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George Kurtz

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George Kurtz
George Kurtz, co-founder and CEO of CrowdStrike
Kurtz, c. 2016
Born (1965-05-05) May 5, 1965 (age 59)
New Jersey, U.S.[1]
Alma materSeton Hall University[2]
Occupation(s)President and CEO of CrowdStrike
SpouseAnnamaria Kurtz
Children2

George Kurtz is an American businessman. He is the CEO of the cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, which he co-founded with Dmitri Alperovitch.

In 2024, his company accidentally crashed millions of Windows computers around the world, causing billions of dollars in economic losses in what has been called the largest outage in the history of information technology[3].

Earlier, Kurtz founded Foundstone and served as chief technology officer of McAfee.[4] He wrote Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets & Solutions.[5] He is also a racing driver.[6]

Early life and education

Kurtz grew up in Parsippany-Troy Hills, New Jersey, and attended Parsippany High School.[7][1] He claims that he started programming video games on his Commodore when he was in fourth grade. He went on to build bulletin board systems in high school.[2] He graduated from Seton Hall University with a degree in accounting.[1]

Career

Price Waterhouse and Foundstone

After college, Kurtz began his career at Price Waterhouse as a CPA. In 1993, Price Waterhouse made Kurtz one of its first employees in its new security group. In 1999, he co-wrote Hacking Exposed, a book about cybersecurity for network administrators, with Stuart McClure and Joel Scambray. The book sold more than 600,000 copies and was translated into more than 30 languages.[1][8] Later that year he started a cybersecurity company, Foundstone, one of the first dedicated security consulting companies. Foundstone focused on vulnerability management software and services and developed a well-recognized incident response practice, with much of the Fortune 100 among its customers.[9][10]

McAfee

In August 2004, Foundstone was acquired for $86 million by McAfee, which appointed Kurtz to be senior vice president and general manager of risk management.[9][11]

In October 2009, McAfee promoted him to chief technology officer and executive vice president.[12] Six months later, McAfee accidentally disrupted its customers' operations around the world when it pushed out a software update that deleted critical Windows XP system files and caused affected systems to bluescreen and enter a boot loop. "I'm not sure any virus writer has ever developed a piece of malware that shut down as many machines as quickly as McAfee did today," Ed Bott wrote at ZDNet.[13]

In 2010, Kurtz participated in Operation Aurora, the investigation of a series of cyber attacks against Google and several other companies.[14]

In 2011, he led McAfee's research around the emerging Night Dragon and Shady RAT threats, alongside Dmitri Alperovitch, who was then McAfee's vice president of threat research.[15][16]

Over time, Kurtz became frustrated that existing security technology functioned slowly and was not, as he perceived it, evolving at the pace of new threats.[17] On a flight, he watched the passenger seated next to him wait 15 minutes for McAfee software to load on his laptop, an incident he later cited as part of his inspiration for founding CrowdStrike.[18][1] He resigned from McAfee in October 2011.[16]

CrowdStrike

In November 2011, Kurtz joined private equity firm Warburg Pincus as an "entrepreneur-in-residence"[19][20] and began working on his next project, CrowdStrike. He, Gregg Marston (former chief financial officer at Foundstone), and Dmitri Alperovitch co-founded CrowdStrike in Irvine, California, formally announcing the company's launch in February 2012.[21][22] Kurtz pitched the idea for the company to Warburg Pincus and secured $25 million in funding.[2][23]

CrowdStrike shifted the focus from anti-malware and antivirus products (McAfee's approach to cybersecurity) to identifying the techniques used by hackers in order to spot threats.[24][25] The company also developed a "cloud-first" model in order to reduce the software load on customers' computers.[24] CrowdStrike, now headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, attracted public interest in June 2016 for its role in investigating the Democratic National Committee cyber attacks,[18] and in May 2017, the company exceeded a valuation of $1 billion.[26] In 2019, CrowdStrike's $612 million initial public offering on the Nasdaq brought the company to a $6.6 billion valuation under Kurtz's leadership.[27][28] In March 2020, when discussing company strategy at CrowdStrike, he said that "not one time have I regretted firing someone too fast."[29] In July 2020, an IDC report named CrowdStrike as the fastest-growing endpoint security software vendor.[30] He ranked on CRN's 2021 Top 100 Executives list.[31]

In 2023, Kurtz warned of cyber threats from China and criticized Microsoft’s response after Chinese hackers exploited a flaw in Microsoft's cloud email service to gain access to the email accounts of U.S. government employees.[32]

