SANS Difference Makers Awards

The SANS Difference Makers Awards shine a light on the cybersecurity practitioners who are leading innovative developments in the industry, who’ve made outstanding security achievements, and who are contributing back to the InfoSec community in ways that deserve recognition. The 2023 SANS DMA took place on Wednesday, December 13 — it was a most special evening. Watch the replay below.

2023 Difference Makers Awards Ceremony | Watch the Replay

The awards ceremony took place in Washington, DC on Wednesday, December 13, during SANS Cyber Defense Initiative 2023. It was a most special night of highlighting and celebrating our nominees — amazing unsung heroes in the cybersecurity community. Catch the replay on your channel of choice below.

Interested in Sponsoring the 2024 DMA's?

If you'd like to learn more about how your organization can be involved in next year's ceremony, email us at differencemakers@sans.org.

Why are the DMAs special? 

There are thousands of cyber security practitioners out there who are quietly succeeding and making breakthroughs every day in advancing security. It's time to recognize these individuals and teams.

At the SANS Cyber Defense Initiative conference in December 2023, SANS will hold its annual celebration of the most dedicated and innovative people who made a difference in security in 2023. 

This prestigious annual awards program honors individuals and teams in the cyber security community who have made a measurable and significant difference in security. Through their implementation of security processes or technology, each person has raised the bar in enabling secure business operations and reducing risk.

We have expanded the awards to include top mentors, content creators and the most influential champions focused on building the next generation. We've also partnered with on Chris Cochran and Ron Eddings from Hacker Valley Media as they share our passion for supporting the unsung heroes of cybersecurity and the humans at work behind the technology.

The common denominator in each nominee is their willingness and ability to do what SANS calls 'Fight the Good Fight' in advancing the state of practice in cybersecurity.

2023 Award Categories

We expanded the awards this year to include top mentors, content creators, and the most influential champions focused on building the next generation. Take a look at the variety of categories, nominees, and winners below.

Article or Book of the Year

Published content in book or article form that makes a significant contribution to cybersecurity literature.

Nominees:

  • Software Transparency: Supply Chain Security in an Era of a Software-Driven Society by Chris Hughes and Tony Turner
  • The Ransomware Diaries, Jon DiMaggio
  • 11 Strategies of a World-Class SOC , MITRE with authors Kathryn Knerler, Ingrid Parker, Carson Zimmerman
  • The Little Cyber Engineer By Amber DeVilbiss
  • See Yourself in Cybersecurity, Zinet Kemal

Winner - Community:

  • The Ransomware Diaries, Jon DiMaggio

Winner - Committee:

  • See Yourself in Cybersecurity, Zinet Kemal

Community Champion/Influencer of the Year

Deeply supports the community and/or social media presence provides valuable resources and connections for others in the field.

Nominees:

  • Alyssa Miller
  • Andrew Rathbun
  • Bryson Bort & Tom VanNorman
  • Caitlin Sarian
  • David Meece

Winner - Community:

  • Caitlin Sarian

Winner - Committee:

  • David Meece

Diversity Champion of the Year

Devotes significant time and energy to fostering talent and increasing representation and participation of under-represented minorities.

Nominees:

  • Alma Maria Rinasz
  • Darold Kelly Jr
  • Kerissa Varma
  • LaLisha Hurt
  • Lillian Teng
  • MK Palmore
  • Sarah Morales

Winner Community:

  • Lillian Teng

Winner Committee:

  • MK Palmore

Innovator of the Year

Using unique approaches to succeeded through innovation and risk-taking.

Nominees:

  • Bryson Bort
  • David Kovar
  • Francesco Cipollone
  • Jones Baraza
  • Maxime Lamothe-Brassard

Winner - Community:

  • Jones Baraza

Winner - Committee:

  • Bryson Bort

Mentor of the Year

Devotes significant time and energy to fostering talent and support those getting into cybersecurity.

Nominees:

  • Donny Greene
  • Justin David G. Pineda
  • Lesley Carhart
  • Mark Perry
  • Tanya Janca

Winner - Community:

  • Tanya Janca

Winner - Committee:

  • Donny Greene

Open-Source Tool Creator of the Year

Created an open-source tool that is of significant value.

