Exceptional people drive disproportionate outcomes.

We are a growing, dynamic team of cybersecurity
innovators who thrive on the cutting edge of our professions. We are a collection
of intelligence analyst, operational cyber defenders, and leading technology
researchers that uniquely collaborate to deliver the innovations for national
security and the critical systems that society’s most vital infrastructure
depends.

Executive Team

Steve Bassi
Chief Executive Officer

Steve is a Cyber Security expert and renowned in the industry, with over 20 years experience. Steve is the founder and CEO of Narf Industries, a specialist niche information security R&D firm, with marquee clients from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to members of the Fortune 500. He started as a computer scientist and cyber security researcher for the Naval Research Laboratory after completing his MSC in Computer Science from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Nick Davis
Chief Operating Officer

Nick is the co-founder and COO of NARF. Before joining Steve to found Narf, Nick was an officer in the U.S. Navy leading the Threat Analysis and Network Forensics Department at the Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command, where he managed and coordinated a team of over a hundred employees and contractors responsible for the defense of the Navy's global IT infrastructure.

Ben Schmidt
Chief Scientist

Ben is responsible for developing our strategic technology portfolio, particularly in embedded and industrial control systems, software supply chain, and data security solutions. I recruit, hire, and manage top-notch researchers and engineers and develop the relationships needed to secure external funding for basic and applied research and advanced engineering projects.

Dr. Michael Locasto
Vice President - Government, Research and Development

Dr. Locasto is a research Principal Investigator with 20 years of experience winning and leading high–value research projects for a variety of commercial and government clients. Prior to joining Narf, Dr. Locasto was a Principal Computer Scientist at SRI International, where he led four DARPA programs. He has managed a large research portfolio that helps secure the power grid, IoT, the supply chain, complex document formats, and software designs. He has led several diverse teams that reflect effective collaboration between researchers and domain experts. He was previously a tenured Associate Professor at the University of Calgary, where he directed the Trustworthy Systems Group and conducted research in intrusion detection and software security. Dr. Locasto was a Visiting Research Professor and I3P Fellow at George Mason University from 2008 to 2010 and an ISTS Fellow at Dartmouth College in 2008. Dr. Locasto has co-authored over 80 publications in the field of computer security, and he holds 14 US patents related to software security and intrusion detection.

Austin Fletcher
Vice President - Government Systems and Services

Austin is an expert vulnerability researcher, reverse engineer, and hardware security researcher. At Narf Industries, Austin leads the Government Systems and Services division, focusing on applying cutting-edge research to critical security missions. Prior to joining Narf, Austin served as a Research Director at Two Six Technologies, where he built and managed a portfolio of DARPA research and development projects, and novel products.