Anthony J. Ferrante

Anthony J. Ferrante is an American cybersecurity professional and former government official. He served in senior cybersecurity roles at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the White House National Security Council (NSC) before entering the private sector. Ferrante currently serves as Global Head of Cybersecurity at FTI Consulting.

In 2016, Ferrante coordinated the federal response to Russian cyber operations targeting the United States presidential election. Working within the FBI's Cyber Division, he collaborated with federal, state, and local officials to assess threats and strengthen election infrastructure security protocols.

Education

Anthony J. Ferrante earned his bachelor's degree in Computer Science from Fordham University in New York City, in 2001. He subsequently completed a master's degree in Computer Science at the same institution in 2004.

As an alumnus and later an adjunct professor, Ferrante helped establish Fordham University's International Conference on Cyber Security.

In 2021, Ferrante became a member of the executive committee of the Fordham President's Council. In 2006, he was selected to join the FBI's Cyber Action Team, a rapid-response unit tasked to investigate critical cyber incidents across countries on behalf of the U.S. government.

In 2016, Ferrante supervised an inquiry into allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US elections. He left the NSC in 2017 as the administration changed, transitioning to a management role in the private sector. In this position, Ferrante manages a team of professionals that provide advisory services, cyber risk management, digital forensics, and incident response. FTI's cybersecurity segment has expanded across different countries, recruiting former law enforcement and intelligence experts to its ranks.

In 2018–2019, he oversaw a digital forensics investigation into the hack of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's smartphone. That investigation, conducted by FTI at Bezos's request, concluded with medium to high confidence that the breach was carried out via a WhatsApp message from a phone number used by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Ferrante was also involved in an inquiry related to the Steele dossier allegations. In 2017, after the news organization BuzzFeed published the dossier concerning alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, Russian technology entrepreneur Aleksej Gubarev filed a defamation lawsuit against the publication. BuzzFeed's legal team retained Ferrante through FTI to examine and assess the dossier's cyber-related claims as an expert witness. In 2018, Ferrante submitted a report stating that Gubarev's web infrastructure had been used by Russian operatives for cyberattacks as described in the dossier.

Role in 2016 U.S. Election Cybersecurity

While serving as Director for Cyber Incident Response at the White House National Security Council in 2016, Ferrante coordinated the federal response to cyber threats targeting the U.S. presidential election. After detecting an intrusion in Illinois's voter registration database, Ferrante and NSC colleagues identified what they assessed to be a broader pattern of probing attempts against election infrastructure across multiple states.

Ferrante helped organize the U.S. government's Election Day cyber response plan, working with agencies such as the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice. The plan involved establishing dedicated communication lines, coordinating with state and local officials, and preparing federal teams to respond to potential disruptions. On Election Day, Ferrante supervised monitoring operations from a secure facility near the White House, with federal agencies prepared to respond to any signs of interference.

In subsequent public statements, Ferrante stated that forensic analysis of the Illinois breach indicated Russian involvement, and noted that additional state systems were similarly targeted during the election period. While investigations found no evidence of vote manipulation, reports indicated concern among officials that these activities could potentially undermine public confidence in the electoral process.

After his government service, Ferrante remained involved in issues related to the 2016 election as a cybersecurity expert in the private sector.