Jacob Riggs is a British ethical hacker and senior cybersecurity leader known for founding Deadswitch, Fobber, SubjectAccess, Cyse, and Bugtri, five distinct ventures that span data protection, physical access security, cybersecurity services, and AI-driven vulnerability management. With over 14 years of hands-on experience across offensive security, threat intelligence, vulnerability management and enterprise risk, Jacob is recognised as a trusted authority who turns real-world adversarial insight into practical defensive strategy. As a speaker, Jacob delivers engaging, real-world insights into cybersecurity and corporate risk, making him a sought-after voice for conferences, summits, and workshops.
As an ethical hacker, Jacob has responsibly disclosed critical vulnerabilities affecting Australian government systems, Facebook and WhatsApp, the Royal Mint, Google, the UK Government, and many other organisations worldwide. He also contributed to the investigation of former Saudi royal court advisor Saud al-Qahtani and HackingTeam’s activities linked to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
For his invaluable work, Jacob was recognised by the National Cyber Security Centre Netherlands (NCSC-NL). He also received $100,000 in prize money from American cybersecurity firm Huntress Labs. In 2021, Jacob was presented with a vulnerability disclosure hacker coin from the UK National Cyber Security Centre on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence and gained a Hall of Fame credit from the United Nations. The following year, he received a solid gold Alan Turing commemorative coin from the Royal Mint as well as a trophy and a letter of appreciation from Belastingdienst on behalf of the Dutch government. Most recently, in 2025, Jacob was granted Australia’s highly selective and invitation-only 858 National Innovation Visa for his internationally recognised record of exceptional achievement in cybersecurity.
Today Jacob serves as a global security leader, directing specialist teams across multiple continents, while continuing to build practical security tools and share frontline experience. As a speaker, he delivers clear, engaging insights into modern cyber threats, ethical hacking and the strategies organisations need to stay resilient. To hire Jacob for your next event, contact Champions Speakers today!
Jacob's official speaking topics are listed below:
- Digital Innovation
- Ethical Hacking
- Cybersecurity
- Digital Disruption
- 2025 – Received Australia's 858 National Innovation Visa
- 2022 – Awarded a limited edition solid gold coin, commemorating mathematician and codebreaker Alan Turing, for disclosing a security vulnerability to the Royal Mint
- 2022 – Presented with a trophy and formal letter of appreciation from Belastingdienst on behalf of the Dutch government
- 2021 – Hall of Fame recognition by the United Nations
- 2021 – Presented with a vulnerability disclosure hacker coin from the UK National Cyber Security Centre on behalf of the UK Ministry of Defence
- 2021 – Received $100,000 in prize money funded by Huntress Labs
- 2021 – Received recognition from the National Cyber Security Centre – Netherlands (NCSC-NL) for identifying and reporting vulnerabilities within their critical infrastructure
- 2020 – Earned six EC-Council certifications
- 2017–2019 – Security Specialist, Guardian News & Media
- 2017 – Founded Deadswitch, Subject Access & Fobber
- 2013–2016 – Security Analyst, John Lewis & Partners
How to hire Jacob Riggs
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Jacob Riggs for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do NOT accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
