Kroll (“the Company”), a global leader in risk mitigation, compliance, security, and incident response solutions, today announced the appointment of Jason Smolanoff as Senior Managing Director, Global Cyber Security Practice Leader. Smolanoff, who brings more than 16 years of federal law enforcement and information security experience, has played a leading role in some of the most significant cyber security investigations in history. Over his career, he has specialized in supervising and investigating sophisticated computer and network intrusions conducted by state-sponsored organized crime, hacktivists, and insider threat actors, often developing and maintaining productive partnerships with international intelligence and law enforcement agencies as well as private industry.

“Jason is an extraordinary talent and globally recognized expert on the evolving cyber threats that enterprises, individuals, and governments increasingly face on a near-daily basis,” said David Fontaine, Chief Executive Officer of Kroll and its parent, Corporate Risk Holdings. “Throughout his career, Jason has been a pioneer, often developing new and innovative methods and techniques – all with an eye toward solving the real and challenging problems that clients encounter and must overcome. In joining Kroll, he adds yet another element to our growing and accomplished team of cyber professionals.”

Mr. Smolanoff said, “For decades, Kroll has devoted its expertise and professional capabilities to aiding its clients to avoid risks and, when necessary, to mitigate the impacts of unforeseen events and threats. I look forward to applying my energy and talents to furthering this unparalleled history of problem-solving and client service. With the increasing adoption of digital solutions and data aggregation, the risks presented by cyber threats are many and ever-evolving. Now, more than ever, it is essential to anticipate, to plan, and to attain an organizational state of readiness that will enable any adverse impacts of a cyber incident to be reduced to a minimum. I am genuinely proud and humbled to join the Kroll team.”

Most recently, Smolanoff was CEO of CISO Advisory & Investigations LLC, a firm he founded in 2015 to provide a wide range of outsourced information security services to publicly traded and private corporations, including their corporate boards and c-suite members. Concurrently, he has been serving as a Commissioner for the San Manuel Gaming Commission in Highland, California.

From 2011 to 2015, Smolanoff was a Managing Director in the Los Angeles office of Stroz Friedberg. In addition to business development responsibilities, Smolanoff led engagements for over 100 matters touching all of the firm’s business units, including digital forensics, incident response, security risk assessments, and investigations. During this time, he also developed a profitable content protection and anti-piracy service offering for the firm.

Smolanoff entered the private sector after serving with the FBI from 2000-2011, primarily from the Los Angeles field office. Most recently, he was the Supervisory Special Agent for the Cyber National Security Squad, where he supervised 12 Special Agents and Intelligence Analysts in responding to all aspects of complex cyber national security investigations with a nexus to counterintelligence and counterterrorism matters.

From 2010-2011, Smolanoff was the lead mentor of the Organized Crime Unit (OCU), Major Crimes Task Force, in Kabul, Afghanistan. This role required significant liaison with numerous coalition, Afghan, and Intelligence Community partners from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, as well as Afghan prosecutors and judges.

Prior to his service in Afghanistan, Smolanoff served as Supervisory Special Agent for FBI Special Agents and Intelligence Analysts embedded in the U.S. Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force in Los Angeles. It was during this time that Smolanoff served as the primary case agent and supervisor of all aspects of Operation Phish Phry (OPP), the largest cyber investigation and prosecution in history, which resulted in the arrest and prosecution of 100 individuals in the United States and Egypt. Earlier in his career as a Special Agent with the Criminal Cyber Squad, Smolanoff was the first FBI agent to conduct operational matters jointly with the Ministry of Public Security in the People’s Republic of China. Smolanoff was the primary case agent for the largest counterfeit software investigation in history, which encompassed several complex undercover operations focused on gathering evidence to prosecute 50 individuals and seize over $500 million of counterfeit software.

Smolanoff received numerous recognitions and prestigious awards for his achievements throughout his FBI career, including the 58th Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service; the 56th Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement by the Department of Justice; the United States Intelligence Community’s Joint Duty Certification; and the National Counterintelligence Award for Outstanding Cyber Investigation by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Before entering law enforcement, Smolanoff was a Field Process Engineer with Tokyo Electron Arizona, where he specialized in facilitating the manufacture of cutting-edge computer chip technology for clients such as IBM, Intel, Motorola, Philips, Sony, and Lucent.

A noted authority in cyber-related matters, Smolanoff is an Adjunct Professor with the Loyola Law School, as well as a member of Loyola’s Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Advisory Group. Smolanoff has also often served as keynote speaker and delivered numerous presentations before a wide range of industry, academic, government, and corporate audiences around the world. In addition to being a published author, he has been interviewed by leading regional and international media outlets.

Smolanoff earned a Master of Science degree in Chemical Physics from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Stony Brook and a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from SUNY at New Paltz.

About Kroll:

Kroll is the leading global provider of risk solutions. For more than 40 years, Kroll has helped clients make confident risk management decisions about people, assets, operations and security through a wide range of investigations, cyber security, due diligence and compliance, physical and operational security, and data and information management services. Headquartered in New York with more than 35 offices in 20 countries, Kroll has a multidisciplinary team of nearly 1,000 employees and serves a global clientele of law firms, financial institutions, corporations, non-profit institutions, government agencies, and individuals. For more information visit www.kroll.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain “forward-looking statements.” These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company’s performance and growth, and other non-historical statements. Forward-looking statements identify prospective information. Important factors could cause actual results to differ, possibly materially, from those stated in the forward-looking statements. In some cases you can identify forward-looking statements by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “should,” “will” and “would” or the negatives thereof, variations thereof or other similar words. You should read statements that contain these words carefully because they discuss the Company’s future priorities, goals, strategies, actions to improve business performance, market growth assumptions and expectations, future business opportunities, capital expenditures, financing needs, financial position and other information that is not historical information or state other “forward-looking” information. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by which, such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking information is based on information available at the time and/or management's good faith belief with respect to future events, and is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in the statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made. The Company assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. If the Company does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that the Company will make additional updates with respect thereto or with respect to other forward-looking statements.