Tidal Cyber has appointed Cat Self as Senior Director of Adversary Research, expanding its focus on procedural-level threat intelligence and adversary testing as part of its Threat-Led Defense platform.
Self, a recognized expert in cyber threat intelligence and adversary emulation, joins the company to lead adversary research and content initiatives. Her mandate centers on advancing procedural-level intelligence that enables organizations to evaluate how their defenses perform against real-world attacker behavior rather than generalized threat signals.
Prior to joining Tidal Cyber, Self served at MITRE as the macOS/Linux Lead of MITRE ATT&CK and founded the cyber threat intelligence team supporting ATT&CK Evaluations. During her tenure, she led large-scale procedural emulation initiatives designed to operationalize complex adversary tradecraft into measurable, execution-level assessments for the broader cybersecurity industry.
Her background also includes service in U.S. Army military intelligence and enterprise red teaming at Target. In addition, she designed and delivered adversary emulation and cyber threat intelligence programs for U.S.-allied partner nations, translating ATT&CK into operational training frameworks and structured capability development aligned to real-world threats.
At Tidal Cyber, Self will oversee adversary research and cyber threat intelligence strategy. The company said her work will help organizations prioritize high-risk attack procedures and align defensive investments with actual adversary execution paths. The approach is intended to help security teams determine not only whether defenses disrupt attacks, but where disruption has the greatest impact.
The appointment builds on Tidal Cyber’s ongoing investment in procedural research and testing capabilities, which form the core of its Threat-Led Defense platform. The company positions its platform around adversary procedures, delivering execution-level specificity designed to reduce attacker success rates and residual risk.
KEY QUOTES:
“I joined Tidal Cyber because the company is committed to transparency around how defenses perform against real adversary procedures. In an industry saturated with marketing, those procedures, the exact steps adversaries take, provide clarity. They expose decision points, motivations, and capability. When organizations understand how their defenses hold up at that level, they can move beyond the noise and focus on solving the right problem.”
Cat Self, Senior Director Of Adversary Research, Tidal Cyber
“Cat is an exceptional leader in adversary research and threat intelligence. I had the privilege of hiring Cat during our time at MITRE and saw firsthand her ability to translate complex adversary tradecraft into actionable insight. Her deep expertise in procedural research and evaluations aligns perfectly with our mission to help organizations understand whether their defenses can truly disrupt real attack execution.”
Frank Duff, Chief Innovation Officer And Co-Founder, Tidal Cyber
