Jacob Riggs

Cybersecurity expert Jacob Riggs is a pioneering British ethical hacker who has supported the cybersecurity efforts of business giants like John Lewis and The Guardian. He is best known as the founder of Deadswitch, a specialist Dead Man's switch created for journalists, dissidents, and high-risk individuals. Jacob is recognised as a trusted authority in all aspects of digital security, including ethical hacking, threat intelligence and information security management. 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. 

Jacob began his cybersecurity career at John Lewis & Partners as a Security Analyst. In this role, he protected customer data and supported the company's information security operations. He later acted as a Cyber Security Analyst for Charityshare and became both a Certified Hacking Forensic Investigator and Certified Network Defence Architect. In 2017, Jacob founded Deadswitch, an encrypted dead man's switch designed to safeguard sensitive data through an automated release mechanism. He also went on to found Subject Access, a platform focused on GDPR data access rights, and the RFID key-cloning device, Fobber. As an ethical hacker, Jacob has identified security threats to Australian government systems, supported the investigation of former Saudi Arabian royal court advisor Saud al-Qahtani and his involvement with HackingTeam, and discovered a bug within Facebook and WhatsApp that gave unauthorised access to law enforcement portals.

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 letter of appreciation from Belastingdienst on behalf of the Dutch government. Most recently, in 2025, Jacob was granted Australia's invitation-only Subclass 858 National Innovation Visa in recognition of his aid in preventing cyberattacks on Australian Government systems. 

Currently, Jacob is a full-time security specialist, and part of his time is dedicated to highlighting security weaknesses to global businesses. Jacob’s previous clients include Google, Facebook and the UK Government, all of which he has provided a vulnerability disclosure for as an ethical hacker, allowing them to improve their digital security. As a speaker, Jacob draws on his wealth of front-line experience to raise awareness of modern security threats and provides clear strategies to tackle them. To hire Jacob for your next event, contact Champions Speakers today!