Nominees:

  • Nick Tsamis, Misha Belisle & Blaine Jeffries
  • Brian Maloney
  • David Blais
  • Steve Springett
  • Jean-Pierre LESUEUR

Winner - Community:

  • Dependency Track (OWASP) - Steve Springett

Winner - Committee:

  • Caldera for OT - Blaine Jeffries, Misha Belisle. Nick Tsamis

Podcast, Livestream or Video Series of the Year

Podcast or video of live-streamed content that makes a significant contribution to the industry.

Nominees:

  • John Hubbard | BlueTeam Podcast
  • Larry Pesce & Paul Asadoorian | Security Weekly
  • Patrick Akil | Beyond Coding Podcast
  • Phillip Wylie | The Hacker Factory
  • Erika Eakins, Maril Vernon & Amber Devilbiss | The Cyber Queens Podcast

Winner - Community:

  • Phillip Wylie | The Hacker Factory

Winner - Committee:

  • Erika Eakins, Maril Vernon & Amber Devilbiss | The Cyber Queens Podcast

Rising Star

Newer practitioners to keep an eye on.

Nominees:

  • Day Johnson
  • Dimple Gajra
  • Jasmine Suarez
  • Jonny Johnson
  • Zinet Kemal

Winner - Community:

  • Dimple Gajra

Winner - Committee:

  • Jasmine Suarez

Team Leader of the Year

Displayed extraordinary leadership skills, dedication to their team and passion for fostering an inclusive, thriving team environment.

Nominees:

  • Komi Sergio Hognaglo
  • Laurie Salvail
  • Martin Bos
  • Robert Wood
  • Tia Hopkins

Winner - Community:

  • Tia Hopkins

Winner - Committee:

  • Robert Wood

Team or Practitioner of the Year

An individual or team who has done extraordinary work.

Nominees:

  • Ambareen Siraj
  • CyberDefenders Team
  • Molly McLain Sterling's Security Culture Team
  • Proofpoint Threat Research Team
  • The KC7 Team

Winner - Community:

  • CyberDefenders Team

Winner - Committee:

  • The KC7 Team

Lifetime Achievement Award

Transcends categories; has made substantial contributions to cybersecurity over many years.

Nominees:

  • Craig Newmark
  • Kevin Mitnick
  • Lisa Ventura MBE
  • Ron Gula

Winner - Community:

  • Kevin Mitnick

Winner - Committee:

  • Ron Gula

Proudly Partnering with Non-Profits

In lieu of event swag bags, we have made donations to the below non-profits working to make a difference in cybersecurity.

2023 Advisory Committee Members

Thank You to Our Sponsors

FAQ

  • This prestigious annual awards program, created by John Pescatore and our late founder Alan Paller, honors individuals and teams in the cyber security community who have made a measurable and significant difference in security. You can read more and view lists of previous winners at the links below.

  • Anyone can make a nomination! We want to hear from people all around the industry.

  • Complete all fields on the nomination form. The more detailed and specific your nomination, the better. The nomination should focus on work performed in 2022.

  • No! Nominations are free and open to anyone who wants to share great news about people and projects that deserve to be celebrated by the cybersecurity community.


  • Yes, and no! People and teams can receive multiple nominations, but it won’t add weight to the selection process.

  • Two things: The nominations will be summarized, and we’ll post a new survey form for the public to vote for their choice in each category. At the same time, the SANS Advisory Board, made up of a panel of SANS instructors and industry practitioners, will review the nominations and make their selection. There will be two winners in each category – the People’s Choice winner and the SANS Advisory Board winner.

  • The SANS Advisory Board represents a collective of SANS instructors and industry practitioners.

  • The third week of November.

  • There will be two winners per category – one selected by a popular vote and one selected by a SANS/industry committee.

  • There will be a simple form available online.

  • The awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, December 13 in Washington, DC during SANS Cyber Defense Initiative 2023.
  • The awards ceremony will be by invitation-only, but it will be livestreamed here on both LinkedIn and YouTube. Choose your channel of choice, and select "Attend/Notify Me" on the landing page to be notified as the event date approaches.

  • There is travel support available for invited nominees as needed.