Blackpoint names Erin Whitmore to lead threat intel

Blackpoint Cyber has appointed Erin Whitmore as Head of its Adversary Pursuit Group, putting the former CIA Operations Officer in charge of the company's threat intelligence and research work.

Whitmore joins the cybersecurity company with more than 16 years of experience across US intelligence agencies and private-sector cyber risk roles. She previously supported the Defence Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence before moving into executive roles at Aon and CYPFER.

The appointment comes as managed service providers face growing pressure from ransomware groups, nation-state operators, and other advanced attackers that use supply chains and trusted provider relationships to reach smaller businesses. Whitmore will work with Blackpoint's Response Operations Centre to turn operational findings into intelligence, research, and guidance for partners.

Her remit includes leading the Adversary Pursuit Group's threat research and intelligence initiatives and serving as a public voice on changes in the threat landscape. The team will focus on turning real-time visibility from Blackpoint's managed detection and response operations into intelligence designed to help organisations anticipate emerging risks.

Intelligence focus

Blackpoint is placing greater emphasis on intelligence-led security as attackers expand beyond large enterprises and increasingly target the small and medium-sized business market. For companies that rely on managed service providers for security and IT support, that shift has raised the stakes for channel partners, which attackers may see as a route into multiple customers.

Whitmore's background in intelligence operations is likely to be central to Blackpoint's effort to position its research function as more than a technical monitoring team. Her role will be to connect frontline observations from thousands of environments with the broader analysis and context defenders need to make security decisions.

That approach reflects a broader cybersecurity trend, as providers try to combine alerts and indicators with more strategic interpretation of adversary behaviour. Firms serving the channel have been under pressure to explain not only what has been detected, but also what patterns are emerging across incidents, sectors, and attack methods.

Before moving into the private sector, Whitmore served as a CIA Operations Officer and held intelligence roles across several national security bodies. Her later work in corporate cyber resilience and strategic risk gave her experience advising organisations on how to respond to attacks and uncertainty beyond the technical response alone.

Under her leadership, the Adversary Pursuit Group will play a larger role in Blackpoint's research and educational work. That includes producing intelligence and guidance for partners and the wider cybersecurity community as companies seek clearer assessments of ransomware trends, nation-state activity, and changing attack methods.

In the vendor and managed services market, intelligence functions have become a differentiator as customers ask for stronger evidence that providers can identify and interpret advanced threats. The growing overlap between geopolitical tensions and cyberattacks has also pushed many security companies to recruit leaders with backgrounds in state intelligence and national security.

Whitmore addressed the rationale for the move in a company statement.

"The adversaries targeting organizations today are sophisticated, well-resourced, and constantly adapting, and the intelligence used to stop them has to be just as dynamic. What drew me to Blackpoint is that the APG and B-ROC are built around real-world, human-led operations, not theoretical frameworks. That's a rare foundation, and I'm excited to help push it further," said Erin Whitmore, Head of the Adversary Pursuit Group, Blackpoint Cyber.

Chief Executive Officer Gagan Singh said the appointment reflects the company's effort to give partners clearer insight into fast-changing threats.

"Erin brings a unique combination of intelligence expertise, operational leadership, and industry credibility. She has spent her career helping organizations understand complex threats and navigate uncertainty. As Head of APG, she will ensure our partners have the intelligence and clarity they need to stay ahead of every threat," Singh said.