Victor Sheymov

Victor Ivanovich Sheymov (9 May 1946 in Moscow – 18 October 2019 in Vienna (Va.) ) was a Russian computer security expert, author and patent holder of computer security innovations. A former intelligence official with the rank of major in the Soviet KGB, Sheymov defected to the United States in May 1980, choosing to come out of hiding a decade later.

Since becoming a US citizen, Sheymov was active in the computer security industry as the CEO of Invicta Networks, a Northern Virginia-based developer of advanced cyber-security technologies. He also published a memoir, Tower of Secrets, about his experiences in the KGB and life in the United States.

Early life Victor Sheymov was born in Moscow on May 9, 1946.

Sheymov was born to a well-educated family, his father an engineer; his mother a doctor specializing in cardiology. He graduated from Moscow State Technical University in 1970, and then worked as a physicist in the Soviet space weapons program.

He was assigned to the KGB, serving in a variety of technical roles in the Eighth Chief Directorate.

Career in intelligence

The Eighth Chief Directorate was responsible for ciphers and communications intercepts. According to Sheymov, his work with the KGB had allowed him to see the gap between Communist rhetoric and reality; the nature of his job allowing him information available to only a select few. Although Sheymov and his family were exfiltrated without problems, the planning had been complicated due to his busy work schedule, which included trips to Yemen and possibly other locations. Meanwhile, the need for American intelligence officers to conduct face-to-face meetings with Sheymov to finalize all the details of the operation added to the difficulties. Shortly before his treachery was uncovered Hanssen had asked Sheymov for a job with his new company, Invicta Networks, though the latter was not willing to give him one. The two had known each other since the late 1980s when Sheymov was a consultant to the National Security Agency and Hanssen was his contact in the FBI.

Victor Sheymov invented the Variable Cyber Coordinates (VCC) method of communications. This method of communications is advantageous for establishing a high level of cyber security. By hopping IP address and other communications parameters, it provides dynamic protection of computers and computer networks through cyber agility. Sheymov was granted numerous patents in the United States, European Union, Australia, Japan, India, Korea, and China. Sheymov testified in the United States Congress as an expert witness. He was a keynote speaker at major government and private industry events at the National Security Agency, at the National Defense Industry convention, at a National Science Foundation symposium among others, and he has been a guest lecturer at universities.

Sheymov also authored articles in The Washington Post, Barron's, World Monitor, National Review and other national publications. He appeared in many national news programs including Larry King Live, 48 Hours, Dateline, McNeil-Lehrer, Charlie Rose and the McLaughlin Report.