Danny Jenkins is the CEO and Co-Founder of ThreatLocker®, a cybersecurity company specializing in Zero Trust endpoint protection solutions. With over two decades of experience in building and securing corporate networks, including red and blue team operations, Jenkins is a recognized authority in the cybersecurity industry. He is dedicated to advancing cybersecurity awareness and frequently speaks on topics such as ransomware and the Zero Trust approach.

Early days

Jenkins began his cybersecurity career in 1997, which has included roles ranging from managing corporate IT to ethical hacking to becoming an entrepreneur. A significant turning point occurred when, as a cybersecurity consultant, Jenkins witnessed the aftermath of a severe cyberattack on a business. The attack disrupted business operations and nearly resulted in the loss of the company. This incident underscored the critical gaps in existing reactive cybersecurity strategies and motivated Jenkins to develop a proactive, Zero Trust solution designed to give businesses more control over their defenses.

ThreatLocker®

In 2017, Jenkins co-founded ThreatLocker® to address these challenges. Its Zero Trust platform—Allowlisting, Ringfencing, and Network Control— empowers businesses to prevent attacks preemptively while simplifying the implementation and management process. Today, ThreatLocker® protects millions of endpoints and serves over 50,000 businesses worldwide, supported by a team of over 500 professionals.

Achievements

Jenkins’ accomplishments include being named to the Orlando Business Journal’s 2024 Most Influential Leaders List and Cyber Magazine’s Top 10 Cybersecurity Leaders. A member of the Forbes Technology Council, Jenkins is also a frequent speaker at industry events, a contributor to Harvard Business Review, and the host of “Avoid the Hack” segments on WKMG News 6 (CBS).

Connect with Danny on LinkedIn

Interview Summary:

1. Middle East Expansion and CISO Engagement

(00:23): Danny recently traveled to Dubai and Qatar to support ThreatLocker’s relocation of its UAE office from Abu Dhabi to Dubai. During the trip, he met with around 30 CISOs and industry leaders to better understand their cybersecurity needs, amid heightened geopolitical tensions.

2. ThreatLocker’s Growth Trajectory

(01:22): ThreatLocker nearly doubled both its revenue and customer base in the past year. The company is experiencing strong growth in enterprise sectors such as finance, manufacturing, and aviation, driven by its proactive approach to preventing malware upfront rather than reacting after infection.

3. Evolving Cyber Threats and Ransomware Tactics

(02:20): Danny notes a shift in ransomware strategy: attackers now often exfiltrate data first, then encrypt later or not at all, using blackmail instead of pure data denial. He distinguishes between cybercrime gangs and nation-state-supported actors, such as those aligned with Iran.

4. Nation-State Threats and Software Origin Tracking

(03:21): ThreatLocker identifies the geographic origin of software running in customer environments, warning of risks tied to software from adversarial countries (e.g., China, Russia). He highlights real-world backdoor examples like Kaspersky and SolarWinds, and details rigorous internal vetting to prevent insider threats.

5. Jenkins’ Background as an Ethical Hacker

(04:56): As a former ethical hacker, Danny helped companies expose real weaknesses beyond surface-level scans—using custom malware and social engineering to reveal vulnerabilities like weak passwords and poor segmentation. He also consulted on ransomware recovery.

6. Misplaced CEO Focus: What Really Keeps Systems at Risk

(05:36): Danny argues that CEOs often focus on high-profile threats (e.g., Russian spies) instead of more frequent, overlooked risks: unpatched systems, excessive permissions, open ports, and shadow software. In 2024 alone, there were over 21,000 known vulnerabilities (CVEs).

7. Four Simple Rules for Business Cyber Hygiene

(07:04): To stay safe, businesses should:

• Close unused ports
• Patch regularly
• Block untrusted software
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA)
  He also suggests removing admin rights and following frameworks like CIS or NIST.

8. Role of AI in Cybersecurity—Promise and Peril

(07:49): AI helps augment decisions, but is far from foolproof: humans are 99% accurate in site classification vs. AI’s 70%. Worse, attackers are using AI to create novel malware that evades traditional detection, often by masking intent.

9. ThreatLocker’s AI-Era Strategy: Default-Deny

(09:14): Danny says the only sustainable approach is “block everything by default”. Only explicitly approved software should run, and even then, its permissions should be tightly scoped. This neutralizes malware and rogue tools, including those crafted by AI.

10. Consumer Threats and Defense Tips

(10:21): Consumers face identity theft, phishing, and malware, though they lack enterprise-grade controls. Danny recommends:

• Avoid unnecessary downloads
• Lock credit files
• Be cautious with personal data
• Use MFA to limit damage

11. Final Takeaways from Jenkins’ Career

(11:42): With 20+ years in the industry, Danny emphasizes that most successful attacks are unique and unpredictable. The best defense is to treat everything as potentially harmful, apply strict access controls, and adopt a security-first mindset in both business and personal environments.

ThreatLocker® is a global cybersecurity leader, providing enterprise-level Zero Trust cybersecurity tools to improve the security of servers and endpoints. Founded in 2017 by Danny Jenkins, Sami Jenkins, and John Carolan, ThreatLocker® now serves thousands of organizations globally and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, USA. For more information, visit: https://www.threatlocker.com/.

Recent News: https://www.threatlocker.com/resources/press-releases

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