Articles by: Gus Anagnos

Gus Anagnos is the Chief Operations Officer at Cyber Defense Group, where he leads corporate strategy, delivery operations, account management, and customer success for clients navigating today’s complex cybersecurity landscape. With over 25 years of executive leadership experience across cybersecurity, information technology, and enterprise risk, Gus is known for translating technical initiatives into measurable business outcomes. Before joining Cyber Defense Group in 2023, Gus served as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at the University of Southern California, where he spearheaded a multi-year cybersecurity transformation program. His initiatives included rearchitecting enterprise infrastructure, deploying continuous vulnerability scanning, reducing attack surface exposure, and implementing university-wide security training and awareness campaigns. He worked cross-functionally with advisory boards and senior leadership to deliver an institution-wide risk-informed security strategy. Earlier in his career, Gus was Vice President of Operations and Global Alliances at Synack, a leading penetration testing firm supporting Fortune 500 clients and federal agencies like the Department of Defense and the IRS. He also held senior leadership positions at eBay, PayPal, IndyMac Bancorp, and General Motors—where he launched pioneering programs such as the PayPal Bug Bounty, one of the first of its kind in the financial services sector. Gus has held both CISO and CIO roles across industries including financial services, fintech, education, defense, automotive, and energy. He is widely respected for building and motivating high-performing technical teams, modernizing security operations, and aligning cybersecurity strategies with enterprise growth. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from California State University, Long Beach, and an MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business.