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Jacob Riggs

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Jacob Riggs
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 founder of Deadswitch,[3] a Dead man's switch designed for use by journalists, dissidents, and other at-risk individuals[3] and winning visa by infiltrating Australian government website.[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 which provided unauthorized access to law enforcement portals used to submit sensitive data requests in 2020.[8]

Award 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.
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