Who is Brian Krebs?

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Brian Krebs: Setting the Standard for Cybersecurity Journalism and Digital Accountability

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Brian Krebs is an independent investigative journalist specializing in cybercrime, internet security, and the digital underground economy. He is the founder of KrebsOnSecurity.com, where he publishes original reporting on data breaches, ransomware operations, and vulnerabilities in public and private infrastructure. His career began at The Washington Post, but his departure led to an even deeper focus on tracking threat actors. Unlike most journalists, he personally engages with both victims and hackers to verify information.

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Krebs is best known for uncovering major security lapses in companies like Target, Adobe, and Equifax before they were officially disclosed. He has been targeted multiple times by cybercriminals in retaliation for his reporting, including DDoS attacks and attempted swatting. These events have not deterred him; instead, they’ve solidified his status as one of the few journalists with real-time access to hacker forums and stolen data markets. His expertise lies in translating raw cyberintel into accessible, verified narratives.

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He authored the bestselling book Spam Nation, which details the rise and fall of spam and malware empires originating in Russia and Eastern Europe. His work exposes not just technical flaws but the financial and legal blind spots exploited by criminals and ignored by regulators. He frequently publishes supporting evidence such as leaked documents, domain logs, and chat records, which are rare among independent media outlets. This transparency reinforces his credibility across tech and security circles.

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In addition to reporting, Krebs hosts The Two Bucks Podcast, where he interviews cybersecurity insiders and researchers to explore breach response, digital surveillance, and privacy failures. He ranks in the top 1% of LinkedIn cybersecurity influencers and was awarded Cybersecurity Person of the Year by CISO MAG in 2019. He continues to operate without advertising or sponsorship on his site to preserve editorial independence—an uncommon stance in tech journalism today.

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An Influencer Active on Social Media

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Brian Krebs maintains an authoritative presence on LinkedIn and X, with active engagement driven almost entirely by his LinkedIn audience.

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Brian's Social Media Strategy Analysis

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X: Legacy Visibility with No Current Activity

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Krebs’s X (formerly Twitter) account has over 331,000 followers, but he hasn’t posted in more than two years. This inactivity coincides with platform shifts in moderation, credibility concerns, and potential misalignment with his editorial standards. Despite the large follower base, the account no longer contributes to his traffic, reach, or influence. He has 0% engagement, and his content dashboard shows no tweet activity within the last 24 months.

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Previously, Krebs used X as a way to distribute new articles and respond to breaking security events in real time. He would occasionally interact with journalists, ethical hackers, or incident response teams in threads. But as his blog gained more direct readers and LinkedIn became more prominent for professional discussion, X lost its strategic value. His decision to stop tweeting reflects his priority for reliable, high-signal platforms over those driven by noise.

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• ‍Username: @briankrebs‍
• Influence Score: 8.7/100‍
• Followers: 331.7K‍
• Activity: 0 tweets/year‍
• Engagement Rate: 0%‍
• Growth: -0.01%‍
• Average Engagement: 0‍
• Posting Habits: Once a year at 6 PM EST

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LinkedIn: Professional Engagement Through Investigative Authority

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Brian Krebs uses LinkedIn as his primary platform to reach cybersecurity professionals, policymakers, and journalists. His posts typically link directly to articles from KrebsOnSecurity.com, accompanied by concise summaries that highlight the broader implications of the reported breach or investigation. He avoids personal commentary, focusing instead on verified facts, legal documents, and technical details relevant to breach response and digital infrastructure. His tone remains consistent: analytical, alert, and sourced.

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He publishes around nine posts per month, usually on weekday mornings at 7 PM EST, aligning with when professionals begin scanning industry updates. Despite this low-to-moderate frequency, his content consistently earns above-average engagement—averaging 762 interactions per post. Rather than rely on flashy visuals, his posts lead with impact headlines and supporting evidence, driving serious traffic to his blog. Each update functions like a headline briefing for professionals short on time but high on responsibility.

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Krebs’s network includes leading CISOs, ethical hackers, and cybersecurity executives, many of whom reshare his findings. His engagement is not based on volume but depth; the discussions in his comment sections often include clarifications, citations, or follow-up links, especially on government policy or critical infrastructure risk. The platform also amplifies his advocacy around surveillance reform and digital rights, which are popular among his highly literate audience.

