Herbert Lin

Herb Lin

Herbert Lin

  • Senior Research Scholar at the Center for International Security and Cooperation
  • Hank J. Holland Fellow in Cyber Policy and Security, Hoover Institution

CISAC
Stanford University
Encina Hall, C236
Stanford, CA 94305-6165

650-497-8600 (voice)

Biography

Dr. Herb Lin is senior research scholar at the Center for International Security and Cooperation and Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, both at Stanford University.  His research interests relate broadly to the impact of emerging technologies on national security, especially in the digital domain (cyber, artificial intelligence, information warfare and operations), and has written extensively on the role of offensive operations in cyberspace as instruments of national policy.  In addition to his positions at Stanford University, he is Chief Scientist, Emeritus for the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies, where he served from 1990 through 2014 as study director of major projects on public policy and information technology.  From 2016 to 2025, he was a member of the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. In 2016, he served on President Obama’s Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity and in  2021 on the Aspen Commission on Information Disorder.  Prior to his NRC service, he was a professional staff member and staff scientist for the House Armed Services Committee (1986-1990), where his portfolio included defense policy and arms control issues. He received his doctorate in physics from MIT.

Avocationally, he is a longtime folk and swing dancer and a lousy magician. Apart from his work on cyberspace and cybersecurity, he is published in cognitive science, science education, biophysics, and arms control and defense policy. He also consults on K-12 math and science education.

publications

Journal Articles
March 2023

Where the New National Cybersecurity Strategy Differs From Past Practice

Author(s)
Where the New National Cybersecurity Strategy Differs From Past Practice
Journal Articles
November 2019

Cyber Risk Research Impeded by Disciplinary Barriers

Author(s)
Cyber Risk Research Impeded by Disciplinary Barriers
Journal Articles
July 2019

The Existential Threat From Cyber-enabled Information Warfare

Author(s)
The Existential Threat From Cyber-enabled Information Warfare

In The News

Photo of man smiling
News

U.S., Allies Seek Ways To Combat Ransomware As Online Attacks Proliferate

The more countries involved in the discussion, the better but in the end you want to have global controls on cryptocurrency redemption.
U.S., Allies Seek Ways To Combat Ransomware As Online Attacks Proliferate
Computer code
News

US Slaps Russia With Sanctions Plus For SolarWinds Hack

The White House Executive Order comes on the same day that CISA and CNMF issue SolarWinds-related malware analysis and NSA-CISA-FBI issue a joint advisory warning of ongoing SVR exploitation of known vulnerabilities in common products. Herb Lin comments.
US Slaps Russia With Sanctions Plus For SolarWinds Hack