Meet Our Team
Josh Passman, Founder
Meet our founder, Josh Passman, who aims to provide top-tier cybersecurity consulting and breach response services. With a focus on mitigating risks for business owners, we at XFIL Strategies are committed to safeguarding the integrity and confidentiality of our clients’ digital landscapes.
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Mr. Passman’s journey into the realm of cybersecurity and risk management is rooted in a diverse and distinguished background. Serving in the Marine Corps during Operation Enduring Freedom instilled the values of discipline, resilience, and a deep-seated commitment to protecting others. These values carried over into a career in law enforcement, where Mr. Passman retired as a decorated police officer. Throughout his career, Mr. Passman was privileged to work alongside the FBI, DEA, and Homeland Security on task forces aimed at dismantling transnational organized crime. His leadership in these high-stakes environments has been recognized through numerous awards, including being honored by the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association as Detective of the Year, and as a five-time recipient of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Outstanding Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award.
Mr. Passman’s academic achievements complement his field experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and is a proud graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Cybersecurity: Managing Risk in the Information Age program. This blend of real-world experience and formal education gives him a unique perspective on the complex challenges facing today’s businesses in the digital domain.
At XFIL Strategies, we leverage this expertise to empower business owners, ensuring their operations are resilient against cyber threats and breaches. Our approach is not just about responding to incidents but proactively creating environments where security is woven into our client’s operations.
Beyond his professional life, Josh is a dedicated family man who is married and has two sons. This personal commitment to family and community mirrors professional dedication to our clients, understanding that at the heart of every business are people striving for security and success.
Together with Mteam at XFIL Strategies, we stand ready to protect and serve our clients in the ever-evolving cyber landscape, ensuring they can focus on what they do best: running their businesses with peace of mind.
Lilas Ayandeh, Esquire
Lilas Ayandeh is a founding partner of XFIL Strategies LLC, where she brings her extensive legal expertise to the forefront of cybersecurity consulting and breach response services. As an accomplished attorney, Lilas’s journey in law began with her academic achievements at Nova’s Shepard Broad College of Law, where she received her J.D., laying the foundation for her distinguished career.
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Following her graduation, Ms. Ayandeh served as a prosecutor in the 17th Judicial Circuit, where she honed her skills in the legal field, navigating complex legal challenges and contributing to the upholding of justice. Her tenure at the State Attorney’s Office was marked by dedication and a keen sense of duty, qualities that she carries into her current endeavors.
Transitioning from public service to private practice, Lilas focused on data and privacy laws, a field that has become increasingly critical in the digital age. Her expertise in this area is theoretical and practical, as she has provided invaluable counsel to large corporations in the aftermath of cyber-attacks. Her work has helped safeguard sensitive information and guided organizations through the intricate legal landscape following such incidents. Ms. Ayandeh has defended multiple wire fraud cases in Federal Court from Puerto Rico to Miami and State cases involving fraud in first-degree felony matters.
As a proud member of the LGBTQ community, Lilas brings a unique and inclusive viewpoint to her work and the company, fostering an environment of diversity and understanding. Ms. Ayandeh is the daughter of Iranian immigrants and is fluent in Farsi.
At XFIL Strategies LLC, Lilas Ayandeh’s role is not just about addressing the aftermath of cyber threats but also about preemptively crafting strategies that protect clients against future vulnerabilities. Her legal acumen, combined with her specialization in data and privacy laws, positions her as a pivotal asset to the firm and its clientele, offering a blend of legal insight and cybersecurity expertise that is rare and invaluable.
Ms. Ayandeh’s vision for XFIL Strategies LLC is rooted in a commitment to excellence, integrity, and inclusivity, ensuring that the firm not only meets but exceeds the expectations of its clients in an ever-evolving digital landscape.
Soheila Amiri, Esquire, Legal Team Lead
Ms. Amiri has an in-depth knowledge of the technology sector fueled by over 30 years of industry experience in software development, with a rare specialty in software and network security fields. Before attending law school, she worked as a software engineer for top technology software houses in security-related research, development, performance, and vulnerability.
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Working in various capacities, including test engineer, software developer, vulnerability assessment and performance lab director, product security certification manager, technologist, and patent portfolio manager for top Fortune 500 companies.
As an experienced network and software security expert, Ms. Amiri has been involved with setting up and managing many software security laboratories in which all manners of software at all tiers on the entire software stack were scrutinized and vulnerabilities discovered and resolved before public product releases. This experience includes generating real/simulated and controlled environments and means of attack to determine the nature of and mitigate the attack.
She has been involved in developing security software, including firewalls and Real-Time vulnerability Detection software.
As a former software engineer and patent portfolio manager, Ms. Amiri has an in-depth understanding of the entire cycle of IP protection, including obtaining business goals, licensing, and litigation needs. An area of her strength is the initiative-taking protection of IP assets throughout product development, conducting patent portfolio analyses, highlighting key strengths, opportunities, assessing the competitor landscape, and auditing software and hardware assets to identify and harvest potential new IP assets. This underlying technology know-how extends to various technology areas (and manners of securing them), including:
- Video streaming protocols
- IoT and AI software technologies
- Mobile wireless telecommunications
- Mobile broadband
- Internet technologies
- TCP/IP communications standards and protocols
- Server Architecture
- Database encryption
- Computer processing and graphics
- Semiconductor design and fabrication
- Consumer products and peripherals
- Cryptography (including post-quantum crypto)
- Network security protocols
As a senior in-house counsel in charge of an extensive patent portfolio for a well-known corporation, Soheila created, extended, and helped prosecute a strong portfolio in the security sector, which has helped the company protect its innovation as well as gain financial results from sale and/or licensing of its IP assets in this field.
Daniel Passman
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Mr. Passman spent five years in the United States Marine Corps, deploying twice in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom as a Senior Intelligence Analyst. From 2010 through 2017, Mr. Passman worked at the National Ground Intelligence Center, providing analytical efforts in Afghanistan and at U.S. Special Operations Command, where he went on to lead a team of 35 analysts supporting the Identity Intelligence Exploitation Cell; providing 24/7 analytical support for Special Operations Forces deployed across the globe.
Mr. Passman holds a BS in Criminal Justice from Florida International University and an active Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance.