US Cybersecurity Exec Slams Russian Oligarch Claim: ‘Conspiracy Theory’ [Video]

A key player in IronNet, the once highly celebrated cybersecurity firm, has rejected “wild” claims about his alleged connections with Russian oligarchs in an exclusive interview with Newsweek.

André Pienaar, founder and head of investor relations at C5 Capital, which was an early investor in IronNet, has insisted that recent reports which claimed the firm was open to undue influence from the Kremlin “completely mischaracterize the IronNet story.”

IronNet has been operating amid warnings from the National Security Agency and the FBI that “Russian military cyber actors” have been targeting U.S. infrastructure for espionage and sabotage purposes since at least 2020.

IronNet, a startup founded by former NSA Director Lt. Gen. Keith Alexander, had promised to revolutionize the way private and public organizations combat cyberthreats but by October 2023 had filed for bankruptcy.

On Friday, the Associated Press(AP) reported on IronNet’s “high-profile flameout,” drawing on accounts from former employees and national security experts to allege …