Megan Stifel

Chief Strategy Officer

Megan Stifel headshot

Megan Stifel is the Chief Strategy Officer for the Institute for Security and Technology. She is the founder of Silicon Harbor Consultants, which provides strategic cybersecurity operations and policy counsel. Prior to founding Silicon Harbor Consultants, she was an attorney in the National Security Division at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

She most recently served as Global Policy Officer and Capacity and Resilience Program Director at the Global Cyber Alliance. She was previously the Cybersecurity Program Director at Public Knowledge.

While at DOJ, Megan served on detail as a Director for International Cyber Policy in the National Security Council at the White House. In this role she developed and implemented policies in connection with Internet governance, cybersecurity, and cybercrime. In particular, Megan developed and coordinated the interagency process culminating in the U.S. government’s March 2014 announcement regarding the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority, developed the first ever interagency international cyber capacity building data call, supported the government’s response to the unauthorized disclosures of intelligence programs, and participated in multiple bilateral and multilateral engagements. She also contributed regularly to information sharing, privacy, and critical infrastructure protection policy development.

Prior to the White House, Megan worked at the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS). At CCIPS she collaborated with law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute computer crime cases, including identity theft, network intrusion, and malware distribution.

Megan previously served as the Director for Cyber Policy at NSD, where she coordinated the Division’s policy and legal analysis in connection with the 2009 Cyberspace Policy Review (CSPR) and the 2008 Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, cyber-related legislative proposals, cybersecurity investigations, cyber operations, and the telecommunications supply chain. She was a member of the interagency group that developed the 2011 International Strategy for Cyberspace and the CSPR. Megan joined DOJ in 2006; she initially prepared applications under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and provided legal and policy guidance to the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense.

Prior to DOJ, Megan was an associate at Sutherland. She counseled clients on compliance with sanctions programs, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, anti-boycott laws, and foreign investment review. As a law student she served as legal intern for DOJ’s Office of Intelligence Policy and Review (now the Office of Intelligence). Prior to law school Megan worked on Capitol Hill, including two years with the U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. She received her Juris Doctorate from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and German magna cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame.

From our Library

Memo

Testimony: Held for Ransom: How Ransomware Endangers Our Financial System

Megan Stifel

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Reports

Castles Built on Sand: Towards Securing the Open-Source Software Ecosystem

Zoë Brammer, Silas Cutler, Marc Rogers, Megan Stifel

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Op-ed

Cyber incident reporting isn’t the problem — ignorance is

Michael Daniel and Megan Stifel

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Video

Securing Data Flows: The Importance of an EU-U.S. Agreement on Data Flows

Megan Stifel, David Kris, Anitha Ibrahim, and Peter Swire

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Podcasts

The Truth about Ransomware (and How to Stop It)

Megan Stifel and Eric Greenwald

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Video

Hacking in Plain Sight: Offensive Cyber Operations in the Russo-Ukrainian War

Erica D. Lonergan, Silas Cutler, Marc Rogers, and Megan Stifel

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Podcasts

The Lawfare Podcast: Cybersecurity and Ukraine

Kori Schake, Megan Stifel, Mieke Eoyang, and Benjamin Wittes

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Video

Intervention or Cooperation? The Roles for Military and Law Enforcement in Combating Ransomware

Lauren Zabierek, Gavin Wilde, Gary Corn, Dmitri Alperovitch, and Megan Stifel

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