Longtime Tenable CEO Amit Yoran Dies At 54

Yoran, who began as the cybersecurity vendor’s CEO in 2016, had been battling cancer.

Amit Yoran — who had served as the CEO of cybersecurity vendor Tenable from 2016 until late last year, and was expected to return — has died.

Tenable announced Saturday that Yoran, 54, had died Friday after a battle with cancer.

In early December, Yoran announced he would temporarily step aside as CEO of the publicly traded company after learning that he would need additional treatment for cancer, which had initially been disclosed in March 2024.

In its statement Saturday, Tenable said that Yoran had “passed away unexpectedly.”

“A visionary leader and a pioneer in the cybersecurity industry, Amit dedicated his life to making the digital world safer,” Tenable said in the statement. “His contributions to the field have left an indelible mark, not only on the company but on the broader cybersecurity community.”

In a LinkedIn post in March 2024, Yoran shared that he had been diagnosed with “a very treatable form of cancer,” but would continue working on a modified schedule.

In an email from Yoran to Tenable staff in early December, which he also posted on LinkedIn, Yoran said while he would need more treatment than previously expected, “it is still a very treatable situation.” Yoran said he was taking a “temporary leave of absence” to focus on the treatment.

Tenable announced at the time that CFO Steve Vintz and COO Mark Thurmond would serve as co-CEOs of the company.

In its statement Saturday, Tenable said it will continue operating under the leadership of Vintz and Thurmond while the company’s board performs a CEO search. Tenable independent director Art Coviello has been named chairman, a role that had also been held by Yoran.

Prior to joining Tenable as CEO in late 2016, Yoran had founded and served as the CEO of NetWitness, which was acquired by RSA in 2011. Yoran was promoted from serving as senior vice president of products at RSA to become its president in 2014.

After joining Tenable, Yoran led the company through “significant growth,” the company said Saturday, including its 2018 initial public offering.

Speaking with CRN in 2022, Yoran called the newly launched Tenable One platform the “only platform of its kind,” combining vulnerability management, external attack surface management, identity management and cloud security.

“If customers really want to understand their cyber risk, understand their exposure and how to manage that risk, we think this Tenable One platform is the premier way to do that,” he said at the time.