Facebook Recruits Yahoo’s Alex Stamos As New Security Chief

Former Yahoo chief information security officer (CISO) Alex Stamos has been recruited as Facebook’s new chief security officer.

Stamos has confirmed his new position on his personal Facebook and Twitter accounts and replaces Joe Sullivan, who  left Facebook in April to join taxi app firm Uber.

Moving on

“There is no company in the world that is better positioned to tackle the challenges faced not only by today’s Internet users but for the remaining 2/3rds of humanity we have yet to connect,” Stamos wrote on his Facebook page.

“The Internet has been an incredible force for connecting the world and giving individuals access to personal, educational and economic opportunities that are unprecedented in human history. These benefits are not without risk, and it is the responsibility of our industry to build the safest, most trustworthy products possible.”

His role at Facebook will see him focus on making sure that company’s products are as secure as possible, especially as they get used by more people all around the world, he explained:

“The Facebook security team has demonstrated a history of innovation as well as a unique willingness to share those innovations with the world, and we will build upon that history in the years to come.”

Yahoo friends

Paying tribute to his former co-workers, Stamos wrote, “I had a wonderful time at Yahoo and learned that the Yahoo Paranoids truly live up to their legend.

“Their commitment, brilliance, drive and pioneering spirit made it a pleasure to roll up our sleeves and get to work. Careers are long, and I hope our paths will cross often in the future. I wish all my friends at Yahoo the very best.”

Stamos’ time at Yahoo saw him publicly clash with the NSA regarding the US government’s demand for encrypted communication from technology companies. At a cybersecurity conference earlier this year, he also called out the US government over claims it was installing ‘backdoors’ into people’s personal PCs.

“If we’re going to build defects, backdoors or golden master keys for the U.S. government, do you believe we should do so… for the Chinese government, the Russian government, the Saudi Arabian government, the Israeli government, the French government?” he asked NSA director Admiral Mike Rogers.

A graduate of UC Berkeley, Stamos  is also co-founder of ISEC Partners. He has had previous stints at Loudcloud and NCC Group Domain Services, and before joining Yahoo was CTO at security firm Artemis.

Are you a security pro? Try our quiz!