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Eric OтАЩNeill helped capture the most notorious spy in United States history: Robert Hanssen, a 25-year veteran of the FBI. The remarkable true events of his life are the inspiration behind the critically acclaimed dramatic thriller Breach, starring Ryan Philippe as OтАЩNeill, and his bestselling novel Gray Day.
The film set inside the FBI- the gatekeeper of the nationтАЩs most sensitive and potentially volatile secrets тАУ is the story of the greatest security breach in US history.
Preceding HanssenтАЩs arrest, Eric OтАЩNeill worked with the spy within the information assurance division that protected all classified FBI intelligence. He gained HanssenтАЩs trust and used that relationship to slowly draw the traitor out of deep cover.
Eric OтАЩNeill began his career in the FBI as a graduate of the FBIтАЩs Intelligence Program. He spent the first five years of his career as a special surveillance group field operative tasked to surveil and monitor foreign, national, and domestic terrorists and spies. He transitioned from field operative to direct undercover work focusing on Hanssen.
Although his prior training had focused on тАЬghostingтАЭ targets from the shadows, he engaged his target in conversation in order to elicit information needed to catch Hanssen in the act of espionage.
The singular nature of the assignment, one with little backup or support, required Eric OтАЩNeill to draw from deep reserves of courage and confidence within himself to battle HanssenтАЩs mind games and aggressive probing and learn to тАЬstop reacting to Hanssen and begin acting.тАЭ
Currently, Eric OтАЩNeill is the National Security Strategist for VMWare-Carbon Black, the leader in next-generation endpoint protection, where he provides insight and advice on strategic cyber-security issues and will work to ensure VMWare-Carbon Black is an active participant in the conversation about the national strategy for cybersecurity.
He is also a founding partner of The Georgetown Group, a premier investigative and security consultancy, where he specialises in counterintelligence operations, investigations into economic espionage, cybersecurity penetrations, internal investigations, catching the trusted insider and security risk assessment consulting out of Washington, DC.
Eric OтАЩNeillтАЩs story is one of patriotism, of decisive action in the face of fear, and of learning to maintain confidence in ability even if it looks like success is impossible.
He has told his story in national media, in print, on radio, and on television including 20/20, Nightline, Hardball with Chris Mathews, Fox News Power Player of the Week with Chris Wallace, CNN, CSPANтАЩs Washington Journal, NPRтАЩs тАЬFresh Air with Terry Gross,тАЭ World News Now, MTV and Access Hollywood.
A talented motivational speaker who weaves real-life experiences into a presentation that is both entertaining and rewarding, Eric OтАЩNeill provides practical insights into real work situations relevant to many industries.
In addition to his experience in the Hanssen case, he also addresses the issues of confidence and patriotism, the threat to United States security posed by terrorism, foreign intelligence services, the cyber threat to our national infrastructure and the national conscience in a monitored society.
