Chris Wysopal

Chris Wysopal is an American computer security researcher and executive best known for his role in the hacker collective L0pht Heavy Industries and his subsequent career building commercial application-security companies. He was born on December 1, 1965, in New Haven, Connecticut, and earned a bachelor's degree in Computer and Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1987.

L0pht and the 1998 Senate Testimony

Under the handle 'Weld Pond,' Wysopal was a member of L0pht Heavy Industries, the Boston-based hacker think tank that publicized weaknesses in widely used commercial software during the 1990s. Within the group he worked on vulnerability research and development, contributing to tools including L0phtCrack. On May 19, 1998, Wysopal was one of seven L0pht members who testified before a U.S. Senate committee, warning that vulnerabilities in commercial software were severe enough that the group could shut down the entire Internet in 30 minutes.

@stake and Responsible Disclosure Advocacy

In January 2000, L0pht merged into the newly formed security consultancy @stake. At @stake he managed the firm's research group and later served as Vice President of Research and Development. During this period Wysopal became one of the more prominent voices arguing for structured, cooperative approaches to reporting and fixing software vulnerabilities, establishing the VulnWatch mailing list in 2001 and, in February 2002, co-authoring an IETF Internet-Draft titled 'Responsible Vulnerability Disclosure Process' with Steve Christey of MITRE.

Founding Veracode

In March 2006, Wysopal co-founded Veracode with fellow former @stake and L0pht engineer Christien Rioux ('Dildog'). Veracode built an automated binary and static-analysis platform for testing software for security flaws. Wysopal served as the company's Chief Technology Officer for many years before transitioning to Chief Security Evangelist in 2024. CA Technologies acquired Veracode for approximately $614 million in 2017; it was later resold to Thoma Bravo for $950 million, and in 2022 TA Associates acquired the company at a $2.5 billion valuation.

Legacy

Wysopal's career traces a broader arc in the security industry from underground vulnerability research to institutionalized, commercial application-security practice, and Veracode became one of the establishing companies in the application security testing market.

Timeline

• 1965-12-01Born in New Haven, Connecticut.
• 1998-05-19Testified before the U.S. Senate as one of seven L0pht members.
• 2000-01L0pht merged into the security consultancy @stake.
• 2002-02Co-authored the IETF Internet-Draft 'Responsible Vulnerability Disclosure Process.'
• 2006-03Co-founded Veracode with Christien Rioux ('Dildog').
• 2017-04-03CA Technologies completed its acquisition of Veracode for approximately $614 million.
• 2022-03TA Associates acquired Veracode at a $2.5 billion valuation.