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His strong Favikon performance—#159 on LinkedIn U.S. and Top 1% nationally—reflects a strategy based on trust over trend. Unlike influencers who post to remain visible, Krebs posts when he has something verifiable and valuable to contribute. That approach makes LinkedIn his most strategic and high-leverage platform.

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• ‍Username: @bkrebs‍
• Influence Score: 96.9/100‍
• Followers: 193.7K‍
• Activity: 9 posts/month‍
• Engagement Rate: 0.39%‍
• Growth: +0.65%‍
• Average Engagement: 762‍
• Posting Habits: Twice a week at 7 PM EST

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Podcast: In-Depth Dialogue for Cybersecurity Insiders

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Brian Krebs extends his investigative lens into audio through The Two Bucks Podcast, a series dedicated to long-form conversations on cybersecurity, digital ethics, and information security culture. Unlike traditional news-style podcasts, The Two Bucks Podcast favors analytical depth over fast takes, often featuring seasoned professionals with firsthand experience in cyber policy or threat intelligence. Each episode functions like a briefing, designed for CISOs, researchers, and analysts who prefer substance over surface-level coverage.

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The podcast regularly tackles topics that don’t always fit the format of his blog, such as the ethics of surveillance legislation or the hidden impact of breach fatigue on enterprise response teams. Episodes are structured around detailed interviews, with Krebs steering the conversation through sourced examples, policy references, or ongoing investigations. His role as both host and active investigator makes each session distinct—grounded in current events, but far from speculative.

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Guests are carefully selected and often come from roles where discretion and experience are vital—ranging from government cyber units to ethical hacking collectives and breach response consultants. These contributors bring real-world insight that complements the evidence-based tone Krebs maintains across his platforms. The podcast also avoids filler content, choosing instead to center each episode around one well-developed angle or revelation.

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Krebs does not promote the podcast through conventional channels like ad rolls or social clips. Instead, he links to episodes through his blog and shares new releases on LinkedIn, reinforcing his minimalistic but high-trust outreach style. The Two Bucks Podcast serves as an extension of his editorial mission: to create meaningful content that contributes to professional discourse, not content churn.

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Brian Krebs' Social Media Influence Summary

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Brian Krebs holds an Favikon Influence Score of 8,271 points, positioning him in the Top 1% of LinkedIn creators in the United States. He is ranked #159 on LinkedIn U.S. and #21 in Cybersecurity U.S., making him a go-to source in investigative tech journalism. His LinkedIn performance reflects steady growth (+0.65%) and high engagement in a niche that values depth over volume.

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Learn more about the Favikon Methodology here

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Content Strategy: Investigative, Independent, and High-Impact

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Krebs’s strategy avoids visual branding or trend participation and instead prioritizes depth and clarity. Each post—whether blog or LinkedIn—is grounded in investigation, real-world consequence, and expert sourcing. He uses no clickbait, no hashtags beyond essentials, and rarely reposts others’ content. His authority comes from original reporting, not aggregation.

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Reachability and Partnerships

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Brian Krebs is primarily reachable through his investigative blog KrebsOnSecurity.com and his active LinkedIn profile, where he shares updates twice weekly. He does not manage community replies on other platforms and intentionally avoids promotional engagement. His contact methods are limited to professional channels listed on his blog, reinforcing his preference for serious inquiries. This model ensures that outreach is filtered for journalistic relevance and topic integrity.

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He does not accept brand sponsorships or run paid collaborations, maintaining full editorial independence across all content. However, he collaborates with cybersecurity experts, nonprofit watchdogs, and researchers on investigations or podcast appearances. Advocacy groups focused on digital rights, breach disclosure reform, or policy analysis are best suited for collaboration. His consistent presence on LinkedIn and his trusted blog reputation make him most responsive to mission-aligned, evidence-driven outreach.

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Conclusion: Pillar of Cybersecurity Transparency

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Brian Krebs has built one of the most credible voices in independent cybersecurity reporting. With top-tier LinkedIn influence, a widely read investigative blog, and a principled content style, he serves both professionals and public interest. His approach is not built for virality—but for accuracy, pressure, and impact. For partners aiming to drive awareness in cyber policy or digital risk, Krebs remains a key figure capable of turning complex threats into public conversations.

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