Welcome to 443 Consulting! 

Key Areas of Expertise

• Critical Infrastructure Security
  • Electric Grid/Smart Grid (NERC CIP-001 to CIP-009)
  • Airports
  • Seaports
  • Cities 
  • Healthcare Facilities
    
    

• Access Control
• Network Security
• Security Management Practices
• Operations Security
• Investigations, Root Cause Analysis
• Physical Security
  
  

• Format and Style
• Development
• Review
• Verification & Validation
• Promulgation
  
  

• Cyberterrorism Defense
• Grass Roots Info Security for General Public
• Root Cause Analysis 
  
  

Ernie Hayden CISSP CEH

Ernest N. Hayden (Ernie) is the founder and owner of 443 Consulting, LLC, an enterprise focused on providing quality thought leadership in the areas of information security, cybercrime/cyberwarfare, business continuity/disaster recovery planning, and research.

Most recently, Ernie was Information Security Strategic Advisor in the Compliance Office at Seattle City Light.  In this role he was the primary leader of utility-wide efforts focused on complying with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Standards.

Prior to his arrival at Seattle City Light in July 2008, Ernie was the Information Security Officer (ISO) for Group Health Cooperative – one of the largest private employers in Washington State and one of the largest healthcare systems in the area. 

Before his move to Group Health, Hayden was the Chief Information Security Officer for the Port of Seattle – one of the nation’s largest combined airport and seaport operations.  In this role, Ernie was responsible for information security policy and practices, business continuity/disaster recovery planning, and privacy issues for the Port.  Ernie started at the Port of Seattle in April 2004.

In 2004 during Ernie’s tenure at the Port he co-chaired a large, regional critical infrastructure protection exercise called Blue Cascades II and was invited to speak at the National Association of Attorneys General at the request of Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna.  Ernie was profiled in a cover story in Information Security Magazine for his work with the CISO of the City of Seattle. 

Prior to Ernie’s arrival at the Port he held several significant management positions in both the business management and the information security management arenas.  Some of Ernie’s responsibilities included President and CEO of MCM Enterprise of Bellevue, Washington – an advanced sensor technology company for the hydroelectric sector; IT security lead for the Seattle Justice Information System in the Seattle Municipal Courts and Seattle Police Department; Director of Security Services for Alstom ESCA software company of Bellevue, Washington – a major player in the unregulated energy sector; Executive Director for the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) covering the Western US and Canadian operations; and commissioned officer in the US Navy qualified as a nuclear engineer and surface warfare officer.

Ernie is often invited to speak at information security, critical infrastructure protection and disaster planning meetings, seminars and conferences.  He is also an instructor, curriculum developer and advisor for the University of Washington Information System Security Certificate program in Seattle.  Additionally, Ernie is a contract instructor for the Cyberterrorism Defense and Analysis Center, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Ernie is an accomplished writer.  He published a chapter on “”Cybercrime’s Impact on Information Security,” in the Oxford University Press Cybercrime and Security Legal Series, and an article on his original research on data lifecycle security in Information Security Magazizne.   He is a frequently invited author for Disaster Resource Guide.

He is very active in the areas of critical infrastructure protection and cybersecurity at national, regional and local levels.  Ernie is a CISSP – Certified Information Systems Security Professional and Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).  He received a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration (with International Business emphasis) from the University of Washington in Seattle; has completed graduate-level coursework, and is a graduate of the FBI Citizens Academy and Center for Creative Leadership - Leadership Development Program.