Mark De Bels

Mr. Mark De Bels is an NSA Visiting Professor at the Center for Cyber Security Studies, United States Naval Academy. He holds an M.S. in Computer Science with an Emphasis on Network Security and a B.S. in Mathematics. His research focuses on Trust Infrastructure and Security of Software Cryptographic Applications.

Mr. De Bels has extensive experience in both defensive and offensive NSA missions. He previously served as Chief of a 100-person Signals Intelligence analysis team targeting cryptographic applications, and as a technical SME at the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3). His career spans roles such as Information Assurance Analyst, Operating Systems Analyst, and Cryptographic Application Analyst at NSA from 1994–2016.

His professional contributions include leadership in securing defense contractor networks against foreign cyber attacks and advancing cryptographic application analysis methodologies.

He currently engages in academic cybersecurity research and education through the Center for Cyber Security Studies, integrating his operational expertise into academic training programs.