On July 19, 2024, CrowdStrike caused one of the largest information technology outages in history when it pushed out a software update that caused an estimated 8.5 million computers running Microsoft Windows to crash and left them unable to properly restart.[33] This disrupted industries and governmental operations around the world, causing economic losses estimated in the billions of dollars in what has been called the largest IT outage in history[34] and "historic in scale"[35]. In a live interview on NBC's Today, CEO Kurtz apologized to the public. He said company leaders were "deeply sorry for the impact that we've caused to customers, to travelers, to anyone affected by this, including our companies".[36]

Personal life

In his personal time, Kurtz is an avid exotic car collector and has driven Audi R8 LMS GT4 and Mercedes-AMG GT3[37] in the Pirelli World Challenge.[1][38] Previously, he raced in the Radical Cup and Sports Car Club of America endurance events.[39] He is currently driving for CrowdStrike Racing.

Kurtz is Jewish.[40]

Racing record

Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pos. Points
2021 CORE Autosport LMP3 Ligier JS P320 Nissan VK56DE 5.6L V8 DAY
5† 		SEB
1 		MDO WGL
2 		WGL ELK PET
7 		11th 968
2022 CORE Autosport LMP3 Ligier JS P320 Nissan VK56DE 5.6 L V8 DAY
3† 		SEB
5 		MDO WGL
2 		MOS
 ELK
 PET
5 		17th 921
2023 CrowdStrike Racing by APR LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 V8 DAY
2† 		SEB
5 		MON
3 		WGL
1 		ELK
7 		IMS
3 		PET
1 		2nd 1958
2024 CrowdStrike Racing by APR LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 V8 DAY
2 		SEB WGL MOS ELK IMS ATL
Source:[41]

† Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship. † Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP3 Championship.

Complete 24 Hours of Daytona results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2021 United States CORE Autosport United States Jon Bennett
United States Colin Braun
United States Matt McMurry 		Ligier JS P320 LMP3 737 31st 5th
2022 United States CORE Autosport United States Jon Bennett
United States Colin Braun
Sweden Niclas Jönsson 		Ligier JS P320 LMP3 721 16th 3rd
2023 United States CrowdStrike Racing by APR Mexico Esteban Gutiérrez
United Kingdom Ben Hanley
United States Matt McMurry 		Oreca 07 LMP2 761 8th 2nd
2024 United States CrowdStrike Racing by APR United States Colin Braun
Denmark Malthe Jakobsen
United Kingdom Toby Sowery 		Oreca 07 LMP2 767 10th 2nd

