ctarbell@naxo.com

A former FBI Special Agent, Chris Tarbell specializes in cyber investigations and incident response. As a case agent with the FBI’s preeminent cybercrime squad in New York, he led some of the most groundbreaking cybercrime investigations in the world - including the arrest and prosecutions of Anonymous and LulzSec leadership, and the founder of the notorious Silk Road underground marketplace, the latter of which resulted in the largest seizure of bitcoins to date.

As a computer forensic examiner with the FBI, Chris engaged in rapid-response investigations all over the world on matters related to terrorism, botnets, and other cybercrimes. In 2009, Chris joined the FBI’s renowned cybercrime squad as a Special Agent in the New York field office. He was the lead investigator on several of the Bureau’s most complex and cutting-edge cases, including the takedown of the billion-dollar, cryptocurrency-based drug marketplace “Silk Road” and the arrest of its founder, and the investigation and arrest of the leadership of the Anonymous/LulzSec hacking crews.

Prior to co-founding NAXO, Chris developed and led the Cyber Operations & Incident Response practice for a large consulting firm. He has extensive experience helping businesses, high-profile individuals, and governments respond to a broad range of complex computer and network security threats. He is also regularly called on to advise foreign and domestic law enforcement officers on investigative techniques, and frequently lectures to business and government groups, including EUROPOL, on cyber threats and the means to address them.

Chris holds an MS in Computer Science from James Madison University with a concentration on Information Security. He has been certified by both the FBI and the International Association of Computer Investigative Specialists (IACIS) as a Certified Forensic Computer Examiner (CFCE). He has also been certified by the FBI as a subject-matter expert on cellphones and other mobile computing devices, and the Windows and Unix/Linux operating systems. Chris has been qualified in federal court as an expert witness in computer forensics, providing expert testimony in multiple federal criminal trials.

EDUCATION

M.S., Computer Science - James Madison University

B.S. Health Science - James Madison University