Reddit named seasoned information security leader Fredrick “Flee” Lee as its CISO Monday. He will lead the social media company’s privacy and security teams and report to CTO Chris Slowe.
Lee has more than 20 years experience managing information security at major financial services firms and technology startups, Reddit said in the announcement. Lee most recently worked as chief security officer and head of IT at Gusto since 2019 and previously served as head of information security at Square.
Lee said he looks forward to helping reinforce Reddit’s safety infrastructure.
“As Reddit grows, it is crucial that our security and trust systems remain resilient and agile to adapt to the ever evolving threat landscape,” Lee said in the announcement.
Lee’s hire comes at an important juncture for Reddit. The company was impacted by a series of cyber incidents in recent months.
The company was hit by a sophisticated phishing campaign in early February, when an outside hacker stole an employee’s credentials, gained access to some company documents, a limited number of contacts and advertiser information and a limited amount of Reddit source code.
The February attack was similar to a series of sophisticated phishing attacks against other firms that federal authorities are investigating, according to Reddit.
Allison Miller, the former CISO and VP of Trust was originally announced in February 2021, but she left the role in January, according to LinkedIn.
Reddit welcomes Lee’s technical leadership and expertise to the company, Slowe said.
“His extensive experience will be integral to evolving our safety infrastructure and cybersecurity processes so we can continue to ensure our users safety and defend against emerging cyber threats,” Slowe said in the announcement.
