“Mike Elkins is one of the rare cybersecurity strategists who understands what most governance frameworks systematically ignore: the cognitive domain is where governance actually breaks. For 27+ years, Mike has been bridging behavioral science and cybersecurity—naming the gap that most CISOs, CROs, and governance architects refuse to acknowledge. That gap cost Coinbase $100M+ in May 2025. Governance Debt in the Cognitive Domain Traditional GRC frameworks treat humans as variables to manage. But governance debt emerges when there's a chasm between what governance says it protects and what it actually prevents when human incentives, organizational pressure, and cognitive vulnerability intersect. Mike's three-domain framework (cyber, physical, cognitive) asks uncomfortable questions: What stops a well-compensated engineer from opening a back door? What prevents coercion of someone who has authorization? These aren't technical problems—they're cognitive problems that technical controls cannot solve. Why Coinbase Mattered When the Coinbase breach hit in May 2025, the attack was cognitive: threat actors bribed overseas contractors to weaponize legitimate access. They broke through psychological barriers using financial incentives, isolation, and low detection risk—exactly the cognitive vulnerabilities most governance frameworks assume exist but rarely engineer. Real Application: Sacramento County When I architected governance systems at Sacramento County (SHIE), Mike's framework shaped our insider threat mitigation: • Behavioral monitoring detecting coercion indicators (isolation, financial pressure, behavior changes)—not just malicious intent. • Governance design acknowledging humans aren't robots: structural protections (segregation of duties, mandatory vacation rotations) that make deviation costly regardless of cognitive state. The Insight Governance debt isn't about inefficient processes—it's the gap between what frameworks assume about human behavior and what humans actually do when incentives change, pressure increases, or isolation deepens. Organizations ignoring the cognitive domain are vulnerable to adversaries who understand psychology better than they understand security. Mike's insistence on treating the human element as foundational is redefining what responsible governance looks like. As adversaries weaponize behavioral science (deepfakes, AI-powered profiling), frameworks treating the cognitive domain as "training and awareness" will continue to fail. Bottom Line Mike understands the human layer where governance breaks. If you're building governance systems (AI, privacy, compliance, insider risk), his perspective is essential. His work is foundational for Courageous Governance—governance that works under pressure, not governance that looks good on paper. Recommended for: CISO roles, Board advisory, Governance architecture, Enterprise risk management, AI governance, Insider threat programs.”
Mike Elkins
Coatesville, Pennsylvania, United States
13K followers
500+ connections
About
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Activity
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Loved seeing a packed office late on a Friday for our Q1 GTM Town Hall last week. We brought sales, marketing, operations, and solutions engineering…
Loved seeing a packed office late on a Friday for our Q1 GTM Town Hall last week. We brought sales, marketing, operations, and solutions engineering…
Liked by Mike Elkins
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Arraya was back at Philly Tech Council's First Friday Lunch this week at Conshohocken Brewing! Michael Piekarski, Sr. Cybersecurity Consultant, and…
Arraya was back at Philly Tech Council's First Friday Lunch this week at Conshohocken Brewing! Michael Piekarski, Sr. Cybersecurity Consultant, and…
Liked by Mike Elkins
Experience
Education
Licenses & Certifications
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Certificate in Cloud Business Strategy
SherWeb, Microsoft, Comptia
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Certificate of Completion - Cisco Networking Academy® Introduction to Cybersecurity course
Cisco Networking Academy
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Certificate of Completion - IANS Securing the Enterprise from IoT: Managing the Unmanageable Symposium
IANS
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Volunteer Experience
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Founder
BAMF Institute of Science and Technology (BAMFIST)
- Present 5 years 8 months
Education
Nonprofit organization
Mission:
The BAMF Institute of Science and Technology (BAMFIST) is a leading institution of multidisciplinary research dedicated to improving the lives of those gifted with High Performance and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Vision:
By fostering collaboration among members of its diverse scientific community, BAMFIST aims to play a leading role in pushing the frontiers of science while becoming a global reference for training…Nonprofit organization
Mission:
The BAMF Institute of Science and Technology (BAMFIST) is a leading institution of multidisciplinary research dedicated to improving the lives of those gifted with High Performance and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Vision:
By fostering collaboration among members of its diverse scientific community, BAMFIST aims to play a leading role in pushing the frontiers of science while becoming a global reference for training regarding High Performance and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). -
Volunteer
Good Works, Inc
- Present 6 years 5 months
Social Services
Volunteer work to rehab homes inside and out to improve living conditions of community
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Courses
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VMware vRealize Automation: Install, Configure, Manage [V7.0]
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VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage [V6]
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Recommendations received
13 people have recommended Mike
Join now to viewMore activity by Mike
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Just saw the 2026 RealList Connectors List drop from Technical.ly and wanted to say a big congrats to everyone who made the list and cast their…
Just saw the 2026 RealList Connectors List drop from Technical.ly and wanted to say a big congrats to everyone who made the list and cast their…
Liked by Mike Elkins
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Looking forward to presenting next week 🤓😍 Curious about joining the Cognitive Security Institute? check out our website in the post 🙌
Looking forward to presenting next week 🤓😍 Curious about joining the Cognitive Security Institute? check out our website in the post 🙌
Liked by Mike Elkins
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With my friend and Presidio colleague Saravanaselvan Gurunathan at the AI2 Agentic Conference in NYC! If you’re here, hit us up!
With my friend and Presidio colleague Saravanaselvan Gurunathan at the AI2 Agentic Conference in NYC! If you’re here, hit us up!
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🎉 Scaling the Ecosystem: My #PTW2026 Schedule 🔔🛸 Philly Tech Week is officially here! This year, my focus is on the bridge between innovation and…
🎉 Scaling the Ecosystem: My #PTW2026 Schedule 🔔🛸 Philly Tech Week is officially here! This year, my focus is on the bridge between innovation and…
Liked by Mike Elkins
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The West has begun waking up to the importance of cognitive warfare and has finally given it serious thought and consideration, which is progress of…
The West has begun waking up to the importance of cognitive warfare and has finally given it serious thought and consideration, which is progress of…
Liked by Mike Elkins
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Heading to the AI Agent Conference in New York City on May 4–5 https://lnkd.in/ecBBeY-R. Looking forward to connecting with builders, founders, and…
Heading to the AI Agent Conference in New York City on May 4–5 https://lnkd.in/ecBBeY-R. Looking forward to connecting with builders, founders, and…
Liked by Mike Elkins
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The shooting may have stopped, but the economic battle is intensifying. The first phase of the conflict with Iran, February 28 to April 8, was…
The shooting may have stopped, but the economic battle is intensifying. The first phase of the conflict with Iran, February 28 to April 8, was…
Liked by Mike Elkins
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Life is a journey and you never know where it is going to take you next. With how fast the pace of change is, I have taken the opportunity to step…
Life is a journey and you never know where it is going to take you next. With how fast the pace of change is, I have taken the opportunity to step…
Liked by Mike Elkins
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