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2023 Portugal Algarve Pro Racing Australia James Allen
United States Colin Braun 		Oreca 07 LMP2 322 20th 10th
LMP2 Pro-Am 1st
2024 Portugal CrowdStrike Racing by APR United States Colin Braun
Netherlands Nicky Catsburg 		Oreca 07 LMP2 149 DNF DNF
LMP2 Pro-Am
Source:[41]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Velloor, Ravi (10 September 2017). "In Good Company: CrowdStrike's George Kurtz is in a race against hackers". The Straits Times. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Yakowicz, Will (September 2016). "When Wall Street and Washington Get Hacked, They Call This Guy". Inc. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  3. ^ Milmo, Dan; Kollewe, Julia; Quinn, Ben; Taylor, Josh; Ibrahim, Mimi (19 July 2024). "'Largest IT outage in history' hits Microsoft Windows and causes global chaos". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  4. ^ "George Kurtz". CrowdStrike. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  5. ^ "George Kurtz", Carnegie Council (2024)
  6. ^ Dagys, John (2023-06-06). "Kurtz Approaching Le Mans Debut With "Open Mind" – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  7. ^ Westhoven, William. "Parsippany native leads charge against cyber attacks", Asbury Park Press, December 29, 2014. Accessed February 22, 2018. "A Parsippany native on the front lines of the global cyber wars says if you thought 2014 was wild, wait until 2015.... Kurtz, who spent much of his time in Parsippany fly fishing or playing for the Parsippany High School football team, started out as an accountant after graduating from Seton Hall University, after which he worked for firms such as Price Waterhouse."
  8. ^ "Influencers - George Kurtz". SC Media. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  9. ^ a b Fisher, Dennis (16 August 2004). "McAfee Buys Security Consulting Firm Foundstone". eWeek. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  10. ^ High, Peter (23 May 2017). "Security Advice From The CEO Of The World's Newest Unicorn - CrowdStrike". Forbes. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  11. ^ McLaughlin, Kevin (18 October 2011). "McAfee Looking For New CTO After Kurtz Steps Down". CRN. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  12. ^ "McAfee Names George Kurtz EVP and CTO". Channel Times. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2017.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ Ed Bott (21 April 2010). "Defective McAfee update causes worldwide meltdown of XP PCs". ZDNet. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
  14. ^ Jackson, William (1 September 2010). "How Google attacks changed the security game". GCN. Retrieved 14 December 2017.[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ Raywood, Dan (10 February 2011). "McAfee CTO warns of new combined threat named 'Night Dragon'". SC Media UK. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
  16. ^ a b Finkle, Jim (18 October 2011). "McAfee loses high-profile researcher and CTO". Reuters. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  17. ^ Fox-Brewster, Thomas (6 July 2016). "Duelling Unicorns: CrowdStrike Vs. Cylance In Brutal Battle To Knock Hackers Out". Forbes. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  18. ^ a b Marwan, Samar (11 July 2017). "CrowdStrike Helped Trace The DNC Hack To Russia -- Now Business Is Booming". Forbes. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  19. ^ "CrowdStrike IPO Seeks To Raise $100M, Reveals Strength Of Channel". CRN.
  20. ^ "Stealth startup CrowdStrike wants to obliterate security threats, raises $26M". geekwire.com.
  21. ^ "Ex-McAfee execs start security firm, CrowdStrike". Reuters. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  22. ^ Rao, Leena (23 February 2012). "Former McAfee CTO Debuts Stealthy Security Technology Startup CrowdStrike With $26M In Funding". TechCrunch. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  23. ^ "Outmaneuvered at Their Own Game, Antivirus Makers Struggle to Adapt". CNBC. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  24. ^ a b Hackett, Robert (29 July 2015). "Standing up at the gates of hell: CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz". Fortune. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  25. ^ Kerner, Sean Michael (21 June 2013). "Former McAfee CTO Strikes Back with Crowdstrike". eSecurity Planet. Retrieved 15 November 2017.[permanent dead link]
  26. ^ Hackett, Robert (17 May 2017). "Hack Investigator CrowdStrike Reaches $1 Billion Valuation". Fortune. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  27. ^ Novinson, Michael (31 December 2019). "10 Hot Cybersecurity Companies To Watch In 2020 – CrowdStrike". CRN. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  28. ^ Schubarth, Cromwell (12 June 2019). "Why CrowdStrike's CEO isn't surprised his company equaled Symantec in value in its Wall Street debut". Silicon Valley Business Journal. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  29. ^ "CrowdStrike CEO Says he Regrets Not Firing People Quicker - dot.LA". dot.la. Retrieved 2024-07-19.
  30. ^ Knowles, Catherine (6 July 2020). "CrowdStrike recognised as leading endpoint security vendor on global scale". SecurityBrief EU. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  31. ^ "Strike First, Strike Hard: How George Kurtz Has Built CrowdStrike Into A Cybersecurity Powerhouse", CRN, Michael Novinson (August 9, 2021)
  32. ^ "CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz on China, Microsoft and the SEC". CNBC. December 14, 2023.
  33. ^ Weston, David. "Helping our customers through the CrowdStrike outage". Microsoft. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
  34. ^ Milmo, Dan; Kollewe, Julia; Quinn, Ben; Taylor, Josh; Ibrahim, Mimi (19 July 2024). "'Largest IT outage in history' hits Microsoft Windows and causes global chaos". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  35. ^ Sorkin, Andrew Ross; Mattu, Ravi; Warner, Bernhard; Kessler, Sarah; Merced, Michael J. de la; Hirsch, Lauren; Livni, Ephrat; Gaffney, Austyn (2024-07-19). "Counting the Costs of a Global IT Outage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-20.
  36. ^ "CrowdStrike CEO: 'We know what the issue is' and are resolving it". TODAY.com. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  37. ^ "Pirelli Paddock Pass: George Kurtz – Sportscar365". Sportscar365. 22 July 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
  38. ^ Malsher, David (13 August 2017). "Utah PWC: James delivers fourth GTS win for Panoz". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  39. ^ "George Kurtz: Leader On And Off The Track". Speed Sport. 20 July 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  40. ^ "CrowdStrike to buy Israeli cybersecurity cos for $2b". Globes. 2022-07-26. Retrieved 2024-07-22.
  41. ^ a b "George Kurtz Results". motorsportstats.com. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Michelin Endurance Cup
LMP2 Champion
2023
With: Ben Hanley 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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