Lance Spitzner

FellowDirector, Workforce Cybersecurity Training at SANS Institute

Specialities

Cybersecurity Leadership, Security Awareness

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About Lance Spitzner

Lance Spitzner is a Fellow and the Director, Workforce Cybersecurity Training at the SANS Institute and a global leader in managing human risk and building security cultures that last. As author and instructor for LDR433: Managing Human Risk and LDR521: Security Culture for Leaders, he helps organizations transform cybersecurity from a technical program into a people-powered movement that changes behavior and reduces risk.

Lance’s cybersecurity career began after serving as an armor officer in the U.S. Army’s Rapid Deployment Force and earning his MBA from the University of Illinois. While interning at a Unix consulting company, he discovered his passion for systems and defense, becoming the go-to expert on firewalls. His early technical work as a security architect at Sun Microsystems, helping secure some of the world’s largest enterprises, led him to find the Honeynet Project, which pioneered the fields of deception and cyber intelligence. Over the past 25 years, he has advised 350+ organizations across 20 countries, authored three books, and taught thousands of students how to defend both technology and people.

Lance is also a faculty member of the SANS Technology Institute, which has been designated an NSA Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense and is a multi-year winner of the National Cyber League competition. Today, his focus is on the human side of cybersecurity. He believes that “managing human risk requires a human approach,” emphasizing behavior science, culture, motivation and communication, skills that technical professionals rarely receive formal training in. His dual background in technology and anthropology allows him to bridge this gap with realism and empathy.

For Lance, teaching is a community effort. “SANS is about two things: quality and community,” he says. His classes are highly interactive, encouraging students to learn as much from one another as from him. A highlight of his year is leading the annual Security Awareness Summits, where hundreds of professionals gather to share ideas that define the future of security culture. When he’s away from the classroom, you’ll find him outdoors or in the workshop, woodworking, blacksmithing, hiking, or tending his beehives. These practices reflect his teaching philosophy: careful craftsmanship, continuous learning, and respect for the environment you build.

Qualifications Summary

Fellow at SANS Institute; Board of Director at National Cybersecurity Alliance; President and Founder of The Honeynet Project
Credentials: Master of Business Administration (MBA), University of Illinois; many years of security architecture, deception and cultural-risk leadership.
Key achievements: Founder of the Honeynet Project; over 25 years of experience in cyber threat research and security awareness; helped 350+ organizations build human-risk programs.
Publications and tools: Author of three books on security; published 30+ white-papers; developed awareness-culture models and frameworks.
Courses taught/authored/co-authored: LDR433: Managing Human Risk; LDR521: Security Culture for Leaders.
Community/other roles: Faculty member, SANS Technology Institute; frequent keynote speaker; consultant across 20+ countries; pioneer of honeynet research.

Press & Media

Students Say

Slide 1 of 3
The most amazing and engaging instructor I have ever come across. The content and resources he presented are incredibly helpful and give me the tools needed to be organized and perceptive.
Erika TuazonBlue Shield of California
Slide 2 of 3
[Lance was] very knowledgeable in presenting the material. Answered all questions and ensured they were presented to the entire class for understanding.
Michael U.U.S. Federal Government
Slide 3 of 3
Lance is brilliant - so knowledgeable and has a great delivery style.
Helen WilliamsBupa