosa brings more than 25 years of experience helping organizations understand and prepare for digital threats. His presentations connect cyber security with larger business concerns, including artificial intelligence, emerging technology, risk management, and organizational preparedness, helping audiences see security as part of long-term resilience rather than simply an IT responsibility.
John Sileo: Identity Protection, Data Privacy, and Digital Trust
John Sileo’s expertise grew from a deeply personal encounter with identity theft and cybercrime that cost him his business and life savings. Today, he helps organizations understand the real-world consequences of compromised information and gives audiences practical ways to strengthen data privacy, digital trust, and individual responsibility for cyber security.
Brett Johnson: Cybercrime Through the Eyes of a Former Criminal
Once a major figure in the early world of online fraud, Brett Johnson now helps organizations defend against the tactics he once used. His firsthand understanding of cybercriminal behavior offers audiences a rare look at social engineering, identity theft, account takeover, and the psychology behind cybercrime, helping organizations better anticipate how criminals identify and exploit vulnerabilities.
Make Cyber Security Awareness Last Beyond October
Cyber Security Awareness Month can be a useful catalyst, but protecting an organization requires attention throughout the year. The strongest programs help employees understand not only what threats look like, but why they work and how everyday decisions can either create vulnerabilities or strengthen an organization’s defenses.
Whether your audience needs to better understand AI-enabled threats, cybercrime, fraud, insider risk, identity protection, or digital resilience, the right speaker can turn an abstract security issue into a conversation people understand and remember.