Cybersecurity Canon

What Cybersecurity Canon does

Cybersecurity Canon (operating as Cybersecurity Canon Project, Inc.) is a Springfield, Virginia-based nonprofit founded in 2014 that curates and reviews cybersecurity books as a community resource for the profession. Its core product is a vetted catalog of more than 250 reviewed titles with 50+ books inducted into a Hall of Fame following evaluation by a panel of senior practitioners and former Fortune 500 CISOs, including co-founders Rick Howard (former CSO at Palo Alto Networks) and Helen Patton (former CISO at Cisco). The organization serves individual cybersecurity practitioners, students, and academics through a free membership model backed by a community of more than 5,000 members and 30+ active volunteers.

Name

Cybersecurity Canon

Legal name

Cybersecurity Canon Project, Inc.

Website

https://cybercanon.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cybersecurity Canon is a nonprofit that curates and reviews cybersecurity books, running a Hall of Fame program and Speaker's Bureau for a free community of 5,000+ practitioners, students, and academics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Professional Development

NAICS

Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Cybersecurity Learning Platforms (EDAFANAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Archives, Libraries & Institutional Access Platforms (MPAJAMAJ), Cybersecurity Training & Awareness Programs (BPAEANAF)

Keywords

• Cybersecurity book reviews
• Hall of fame program
• Speaker bureau services
• Curated reading lists
• Community newsletters

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization accepts donations through Infinite Giving Technologies platform. Community members can contribute financially to support the non-profit's mission of curating cybersecurity knowledge.
2. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships from organizations seeking to support the cybersecurity profession's curated knowledge library. Sponsors gain visibility within the cybersecurity professional community.
3. Speaker Bureau Fees: For commercial events, standard engagement fees are charged for speaking engagements. As a non-profit, fees are treated as tax-deductible donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cybersecurity Canon is a non-profit organization that curates and reviews influential cybersecurity books, maintaining a Hall of Fame of over 50 inducted essential works out of more than 250 titles reviewed since 2015. The platform is volunteer-managed by expert CISOs and offers free community access via website and monthly newsletter, complemented by a Speaker's Bureau that connects event organizers with Hall of Fame authors for paid speaking engagements.

Product overview

Cybersecurity Canon is a non-profit organization that operates a curated book review and recommendation platform for cybersecurity professionals. The core offering consists of expert book reviews and the Hall of Fame — a collection of over 50 inducted books representing essential, timeless cybersecurity wisdom. The organization complements its curation platform with a Speaker's Bureau service connecting event organizers with Hall of Fame authors, and a newsletter community reaching over 5,000 professionals. The platform is built on WordPress with over 30 volunteers managing operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Book Reviews & Curation
• Hall of Fame
• Speaker's Bureau
• Newsletter & Community

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 books inducted into Hall of Fame after reviewing more than 250 titles
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Ohio State University Institute for Cybersecurity & Digital TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CyberCanon team acknowledges the steadfast support and stewardship provided by The Ohio State University Institute for Cybersecurity & Digital Trust. This partnership provides institutional support and legitimacy to the non-profit organization.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SANS Institute: SANS Institute is a leading provider of cybersecurity training, certifications, and research, and runs the Internet Storm Center and @RISK newsletter. It shares the Canon's mission of advancing practitioner knowledge through vetted content and authoritative community resources.
• (ISC)²: (ISC)² is a nonprofit professional association that certifies cybersecurity professionals (CISSP, etc.) and publishes body-of-knowledge resources. It overlaps with the Canon in serving practitioner development and curated professional content for the security community.
• ISACA: ISACA is a global professional association for IT governance, risk, and cybersecurity, offering certifications, publications, and research. It compares to the Canon as a membership-driven nonprofit curating authoritative knowledge for security professionals.

Regional players

• Center for Internet Security (CIS): CIS is a nonprofit that publishes security best practices (CIS Controls, CIS Benchmarks) and operates the MS-ISAC. It shares the Canon's nonprofit, community-served model for trusted cybersecurity knowledge, though it focuses on operational standards rather than book curation.

Direct peers

• The Cyberwire: The Cyberwire produces daily cybersecurity podcasts and briefings and shares deep ties to the Canon's co-founder Rick Howard. It serves a similar practitioner audience and overlaps with the Canon's curated-news and newsletter distribution model.
• Cybrary: Cybrary is an online cybersecurity learning platform offering courses, labs, and career paths for practitioners. Like the Canon, it serves security professionals seeking curated, career-relevant learning resources, though it monetizes via paid subscriptions rather than donations.

Emerging players

• Dark Reading: Dark Reading is a cybersecurity news and analysis publication that curates articles, reports, and expert commentary for practitioners. It competes for the same practitioner attention as the Canon's reviews and newsletters, though its content is journalism-led rather than book-led.
• Krebs on Security: Krebs on Security is an investigative cybersecurity blog with deep practitioner readership. It shares the Canon's emphasis on high-quality, trustworthy information for the security community but focuses on investigative reporting rather than book curation.

Others

• O'Reilly Media: O'Reilly is a major technical book and learning platform whose catalog overlaps heavily with the books the Canon reviews. It is comparable as a distribution and discovery channel for cybersecurity technical books, with affiliate-style referral pathways analogous to the Canon's Amazon/Bookshop links.
• NCC Group / Cydea / Think Cyber: Independent cybersecurity advisory firms like Cydea publish curated blogs, reading lists, and thought-leadership newsletters for practitioners. They are comparable to the Canon's community newsletter and curatorial reading-list model, though driven by commercial consultancies rather than a nonprofit mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/cybercanon
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cybersecurity-canon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cybersecurity Canon