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Pittsburgh

The Home of Cybersecurity

Heritage of Innovation

Since the earliest days of the Industrial Revolution, Pittsburgh, because of its location at the meeting of 3 rivers, was a central driver of innovation and technology in the United States. The people of Pittsburgh have always been hard-nosed, embracing the grind that progress requires. This mentality is ingrained in the Qintel spirit. 

Embrace the Grind

In the 1970s and 1980s, while many American cities struggled to square old industries with new economies, Pittsburgh focused on technology and information. With its unique blend of blue collar heritage and a deep talent pool of nearly 100,000 top university students in the city, Pittsburgh has proudly, but quietly, become an undeniable force as a hub of innovation in the digital era.  It has remained a foundational channel of talent, innovation, and operations for the rapid growth of technological advancement in Silicon Valley and the constant evolution of global information needs in Washington D.C. Over the last 3 decades the city has become one of the most significant locations in the world for threat intelligence and fighting cybercrime as it is home to the CMU Software Engineering Institute, CERT/CC, National Cyber Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA), Qintel and more.

The Frontier of Cybersecurity

1988
The Birth of CERTFollowing the catastrophic Morris Worm incident—the internet's first major malware outbreak—DARPA directed Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) to establish the CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC). It served as the nation’s very first trusted, 24/7 computer security incident response team.
1991
First Cyber Crimes Task Force The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office formed the world's first cyber crimes task force (later known as the Pittsburgh High-Tech Computer Crimes Task Force). It combined federal, state, and local law enforcement to pool technical investigative resources. This division went on to become the blueprint for the FBI's entire national cyber strategy.
2002
Public-Private IntelligenceThe National Cyber-Forensics & Training Alliance (NCFTA) was founded in Pittsburgh. Operating as a non-profit, the NCFTA pioneered a neutral zone where private corporations, academic tech pools, and international law enforcement agencies could securely share threat intelligence.
2008
The DarkMarket Takedown An undercover operation led by FBI Pittsburgh's cyber squad infiltrated and entirely seized DarkMarket, the internet's largest illicit digital marketplace for stolen credit card data at the time. Undercover agents gathered massive amounts of criminal and nation-state intelligence before completely dismantling the network.
2011
FBI's Pittsburgh division executes a criminal seizure warrant as part of the most complete enforcement action ever taken by U.S. authorities to disable an international botnet.
2011
FBI's Pittsburgh division begins Operation Tovar, leading to the seizure of international criminal infrastructure and the indictment of the Russians responsible for Gameover ZeuS.
2014
First Nation-State Cyber Indictments: Working alongside U.S. Attorney David Hickton, the Pittsburgh squad made history by issuing the first-ever criminal indictments against foreign nation-state actors—specifically targeting members of the Chinese military for economic cyber espionage.
2017
Pitt Cyber Emerges: The University of Pittsburgh formally established the Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security
2023
AI Security Frontlines:CMU's Software Engineering Institute established the nation's premier Artificial Intelligence Security Incident Response Team (AISIRT) to specifically counter large language model jailbreaks, prompt injections, and vulnerabilities targeting the Department of Defense
2026
Elite Defense Contracts:Highlighting the area's continued dominance, the homegrown Pittsburgh threat intelligence firm Qintel was awarded a $84 million contract with U.S. Cyber Command (USCC) to provide full-spectrum threat intelligence to the nation's military cyber warriors.

The Torch Bearers

In the 1970s and 1980s, while many American cities struggled to square old industries with new economies, Pittsburgh focused on technology and information. With its unique blend of blue collar heritage and a deep talent pool of nearly 100,000 top university students in the city, Pittsburgh has proudly, but quietly, become an undeniable force as a hub of innovation in the digital era.  It has remained a foundational channel of talent, innovation, and operations for the rapid growth of technological advancement in Silicon Valley and the constant evolution of global information needs in Washington D.C. Over the last 3 decades the city has become one of the most significant locations in the world for threat intelligence and fighting cybercrime as it is home to the CMU Software Engineering Institute, CERT/CC, National Cyber Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA), Qintel and more.

Come to Pittsburgh

Do you want to help us illuminate the deep from the most innovative city in cybersecurity?

We’re hiring highly skilled and passionate people to join our mission and help illuminate the deep leaving cyber adversaries nowhere to hide.

We hire in Pittsburgh and remotely.

Apply here