Nick Ascoli

Founder / CEO, Foretrace

In January 2021, Nick Ascoli became the founder and CEO of Foretrace, an External Attack Surface Management platform.

A Penn State University graduate, he holds a bachelor’s degree in security and risk analysis — information and cybersecurity option.

His career has included working for nearly four years at Security Risk Advisors, holding positions of increased responsibility, including senior threat management consultant and senior cybersecurity research scientist. Ascoli worked as the security operations and architecture lead at Bema Technologies LLC and vice president of threat research at PIXM.

What drove your interest in working in the field of cybersecurity?

My interest in cybersecurity was initially sparked by pure curiosity, and I never imagined it would become a career until I discovered it as a major option at Penn State, where I promptly switched my major. The ever-evolving nature of the field and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in safeguarding digital assets and data is what continues to drive my passion for working in cybersecurity.

What is the biggest challenge facing the cybersecurity industry?

The biggest challenge facing the cybersecurity industry is the rapid pace at which technology advances. Data and tools that were not originally built with security in mind pose significant challenges in ensuring their protection. Users often pay the price with data breaches and thefts. Addressing this challenge requires a proactive approach to constantly adapt and stay ahead of emerging threats, while also advocating for security by design principles in the development of new technologies.

This profile is part of The Daily Record's Cybersecurity Power List for 2023. Information used in this profile was sourced from the honoree. See the full list at thedailyrecord.com.