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Symmatrics announced Oct. 22, 2026, that Andrew Hallman has joined its Strategic Advisory Board. Hallman is a former senior CIA and ODNI official and currently works at Leidos; the company says his experience will inform its cybersecurity work, including products based on one-time-pad encryption.
Symmatrics announced on Oct. 22 that Andrew Hallman, a former senior official at the CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), has joined its Strategic Advisory Board. Hallman, who currently works at defense contractor Leidos, brings more than 30 years of intelligence and security experience to the cybersecurity company as it develops products based on one-time-pad encryption.
Symmatrics said Hallman will advise the company as it develops cybersecurity products for organizations in government, defense and critical infrastructure. The company describes its approach as One-Time Pad Symmetric Key (OTPSK) encryption and says its products are designed to protect data and communications from threats associated with artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Those are company descriptions; the announcement does not provide independent testing or performance results for the products.
Hallman served as Deputy Director of the CIA for Digital Innovation from 2015 to 2019, where he helped establish and lead one of the agency’s newer directorates, according to the announcement. From 2019 to 2020, he served at ODNI as Principal Executive and performed the duties of Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence. Symmatrics said he helped oversee the U.S. Intelligence Community and acted as a principal adviser to the president on intelligence issues during that period.
Hallman is now Vice President and Strategic Account Executive for the Intelligence Community at Leidos, according to Symmatrics. The announcement does not describe the scope of his advisory responsibilities, how often he will work with the company, or whether the role is compensated. It also gives no details about any specific product reviews, customer engagements or technical work he may undertake.
Advice for a Security Startup
The appointment adds a former senior intelligence leader to the advisory roster of a company targeting government and other high-risk organizations. Hallman’s background includes leadership roles at agencies responsible for intelligence and digital innovation, while his current Leidos position involves the Intelligence Community, according to Symmatrics. That experience may offer the company insight into the needs of prospective public-sector customers, though the announcement does not specify what advice he will provide or indicate that any government agency has endorsed Symmatrics or its products.
The company is positioning its technology around concerns that are drawing attention across cybersecurity: attacks that use AI and the prospect that future quantum computers could undermine some forms of encryption. Symmatrics says its OTPSK products are intended to address those risks. Hallman’s appointment is a strategic and personnel development, not evidence that the products have been independently validated, adopted at scale or shown to prevent particular attacks.
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Symmatrics’ Encryption Approach
Symmatrics describes itself as a cybersecurity company building products around One-Time Pad Symmetric Key encryption, which it abbreviates OTPSK. Its announcement says the technology is intended to protect data both in transit and at rest, and refers to patented technologies and a system it calls Continuously Expiring Trust. The release does not explain the technical design, disclose patent details or provide comparative performance data.
The company says it serves or is targeting sectors including national security, defense, financial services, healthcare and critical infrastructure. Its stated focus is protection against current AI-related attacks and future post-quantum security risks. The available announcement does not name customers, identify deployments, or give revenue, funding or product availability details. Hallman’s appointment is presented as support for the company’s strategy, rather than as a change to its product or a disclosed customer contract.
“Andrew’s experience leading the nation’s most critical intelligence and security initiatives makes him a valuable addition to our advisory board.”
— Walter Raquet, Symmatrics chairman and CEO
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Product Claims and Role Details
The announcement does not explain Hallman’s specific duties, the length or terms of his appointment, or how his advisory work will relate to his role at Leidos. It also does not say whether he will advise on technology, customer strategy, government engagement or all three.
Questions remain about Symmatrics’ products and claims. The release provides no independent evaluation, technical benchmarks, named deployments or evidence that OTPSK products have been tested against AI-enabled attacks or quantum capabilities. The announcement also does not identify which quantum-related threats the company’s products address or explain how its system works. No customer adoption, government approval or product performance should be inferred from the appointment alone.
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Details to Watch From Symmatrics
Symmatrics said prospective organizations can learn about its approach or request a pilot, but the announcement did not set a date for a product release, pilot result or further company update. The next concrete indicators will be whether the company discloses technical information, names customers or publishes independent testing that can help organizations assess its security claims.
Further information about Hallman’s advisory responsibilities, including the scope of his work and any outcomes tied to the appointment, was not provided. Until the company or Hallman shares those details, the confirmed development is his addition to the board—not a disclosed change in Symmatrics’ products, partnerships or customer deployments.
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Key Questions
Who is Andrew Hallman?
Hallman is a former senior U.S. intelligence official who served as CIA Deputy Director for Digital Innovation from 2015 to 2019 and performed the duties of ODNI Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence from 2019 to 2020. He currently works at Leidos as Vice President and Strategic Account Executive for the Intelligence Community, according to Symmatrics.
What role will Hallman have at Symmatrics?
He has joined the company’s Strategic Advisory Board. Symmatrics has not described his specific duties, time commitment, appointment terms or areas of responsibility.
What does Symmatrics make?
Symmatrics says it is developing cybersecurity products based on One-Time Pad Symmetric Key encryption, or OTPSK. The company says the products are designed to protect data and communications, but the announcement does not include independent performance tests or named customer deployments.
Does Hallman’s appointment mean the technology is validated or government-approved?
No such validation or approval was announced. Hallman’s appointment is an advisory-board addition; the company did not disclose an agency endorsement, independent product evaluation or government contract connected to the announcement.
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