VOOZH about

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Riggs

⇱ Jacob Riggs - Wikipedia

Jump to content
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
British cybersecurity researcher and ethical hacker
This article is an orphan, as no other articles link to it. Please introduce links to this page from related articles. (February 2026)
Jacob Riggs
👁 Image
Riggs in 2023
Born
London, United Kingdom
OccupationEthical hacker
Known forDeadswitch
Websitejacobriggs.io

Jacob Riggs is a British ethical hacker, and cybersecurity expert,[1][2] known as the founder of Deadswitch,[3] a Dead man's switch designed for use by journalists, dissidents, and other at-risk individuals,[3] and for being granted a visa following the responsible disclosure of a critical vulnerability in an Australian government system.[4][5][6] He also helped in a collaborative investigation into former Saudi Arabian royal court advisor Saud al-Qahtani and his involvement with HackingTeam and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.[7] He discovered a bug within Facebook and WhatsApp that provided unauthorized access to law enforcement portals used to submit sensitive data requests in 2020.[8]

Awards and recognition

[edit]
  • 2021: Received recognition from the National Cyber Security Centre - Netherlands (NCSC-NL), for identifying and reporting vulnerabilities within their critical infrastructure.
  • 2021: Received $100,000 in prize money funded by Huntress Labs, an American cybersecurity firm founded by Kyle Hanslovan.[9]
  • 2021: Presented with a vulnerability disclosure hacker coin from the UK National Cyber Security Centre on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence.
  • 2021: Credited with Hall of Fame recognition by the United Nations.[10]
  • 2022: Presented with a trophy and formal letter of appreciation from Belastingdienst on behalf of the Dutch government.
  • 2022: Awarded a limited edition solid gold coin, commemorating the life and legacy of the mathematician and codebreaker Alan Turing for disclosing a security vulnerability to the Royal Mint.
  • 2025: Received Australia’s invitation-only 858 National Innovation Visa for internationally recognized cybersecurity achievement.[1][11][6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Sigsworth, Tim (2025-12-31). "British hacker wins visa by infiltrating Australian government website". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  2. ^ "Jacob Riggs | Champions Speakers". champions-speakers.co.uk. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  3. ^ a b "Introducing Deadswitch: The World's Safest Data Insurance Strategy For Journalists, Dissidents And Whistleblowers". Dakota Digital. 2020-04-21. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  4. ^ Swan, David (2026-01-01). "Cyber expert gets rare Australian visa by hacking the government". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  5. ^ "UK security researcher wins coveted 858 Innovation visa after ethical hack of DFAT system". VisaHQ. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  6. ^ a b "British hacker gets rare Australian visa after hacking the government website". Cybernews. 2026-01-02. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  7. ^ "How 'Mr. Hashtag' Helped Saudi Arabia Spy on Dissidents". VICE. 2018-10-29. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  8. ^ "Here's How Police Request Data From WhatsApp and Facebook". VICE. 2020-09-10. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  9. ^ "DIVD raises $100k from Huntress Labs for national bug bounty". Archived from the original on 2025-12-10. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  10. ^ "Hall of Fame". Office of Information and Communications Technology. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  11. ^ Swan, David (2026-01-01). "Cyber expert gets rare Australian visa by hacking the government". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
👁 Stub icon

This biography article of a United Kingdom academic is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

This article needs additional or more specific categories. Please help out by adding categories to it so that it can be listed with similar articles. (February 2026)
Categories:
Hidden categories: